Djordjević leads Olympiacos revival

Predrag Djordjević has played in 59 of the 66 matches Olympiacos CFP have contested in the UEFA Champions League, but only once have the Greek champions reached the knockout stage. Victory against S.S. Lazio on Wednesday would go a long way to taking Olympiacos through again and the 35-year-old Serb, now in his 12th season with the club, cannot wait for kick-off.

uefa.com: Are you ready to face Lazio?

Djordjević: I believe we are. The mini-break for the international matches couldn’t have come at a better moment, because we had a lot of players sidelined through injury. Now, one by one they are returning to action and will be fit for the trip to Rome. Lazio are a very strong and tough side and I expect the game will be more physical than technical. We must be very concentrated, close all spaces in our defence and take advantage of our chances to score.

uefa.com: A victory would be the perfect result, but even a draw keeps Olympiacos's qualification options alive. How will you approach this game?

Djordjević: We must remain very patient, control the match and not rush things. Our aim is to take the three points. A draw won't be a disaster, but we won't play for the draw, because usually, when a team plays to draw, they end up losing. If we reach the level of the performances we produced in Bremen and in Madrid last month, we have nothing to fear, we will get a positive result.

uefa.com: How have Olympiacos's attitude and performances changed compared with previous seasons?

Djordjević: In the last two seasons we were eliminated because of our mediocre home performances. This season, we have corrected many things in our game. The fact we won away for the first time in eleven seasons in the UEFA Champions League has done wonders for our morale. The result at Bremen helped us a lot. We are more consistent compared with previous seasons and have fewer ups-and-downs in our game, especially away from home. We used to play below our level, now that's all changed.

uefa.com: Your name is synonymous with Olympiacos's revival since the late Nineties. You signed for the club in the summer of 1996 and in the last eleven seasons, you have won ten league titles. How does it feel to be the leader of this squad?

Djordjević: I don't feel like a leader, I'm a player just like the rest. I've been with this club for many years and it has been special to know that, with the exception of 2004, I have celebrated the title every season. It's a very satisfying achievement, both personally and collectively, and I don't want this streak to stop again until the end of my career.

uefa.com: What is missing from your club career?

Djordjević: I wish we could have achieved more in the UEFA Champions League in the past. This team deserved more over the past eleven seasons. From time to time, I feel sad thinking about specific moments, when we ran out of luck or when things just didn't go for us. I believe we deserved more than just one quarter-final appearance in those eleven seasons.

uefa.com: You celebrated your 35th birthday in August. Do you ever think about retiring?

Djordjević: I don’t think about it, as long as I keep healthy and feel fit and at ease on the pitch. I will let my body dictate any retirement decisions. I don't want to put an expiry date on myself right now.

This is an abridged story from this week's uefa.com Magazine. To read it in full, click here.