Vincenzo Montella spoke for the first time after the draw! Some very controversial words for Lucescu...
National Team Technical Director Vincenzo Montella made statements after the announcement of our opponents in the play-off round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. Montella, who avoided making clear statements about the draw, made remarkable remarks about both Romania and Slovakia. Here are the details...
A National Team's opponents in the play-off round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers have been announced. The national team will play Romania at home in the play-off semi-final and will play the winner of the Slovakia - Kosovo match away from home if we reach the final.
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National Team Technical Director Vincenzo Montella made statements to the press after the draw.
'THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO GET TO THE FINAL'
Speaking about Slovakia, one of our possible opponents, Montella said: "We played very well in the groups and got good results. Now all our focus is on the play-offs, we want to play the final. The final is away but these are the rules. Our focus will be completely on the first match. Slovakia has an Italian coach, I know him well, he is a good coach, he has a good team. Usually their team is compact and confident. I don't know which team I would prefer, my only preference is for Turkey to be in the final."
'LUCESCU IS BOTH ITALIAN AND TURKISH'
On the other hand, referring to the match against Romania, the team of Mircea Lucescu who worked in Turkey for many years, Montella said: "Lucescu has an Italian mentality and he worked in Turkey for a long time. Sometimes it is good to play away but if you ask me I would like to play both games in Turkey. I don't know, it changes from game to game. I don't know if I will make changes in the team in March, it's a long time away. We will analyze every player in a good way," he concluded.
