Slavia Prague’s 30-year-old defensive universal player considers it a small advantage that two Ukrainian teams, Dnipro and Luhansk, stand in their way to the main phase of the competition. The style of the first opponent, with whom the red and white team will play their home match in the 3rd qualifying round, was discussed with Ukrainian teammate Taras Kacharaba. He stated at a press conference that Dnipro’s main strength lies in their offense.
Slavia will strive for their seventh appearance in the group stage of the cup qualification this year, and to achieve this, they need to defeat at least one of the two opponents. If they manage to advance ahead of Dnipro, they will secure at least a spot in the group stage of the UEFA Conference League.
„It’s important. We could feel it even during training today, that it’s Europe, that it’s something different. It’s a bit tense. You have two matches and you can be eliminated. We all want to reach the group stage of the European league and we want to do our best for it,“ said Holeš.
The team’s mood is good. „I really feel the team’s strength since the first rounds of the Czech league. I think we have delivered good performances in the matches we played. We are all looking forward to it,“ added the Czech representative.
According to Holeš, Dnipro’s strength lies mainly in their offense. „They definitely have quality when they have the ball and play forward. They have fast wingers, a strong striker, and in the midfield, they have excellent players who are strong on the ball,“ said Holeš.
„When they have possession, we need to be vigilant and focus on defense 100%. On the other hand, there are some gaps at the back that we have identified and need to exploit. We have a plan on how we will play and we will try to execute it,“ added Holeš.
If his team advances past Dnipro, they will face another Ukrainian club, Luhansk, in the final 4th qualifying round. „I’m glad it turned out this way. These teams probably won’t be too far apart in terms of gameplay. We have Taras (Kacharaba) as our defender, with whom I have consulted a lot about how they play and what to watch out for. So it’s a small advantage,“ said Holeš.
Slavia will once again have to deal with the poor condition of the Eden Stadium’s pitch, which will undergo a rapid replacement immediately after the match.
„The pitch is bad. With my physique, as I’m not exactly lightweight, it’s not easy for me to move on it during sprints. It’s challenging and complicates our game. But I don’t think about getting injured on it. Then I wouldn’t be able to move at all,“ noted Holeš.
„We have to be careful with every touch of the ball so that it doesn’t bounce off unexpectedly and the opponent doesn’t go straight to the goal. Especially us defenders have to pay close attention to it. It’s a complication, but we will already play our third match on it, so we know what to expect,“ added the former Hradec Králové and Jablonec player.
