The decisive moment in FC Lugano’s European campaign has arrived. On Thursday 27 August at 6.00 pm (Swiss time), the bianconeri will face Maccabi Tel Aviv in Batumi, Georgia, in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League play-offs. They go into the match on the back of a 2–1 victory a week ago at the AIL Arena, with a place in the competition’s main phase at stake.
Lugano go into the match following a weekend without any official fixtures, after their league match against St. Gallen was postponed. The situation is different for Maccabi, who played their opening match of the Israeli league on Sunday, securing a 5–2 away win against Hapoel Jerusalem.
NINETY DECISIVE MINUTES
Having beaten KF Dukagjini and NSÍ Runavík in the first two qualifying rounds, FC Lugano now face the final hurdle on their way to the main phase. Maccabi, meanwhile, reach the play-offs after beginning their campaign in the UEFA Europa League, where they knocked out Sheriff Tiraspol before being eliminated by CSKA Sofia and dropping down to the UEFA Conference League.
The result from the first leg gives the bianconeri an advantage, but it does not alter Mattia Croci-Torti’s view of the two-legged tie: “We’re building on last Thursday’s 2–1 result. It was a tough match, which showed that we can hold our own, but also that we’re up against a formidable opponent. Tomorrow will be an intense match, a real battle, and to secure this qualification we’ll need to be even more precise and focused than usual.”
THE SETTING IN BATUMI
The match is being played on neutral ground in Batumi, in a very different setting to the game at the AIL Arena. Among the points highlighted by the Juventus coach is, above all, the atmosphere the team encountered on arrival in Georgia: ‘Our first impression was of incredible humidity, and that will certainly be a factor in the match. But, as in previous weeks, there are no excuses or justifications. We’re here to try and win this match.’
The absence of the usual home atmosphere will also be a factor to manage: “It’s always a bit of a shame to play in such a beautiful arena with so few spectators, but that’s the situation we’re in. We’ll need to be good at understanding these dynamics too in order to secure qualification.”
CONFIDENCE AND FOCUS
The stakes inevitably make the run-up to the match different, but Croci-Torti describes a team that is fully aware of what lies ahead and of its own potential: “The lads know what’s at stake and there’ll certainly be a bit of tension tomorrow, as there should be. But we’re ready; we know what we have to do and what we want to do.”
The aim will be to manage even the trickiest phases of the match without compromising on the qualities we’ve shown so far: “We want to be stronger than our opponents. We’ll try to manage the match as best we can, knowing there’ll be difficult moments, but also that we can make our style of play count. We’re confident and we know the importance of this match.”
Following the first-leg victory, the two-legged tie in Batumi will decide which team secures a place in the main phase of the UEFA Conference League. Kick-off is at 8.00 pm local time, 6.00 pm in Switzerland.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH MATTIA CROCI-TORTI: