21.10.2026 16:00
Beşiktaş head coach Vincenzo Italiano said that Crystal Palace, whom they will face in the UEFA Europa League, is a very important Premier League team, but that with the starting 11 they will field they can also pose a danger to the opponent. Italiano also gave hints about the starting 11. Here are the details...
In the third week of the UEFA Europa League, Beşiktaş will host English Premier League side Crystal Palace tomorrow in a match that will start at 22:00. Before this match, Beşiktaş Head Coach Vincenzo Italiano made statements at a press conference held at the BJK Nevzat Demir Facilities.
''I THINK IT IS IMPOSSIBLE'' Italiano, who stated that he thought it was impossible to form a new starting 11 just 48 hours after the Trabzonspor match, said: “There is more than 24 hours until the match. We need to wait until the last minute. Because feelings, fitness and energy are important here. That is why we need to wait here until the last moment. Because there is more than 24 hours and with three days in between, it is not very easy to make a quick decision. I think there are many things we need to evaluate. I had said after the Hoffenheim match: Oh, he is really very professional, a Beşiktaş player, a player of Beşiktaş. He put in a great performance. He already scored two goals against Hoffenheim. Against Trabzon, Vlahovic played. He had not traveled, he was not tired. After Trabzonspor, of course our players were tired. Taking this tiredness into consideration, I will wait until the last minute and make an 11 accordingly. Oh can also play tomorrow. He is a very important player for us. Anything can happen.”
''ÜMİT AKDAĞ MAY BE IN THE STARTING 11'' The Italian coach, stating that Ümit Akdağ, who could not get much playing time in recent weeks due to illness, could take the field in the starting 11 tomorrow, said: “Because we had three weeks to prepare for the Kocaelispor match. But in those three weeks we could work with very few players. Because everyone was with their national teams and they returned from national teams very late. That is why his chance of playing in the 11 was really very high. Unfortunately he became ill. He could not train for 3-4 days. He had a big chance, so it did not happen. He too, like everyone else, is part of this team, this family, this project and this group. When his time comes, I know he will do his best and give his maximum. Like everyone, he will do so. He got one minute against Hoffenheim. Maybe he can be in the 11. Because in this crowded schedule everyone needs to be ready. We need everyone. It could be one minute or 90 minutes, it doesn't matter. Everyone needs to do their best. Because I trust him too. I really think he is a player who can provide great help and contributions to Beşiktaş.”
''THE FANS DESERVE TO SEE THE BEST'' The experienced coach, saying that the black-and-white fans deserve to see a good performance, continued as follows:
“I always tell my players in the dressing room before we go out onto the pitch: ‘Look, there are full stands around us, there are fans here. Everyone has come here. We need to honor these people in the best way. We need to show them what they deserve. We need to show them the greatest respect.’ How can we show this? By sweating, by doing our best. Because they support us completely for 90 minutes. They are always behind us, they never let go. They want to see a team that sweats, presses until the end, creates goal chances, does not give the opponent chances, performs very well and has quality. We are trying to show that, and I think we have shown it very well so far. This does not mean we are perfect. There are many things that still need to be corrected, many things we can be better at. But these fans deserve to see the best. We are doing our best for that.”
''WE FEEL ORKUN'S ABSENCE'' Emphasizing that Orkun Kökçü is a very important player for the team, Vincenzo Italiano also added that they feel his absence. Italiano said: “Because with what he gives and shows on the pitch, his charisma, quality, way of reading the game and captaincy, he is a very important player for us. Of course we feel his absence. In his absence, we can feel the final passes, final shots, the speed of the game, the speed of passes, all of it. Because he is truly a very good player. I hope he returns to us quickly. Because we were really going through a good period, but unfortunately he is not with us due to the injury he suffered recently, from the blow he took to his heel. I am sad that he is not with us. I talk to him every day anyway, I ask about his condition. He says he is getting better, but unfortunately he is still not with us. He is not with the group. We feel his absence very greatly. By his absence, I actually mean we feel his quality. Because quality means a player who makes a difference. A player who makes a difference means victory. Of course we feel the absence of all of these.”
''MIRETTI IS A PLAYER SIMILAR TO ORKUN'' Reminding that Fabio Miretti, who plays in midfield in Orkun Kökçü's absence, is also a footballer similar to Orkun in terms of capacity, passing and movement, the black-and-white team's head coach said: “I think Miretti can do these things well. Because he also has passing quality. He is a player who can enter the opponent's penalty area and be dangerous with shots from distance. Orkun can do these too. I think Miretti can also do these well tomorrow. He can fill his place both functionally and positionally in this period. Tomorrow we will play against a Premier League team. We have played against teams like Crystal Palace before, but this is a bit different. Because they are truly a very valuable and good team. A Premier League team is of course different, but I think the 11 that will take the field tomorrow can also cause Crystal Palace great discomfort and be dangerous. At the same time, we are playing at home; we have this advantage too. Of course we all know very well how we are in front of our fans. We want to do good things tomorrow by using our fans. Miretti will show on the pitch tomorrow what Orkun does.”
''OUR BIGGEST GOAL. '' Italiano stated that since they took charge, their biggest goal has been to create a Beşiktaş identity on the pitch. Vincenzo Italiano said: “Every coach has an idea of his own. They all try to connect with the players. Everyone tries to use the technical potential at their disposal to the fullest. From the very beginning, we have been trying to establish a Beşiktaş identity. In my opinion, there is no such thing as perfection. You can never be perfect, but in order to get closer to it and to get to these levels, we work very hard every day. I can say that this is our biggest goal. After the season ends, I would very much like to hear that Beşiktaş truly belongs to an identity. We always work for this. It has not been long since the season started. I, my staff and the players, everyone is very new. Only a few months have passed. So far, we have produced good performances and put forth good work. I know we can do even better. There is still potential in the team. Our biggest goal is to create a real Beşiktaş identity,” he said in his assessment.
''YOU NEED TO HAVE PEACE OF MIND'' Vincenzo Italiano answered the question ‘What kind of reaction will you give in tomorrow’s match after the Trabzonspor defeat?’ as follows:
“Losing is a normal thing in this game. There are defeats in football too. What matters here is how you analyze that match and that defeat, how you correct the mistakes after the analysis, and then how you leave that match in the past and forget it. This is one of the most important parts that show how big a team is. Because three days later you will be on the pitch again. You need to be ready three days later. You need to have peace of mind. You need to work in the best way possible. Because when you lose a match, you must not beat yourself up. You must not drag yourself down into the depths. But at the same time, when you win, you must not fly high in the clouds. After the match is over, you need to forget it immediately and focus on the next match. That is what happened in the Trabzonspor match too. We lost, we left this match in the past, we forgot it. It had been the same with Amed Sportif Faaliyetler. We left that match in the past and forgot it as soon as it ended. We learned our lessons from there. Tomorrow we have a European match. We need to get points here. The road is long here. Our slogan should be this: after the match is over, we need to forget it, prepare for the new match, and do our best in that match. ”
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