Abdullah Avcı: “We are ready for tomorrow night”

Trabzonspor’s head coach Abdullah Avcı stated that they are ready for tomorrow’s match and expressed their desire to advance with a good performance. Team captain Uğurcan Çakır also mentioned that they are prepared for the opponent.

Trabzonspor will face Slovakia’s Ruzomberok team in the second qualifying round second leg of the UEFA Europa League tomorrow evening. Head coach Abdullah Avcı and team captain Uğurcan Çakır held a press conference before the match they will play.

Abdullah Avcı noted that in the first match, the opponent effectively utilized their strong sides against them, saying, “In the first match, the opponent used their strong sides very well against us. They were effective with crosses and throw-ins against us. We also had effective positions. Our captain performed well that day. It was extremely important to win in terms of being the first official match and playing in European Cups. We prepared accordingly, considering the systems the opponent might play. We want to play a better game in front of our fans tomorrow night and win to advance. The first act of the two-act game has ended. There is one more 90 minutes to go. The game will be one where concentration is high at every moment, and the quality of play will be higher. I hope we will reap the rewards of this together with our fans,” he said.

“My priority is to win the match”
Abdullah Avcı stated that his priority is to win the match, saying, “Because I am 61 years old and the same as the city’s license plate, I hope we can experience this together. The statistics given always remain in history, and they are important. But first and foremost, good play and winning the match are much more valuable for me. Winning matches will accelerate our steps towards our goals. The priority is to win tomorrow’s match, and after winning, we can share our thoughts regarding the statistics in the press conference. My priority is to win the match and look healthily ahead.”

“Despite being ahead in transfers, we still have deficiencies”
Avcı stated that they started the season by making plans, saying, “The president and the board of directors have worked wonderfully to ensure that we are ahead of many teams in terms of transfers. But we still have deficiencies. When there are no players suitable for the formation I want to play, we need to have the flexibility to make changes in the formation sometimes. We are such a technical team. There will be changes in formation from time to time. The player profiles will determine that. We have many departments. We plan to play 55 matches this season, and no player has the possibility of playing all 55 matches. The match traffic is very intense. It is not easy to recover. There will be a few changes, but not many,” he stated.

“Our transfer efforts continue”
Avcı indicated that they plan to transfer 2-3 more players, saying, “We have spoken with maybe 7-8 players for the 8-10 region; sometimes reaching the figures is not very easy. You can sometimes change based on the player you have and the formation. Our efforts for that region continue. The names Onuachu and Wegorst are circulating in the media, but we are also talking to other names. There is a center-back issue. We are continuing. We are working on the 8-10 region as well.”

“Trabzonspor will compete with its character and determination”
If they advance, they will continue in Europe, Avcı stated, “If we pass this round and advance to the next round, we will continue in the European Cups. Regardless of the outcome after the playoffs, we will play 12 matches in European Cups this season. This can change depending on the situation and position you find yourself in. We want to continue on our path here. It is important for Trabzonspor to be in Europe. When we include the Super Lig and the Turkey Cup, it averages 55 matches. A player cannot play 55 matches. Trabzonspor, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş are the domino stones of this league. They have always competed. Among them, the results are not always related to the economy, but to organization and the outcomes of derbies. You can’t always compete with the economy. Trabzonspor will always compete with its character and determination. We cannot compete with them economically, that is a fact. But Trabzonspor will compete with its character and determination,” he concluded.

Uğurcan Çakır: “We want to advance”
Trabzonspor’s team captain Uğurcan Çakır stated that they returned with an advantageous score from the first match, saying, “We are returning with an advantageous score from the first match. However, there is a form situation due to it being the first official match. Actually, we couldn’t display the game we wanted, but we returned with an advantage. First matches are difficult. We have worked for the second match. We are ready for our opponent. Tomorrow night we want to advance here.” He mentioned that he spent 40-45 days at the European Championship, saying, “We achieved a nice success. We made our country happy. It doesn’t matter whether I play or not. What is important is that we represent the national flag, which is a significant pride. After that, Abdullah Avcı gave me a lot of time off. I had an 8-day vacation, and I wanted to stay fit and contribute to the team. I always try to do my best for Trabzonspor. That day was a good day for me. I plan to work hard and continue this performance.”

“I focused on my job and I will do that”
Çakır stated that his name is associated with transfers every season, saying, “I focused 100% on my job here. I will work hard and try to help my teammates. If a transfer offer comes, I will sit down and evaluate it. Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş spend huge amounts of money and have great players. But we also want to fight with both our character and our fans to become champions. We want to go as far as we can in Europe. In my opinion, we have the best coach in Turkey. We are in a good situation and working well. It doesn’t matter whether I go or stay; I have focused on my job and I will do that.”

Trabzonspor performed warm-up exercises during their training, which was open to the press for 15 minutes. In the later part, they carried out a tactics-oriented training session.

Additionally, the burgundy-blue football players and technical staff celebrated the 61st anniversary by cutting a cake for head coach Abdullah Avcı.