Chances to advance are equal both for Boleslav and Larnaca
The path from the third qualifying round to the final play-off phase of the Europa League is equally long for Boleslav and Larnaca. The coach and the players share the same opinion. They respect their opponent's strength but they wish to advance.
The chief coach of Mladá Boleslav Miroslav Koubek, as well as the whole team, received the news about their European opponent's name during the last day of the training camp in Austria. He wasn't very enthusiastic but he didn't give in either when he said: „Larnaca is a difficult opponent. Definitely one of the most difficult ones in the first draw. We must realise they are not a Cyprian team, but a European team. They have a Dutch coach and their players come for example from Italy, Croatia and Africa. The Cyprian players are a minority group. In my opinion there are no weak rivals in European cups. But of course we want to beat Larnaca and advance; the chances are fifty-fifty for both the teams. Larnaca has its value and so do we. Jablonec realised that it is not easy to succeed against a team from Cyprus last year."
Do you think it is an advantage that Boleslav is going to play the first match on the rival's pitch?
„It is going to be an advantage after we manage to score outside."
Some of the players added short comments to the coach's statement. „I'm looking forward to it. For me, it is an interesting and untested rival," said Ondřej Kúdela. The first reaction of the team's captain Marek Kulič was a troubled sigh; he said that the opponent was too far away and that the travelling would take much time. "It is good that we'll play the first match outside," Václav Procházka thinks.
"It is an acceptable rival," believes Jakub Řezníček. "It's not going to be easy," claimed Adrian Rolko. "I am looking forward to going to Cyprian Larnaca because I know the environment very well as I used to play there for the national U-19 team for two years," said Jan Chramosta.
