Show no fear, says Djordjevic

By Paris Ayiomamitis

Predrag Djordjevic may respect Italian champions Juventus FC but he stresses there is absolutely no reason to fear them as Olympiacos CFP prepare to welcome the Bianconeri to Athens for tomorrow's UEFA Champions League Group D encounter.

No fear
"We aim to win," the Olympiacos captain told uefa.com. "Juventus are a well respected team with lots of fine players, but that doesn't mean we should fear them." Only a late Juventus goal denied Olympiacos a Champions League semi-final place in 1999 and Djordjevic added: "We've played against them before and we played pretty well. They're not invincible. There's no team in the world that's invincible, just look at Real Madrid [CF]."

European disappointments
Djordjevic's consistency down the left flank and healthy scoring record have been instrumental in Olympiacos's domestic domination in recent times. But despite winning seven league titles in as many years at the club, Djordjevic and Olympiacos have rarely looked the part in Europe - falling at the first group stage in each of the past four seasons.

Positive thinking
"I can't really explain it," said the Serbo-Montenegrin international midfield player, yet he insisted there were positives to be taken from their opening game this time round, a 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad de Fútbol. "We may have not started the way we wanted against Real Sociedad, but we are pleased with our performance, because our defence shut them out for the majority of the match."

Defeat in Spain
Olympiacos held out until the final ten minutes in San Sebastian, losing to a late spot-kick. "They only created one good chance, and I'm not sure the penalty was a fair decision," said Djordjevic, who scored two penalties in the 3-1 win at Xanthi FC on Saturday. "[But] it's too early to draw conclusions on the merits of one match. Theoretically speaking, Juventus are the favourites in our group. The other three teams [Galatasaray SK are the other side] are more or less evenly matched."

Greek sides struggling
Despite some encouraging displays by Panathinaikos FC in recent years, Greek clubs have struggled to make an impact in Europe. According to Djordjevic, the lack of competition in the Alpha Ethniki is a factor. "If it was more competitive, it would help us in Europe," he said. However, he insists that Panathinaikos's 5-0 drubbing at Manchester United FC in their opening Group E match "doesn't reflect on Greek football", arguing that the league leaders "just had a bad day".

Healthy outlook
Indeed, Djordjevic added: "Don't forget Greece is one of the few countries with three teams [Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens FC] in the Champions League and the national squad is about to qualify for [UEFA] EURO 2004™ ahead of Spain."

European ambition
Greek football has certainly been good to Djordjevic, a former FK Crvena Zvezda player, and with two years to run on his contract the 31-year-old is "very happy" in Athens. He would be happier still if Olimpiacos could finally enjoy another good European run - ideally starting with a win against the side who ended their last one.