Robin van Persie: We will continue to play the game we believe in

In the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, Dutch side Feyenoord will be the guest of Fenerbahçe tomorrow at 20:00 for the second leg. As the Feyenoord team arrived in Istanbul for this match, manager Robin van Persie held a press conference.

Stating that the score from the first match would not change their game, Robin van Persie said, "It is great to be here. I feel at home in Istanbul and here. I was sitting in this chair for the first time in 2015.

It is nice to see familiar faces. Even some of the staff are the same. That feels good. The score will not change our game. We will continue to play the game we believe in. We adjust our spaces based on the opponent, but we are a team that tries to stick to what we believe in according to our strategy," he said.

"I RESPECT FENERBAHÇE"

The 42-year-old manager stated that he respects Fenerbahçe but would be happy if they advanced because he works for Feyenoord, adding, "Our goal here is to advance to the next round. This has nothing to do with not respecting Fenerbahçe. I respect them, but we want to go through here. I will be happy, but I respect this club," he said.

"MY PLAYERS ARE USED TO THIS ATMOSPHERE"

Regarding the atmosphere in Kadıköy, the Dutch manager said, "My players are used to this atmosphere. We also play at De Kuip. That is also a very noisy stadium," he said.

"I SEE THE TIE AS 50-50"

Speaking about their chances of advancing, Robin van Persie said, "I see it as 50-50. Yes, we are leading 2-1. The atmosphere will be good tomorrow. Everyone is living their dream. All the support will be on the Fenerbahçe side. When I was a kid, it was my dream to play in such different atmospheres and full stadiums. I can say that my players are ready for tomorrow's match and are living their own dreams," he said.

Robin van Persie stated that age does not matter in football and said the following:

"In football, it is not age but quality that matters. If you are a good player, age does not matter. We develop players with potential; sometimes we find them, sometimes we raise them. We have young and old players in the team. We have an average age of 24. This is a good thing for me. The fact that we score goals in the last 15 minutes shows that we are a fit team. We will try to demonstrate that tomorrow as well," he said.

News Source: İHA