The players of Borac are traveling to Thessaloniki today, where they will play the first leg of the second round of the Champions League qualifiers against PAOK tomorrow at 20:30 at the “Toumba” stadium, hoping to extend their European journey this season as long as possible.
After eliminating the Albanian champion Egnatia in the first round via a penalty shootout, securing at least six more European matches and at least a play-off for the Conference League, the team has shifted the pressure to the renowned Greek club, which is considered the absolute favorite in this matchup by football enthusiasts.
“We hope this European story will last as long as possible. The tie with PAOK is a reward for the entire last season and our victory against Egnatia. Everyone knows who our next opponent is, and the only thing we share with them is that we were founded in the same year. The fact that their team is 15 times more expensive than ours says enough about them being the absolute favorites,” emphasized Borac’s head coach Mladen Žižović.
However, Žižović also noted that no one can take away the team’s hope of possibly eliminating the famous club.
“Before the matches with the Albanians, we were under great psychological pressure, but everything ended happily. Borac eliminated a rival on the European stage after almost 50 years, and that gave us additional strength for the upcoming duels with PAOK. I believe we now have a slight psychological advantage because the Greeks, as absolute favorites, are under greater pressure. We will try to play a game in Thessaloniki that gives us hope for the return leg, where our loyal fans will be the 12th player, and we can achieve a miracle and reach the third round of the Champions League qualifiers, thus securing the group stage of the Conference League, which is our ultimate goal this season on the international stage. Our task is to hope, fight, and give our all, and no one can take that from us,” Žižović continued.
The latest addition to the “red-blue” squad will be among the travelers to Thessaloniki.
“He is registered for the second round and will be in contention for the team. The only player we can’t count on is the injured Aleksa Pihler. I am sure everyone who steps on the field will give their maximum to return to Banja Luka with the best possible result,” added Žižović.
The scorer of the decisive penalty in Elbasan was the young David Čavić, who said that he and his teammates will fight hard in the two matches against the Greeks.
“Against Egnatia, we all breathed as one, encouraged each other, and gave each other extra strength and motivation. It will be the same this time. No one can take away our hope, and I am sure nothing is impossible. Our fans supported us fantastically in the first match against Egnatia, and there were a few in Albania. I believe there will be some in Thessaloniki, and especially in the return leg at the City Stadium. We must play not only for ourselves but also for them, as well as for all Borac supporters and football lovers in Republika Srpska,” said Čavić.
Source: RTRS
