Giorgos Bartzokas: «We are devastated»

Olympiacos will be facing off with Armani in Milan tomorrow (03/03, 20.30 CET), wearing their black uniforms as a mourning statement in regard to the tragic accident at Tempi. 

“How is it possible that we are not impacted, not just us, but our foreign players also”, was what the ‘red & whites’ coach, Giorgos Bartzokas said at the beginning of this statements. “It’s something that has shaken up the global community, not just Greece. But, just like you said, we have to ‘work’. A tough one, but it’s in the nature of our line of business”.  

Talking about the game against the Italian team, he said: “They have won the last three games, there’s no doubt they have a good coach and roster. It’s a year that taken into account the injuries they have had, they did not do as good as they would have hoped. They got out of shape and played under pressure. They are in a better place now, they also have Napier and they have been running a winning streak, with the exception of the Italian Cup. They seem to be recovering and they aim to winning the Italian League. Of course, everyone is motivated when playing against us due to our ranking. We get to play with ‘a must win’ mandate and we have to overcome the psychological burden this causes so as to finish ranking at the highest possible position”. 

Finally, about the fans that are going to make a mass appearance at the gym, he commented: “We feel the fans’ trust in us at all times, wherever we get to play. That’s Olympiacos’ size, we have fans with us anywhere we play”.