Going into tomorrow night’s UEFA Conference League tie with FC Noah at Pittodrie, Adil Aouchiche made it clear that everyone in the Aberdeen camp is under no illusions as to the importance of the game.
To watch our pre-match press conference on RedTV, click here.
“Noah is definitely a really important game for us, for the club. We need to win this game, I think, if we want to achieve some things in this cup, to give us a chance to go through in this competition. Also, for the fans, for all the people here, the European nights are always good here, so we want to reward them by winning the three points at home.
“I’m still confident we can qualify for the next phase. Of course, we’ve got only one point so far, so this is not the best position it can be, but if we win this game tomorrow, we have a good chance and we can dream to go further in this competition and go as far as possible. It’s a really important game.”
The Dons go into the game unbeaten in their last four fixtures and as Adil points out, that has lifted belief amongst the players as they head into this fixture.
“We are still growing in confidence, to be honest. Everyone is focused on our objective, our goals. We played a good game in Larnaca. I think it was a good, compact block, and as a player in this system, we can feel more secure. Now it’s just a question of scoring goals, creating more chances.
“The win against Hearts meant a lot for everyone in the dressing room. We have not lost for four games, so when you are not beaten in a lot of games in a row, it’s always good for the confidence, for the mind. We are just in the best position we can be for tomorrow. We are confident we can make the fans happy, that we can just enjoy this game, and bring the three points.”
Adil has been at the heart of Aberdeen’s improved form in recent weeks, playing a deeper midfield role than earlier in the campaign, just in front of the back three rather than behind the striker. It’s a job that he clearly enjoys.
“I feel good in this position to be honest. The Manager spoke to me about this, he wanted me to try this position, he thought it was a good place for me. I think it’s a good decision for me. I can be more alive in the game, I can have more of the ball, I can be more central. I can be the best version of myself in this position right now. If I can help the team, it’s good. I’ve played in this position before, when I was young, some games as a professional also. I think this position can help me to reach the next level, but most important, it can help the team.”
The Dons are looking to build on their European pedigree by qualifying for the next phase of the competition, and Adil admits that he is well aware of just how much European football means to Aberdeen.
“I know Europe is important in this club. I know the history. If you sign in one club, you don’t have to know all the history, but you have to know some principles. I’ve seen some good videos!
“European games are always different. It’s the highest level, I can say that. We need to focus all the time in this game until the end. I think it’s the most important thing. We need to be aware of that. But every game is like a final for us. As an Aberdeen player, you have to give everything for the game, even in the pre-season.
“I think we are ready for this game. We learned a lot in the five European games so far. It wasn’t easy to take losing the game against AEK Athens. But it’s always good to go through what happened after losing the game so that you learn about the bad things you did. We learn from this and then the next game against Larnaca, we had a good result, we did well against a good team. The team spirit was good in that game. So, the next step is getting a win in the next game, hopefully.
“About Noah, to be honest, I know just the principal things I have to know. Last week and this week, we trained with the game in mind. There was a lot of work with the manager and all the coaching staff. They just gave us a lot of instructions about this team and how we need to approach them.
“We have our plan, but we just need to believe in us and keep focused on what we can do in this game. It’s going to be good for us to not think too much about them, but to play our best game.”
