Anderlecht is in the Czech Republic for the second time in this European campaign, this time to challenge 2nd in the standings: Viktoria Plzen. An opponent that David Hubert is wary of.
A victory this Thursday against Viktoria Plzen and RSC Anderlecht will ensure the European top 8, which would be a hell of a goal fulfilled and even more. But there is no question of throwing caution out the window against the 2nd in the Czech championship. “Of course, the objective will be to win. But we also know that it is a robust team capable of projecting itself very quickly forward in counterattack,” warns David Hubert.
“We will have to avoid falling into this trap. Their attacker goes very quickly, they defend compactly with five defenders and three midfielders. We will have to be intelligent, not rush,” explains the RSCA coach. “We will have to make the right choices, be well organized. But the goal is of course to qualify and we will therefore have to look for spaces and try to make the difference.”
Luis Vazquez’s evening?
In the European Cup, a Mauve shows its advantage much more than in the championship: Luis Vazquezwho had particularly weighed heavily during the victories at Real Sociedad and Slavia Prague. “We know the qualities and areas for improvement of Luis. He can serve as a point of support up front, but is in fact a completely different profile than Kasper (Dolberg),” recognizes David Hubert, who however defended his solid attacker Argentine.
-“When Luis is there, sometimes we have to play differently. He has played some very good matches, others a little less good, we know that and he knows it too,” he adds. “But we believe in him. It’s the only way for a player to continue to improve. Luis has all my confidence from the moment he plays. That doesn’t mean he will play tomorrow,” smiles Hubert. With Goto being the only other striker in the core, there are doubts that Vazquez won’t start, despite Thorgan Hazard being mentioned as a potential “false striker”.
This is also the type of match in which Vazquez could shine, because Viktoria Plzen is comparable to Slavia Prague, against whom the Argentine had been very good. “Is it exactly the same team? No. Are there similarities, yes,” concedes the Anderlecht coach. “They are close in the league too. I would say that Slavia are even more physical, but I expect a lot of duels, second balls. We are preparing for a similar experience.”
