Wolverhampton Wanderers line up against Greek champions Olympiacos this evening in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 clash. The game has been marred by fears of spreading Coronavirus which has led to the fixture being played behind closed doors in the Karaiskakis Stadium. Much of the pre-match build-up has been dominated by talk away from the pitch, as the visitors submitted a formal request to Uefa proposing to postpone the match, though it was rejected. Ahead of the crucial clash for Wolverhampton Wanderers, captain Conor Coady issued a reminder to his teammates to focus on their football.
What did he say?
Speaking to the Wolves club website, Coady said: “We’ve looked at it, and a lot of people have spoken, we’ve read a lot of things and seen a lot of things.”
The central defender added: “We’ve got to prepare to get ready to play a game which is a really important game for this football club.”
“We make sure we prepare right and compete in something that is a fantastic game for this football club, which I think everyone is forgetting,” revealed the Wolves captain.
History in the making
The match against Olympiacos this evening will be the most significant tie in Europe for Wolverhampton Wanderers since they reached the final of the 1971/72 edition of the tournament in its previous incarnation as the Uefa Cup. Having hammered Espanyol 4-0 in the opening leg of their round of 32 tie and getting the job done in 90 minutes, Nuno Espirito Santo will be looking for much of the same this evening.
Coady has come a long way with the club since their Championship days, making 223 appearances in total. There is a strong possibility the 27-year-old will be donning the armband once more this evening, having already led Wolves out ten times in the competition. However, he will likely be in for a tougher challenge than when Wolves faced the La Liga strugglers, as the Greek opponents will relish the opportunity to knock another Premier League side out of the competition having beaten Arsenal in the previous round.
Despite the furore surrounding the fixture, Coady has issued a stark reminder to his teammates to ignore the noise, or lack of it in the empty stadium, and get on with the match at hand. With a good result, Wolves could put one foot in the quarter-final.
