Mendilibar Outlines Strategy for Olympiakos’ Europa League Clash Against Rangers

Jose Luis Mendilibar, who guided Olympiakos to Conference League victory in May, is urging his team to “pile the pressure up high” when they face Rangers on Thursday. The Greek club, currently the reigning Conference League champions, has accumulated six points from a possible nine in the updated Europa League competition, a tally identical to that of the Ibrox club. Despite the upcoming challenge, Mendilibar, who also led Sevilla to triumph in the 2023 Europa League, affirmed that his side would not deviate from their established playing style. Speaking through an interpreter, he stated, “The truth is we have a specific idea of how to play, a specific style. This doesn’t change depending on the opponent we have to face.” He continued, “Tomorrow, we’re going to have a different opponent, of course, and we will try to play the same way, add some pressure high on them, and we’ll try to be close to their goal.” However, he acknowledged the opponent’s strengths, saying, “But we know very well, Rangers is a team that plays a lot with through balls and vertical football, as we say, which means that most likely it will be a bit more difficult for us to go close to their goal and put some pressure on that.” Mendilibar emphasized his team’s objective: “The important thing is that we pile that pressure up high and give them a hard time. We have seen the opponent, we have analysed them.” He also noted a shared experience between the two clubs: “It is true that we have something in common, which is that in the European competition they have played against two teams that we have also played, Malmo and Lyon.” Regarding their past performances against these common opponents, he added, “The results have been quite similar. We have won one and lost the other, both teams. We know that it will be a very even match.” Concluding his remarks, Mendilibar stated, “We have the same wins, we have the same points. Both teams are here to win the match.”