On Thursday, RSCA takes on the Swiss BSC Young Boys in Bern. Coach Felice Mazzù and Adrien Trebel took the floor to look ahead to this first game of the play-offs in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Our team travelled to Bern on Wednesday with an almost fully fit squad. Only Majeed Ashimeru had to stay in Brussels with a slight injury.
In The beautiful Wankdorf Stadium, Anderlecht will take on BSC Young Boys on a synthetic pitch. "Obviously we are not used to these surfaces, but we already saw in the game against STVV that we can also show good things on a synthetic surface. So I am not so worried about that and I certainly do not want to call in any excuses”, said the coach.
The double confrontation against the Swiss will decide who will advance to the group stages of the Conference League. The stakes are high, yet coach Mazzù does not want to talk about pressure. "The challenge ahead is a big one, certainly. Especially because RSCA didn't manage to qualify for the group stages of a European competition in a long time now. For this group of players too, this match is a challenge and reaching the group stages is an important goal. But I don't want to talk about 'pressure', because everyone here has chosen this job to play such high-level matches and to get as far as possible. We are here to play this match, and we are aware that we are playing against a strong opponent. Young Boys are top of their league and have conceded only 1 goal in their last 5 league games and even in their last 9 games in all competitions. So their defensive organisation is on point, but they are also very dangerous offensively. It will be up to us to take advantage of the spaces."
Adrien Trebel, who played in the Swiss league with FC Lausanne last season, also holds high esteem for Thursday's opponent. "The team has changed a lot compared to last season, with a new coach and a new system. We have analysed the opponent well and like every team they have their strengths and weaknesses. But we have to look at ourselves and build on our own strengths. We certainly feel confident."
Trebel is also pleased with the progression the team has made in recent games, with four wins in a row. "There is a new system and a new coach, of course everything is not perfect yet. Every day I see more cohesion in the group and players picking up the coach's ideas more and more. That is important. We just want to win as many games as possible and keep making that progress."
