Pre-#WISSPA Conference | Part 1

The first to address the media at the press conference before the second leg of the third qualifying round for the Conference League were coach Michal Gasparik and Robert Pich.

Michal Gasparik - coach of Spartak Trnava

"We got a good result at home, but I know we have a very difficult match ahead of us. It's crucial that we show our best. Good organization, control of the match, and avoiding individual mistakes will be crucial. We came here not only to defend the result. We would also love to score a goal, because I think who scores first here will be very important," began Spartak coach Tranava.

When asked about Spartak's squad situation before the match in Krakow, the coach replied: "The answer is clear – we are stronger. As a coach, I have more options to choose from. We used this time to postpone our weekend match in the Slovak league. We allowed players returning from injuries to play in our second team. I think these steps will allow us to be fresher on the pitch, unlike the hosts, who had to play their league match on Monday, and it will be easier for us to maintain control of the match. In fact, apart from Bukata and Ofori, who are both suffering from chronic injuries, I have all the players available." "I analyzed the match, and the analysis showed that it wasn't just one or two players I missed, but the whole team wasn't functioning as it should have. There were too many nerves in the first thirty minutes. We even got that unfortunate goal that we gave them. In the second half, we were playing our own football. It was clear what our intentions were, what our goal was. Will the lineup be more similar to the second half of the first match? I suspect so. We want to build on our play in the second half, but we'll also have players returning from injuries, so I'm hoping we'll get the best possible lineup. However, I think it won't even be a matter of names, but of the entire team's performance and proper concentration. The point is to translate the good progress we've made after the first match into the overall result, because we want to advance to the play-offs," he added.

The Slovak team's coach had the opportunity to play against Wisła and play at R22. How does he recall those matches? "I have fond memories of this stadium because I scored a goal here. It was a Górnik match that, after about fifteen years, they won here, so there was a lot of euphoria. I didn't score many goals in Poland, just three, one of which was here. I know there's an assistant at Wisła with whom I played in Poland (Mariusz Jop), but from that match I remember Erik Cikos the most, who played right back, and I played left wing. What I'd like to emphasize here is that I hope that after tomorrow's match, my memories of this stadium will be just as fond," he noted.

Robert Pich - player of Sparak Trnava

Robert Pich is a well-known footballer in Poland, as his resume includes matches for Legia Warsaw and Śląsk Wrocław. "I know the atmosphere of matches at Wisła, and that's why I think the opening minutes will be very important for us. We want to control the match from the very beginning, to keep the hosts at bay. We know them very well, we know their strengths. We know that if they start playing offensively, if they manage to score, it would be very difficult for us. We want to avoid that," he began. "I have fond memories here. I'm happy to be returning to a stadium I know well, and I hope to achieve a good result here with my team, just as I achieved good results here playing for other teams. For me, it's a bit of a time warp. I'm back in Poland, where I spent a lot of time. I mainly have fond memories of that period," he continued.

When asked if any of the matches played at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Kraków had particularly stuck with him, he replied: "There were indeed many here, but I remember one in particular. I played for Śląsk Wrocław, whose fans were still on friendly terms with Wisła fans. The season was already ending, it was the penultimate round, and we were fighting for fourth place, which guaranteed qualification for European competition. We won there 1-0, I scored the goal, and we secured qualification for the cups, and what was unforgettable was the entire stadium cheering us on. Both Śląsk and Wisła fans."