Striker Juho Mäkelä is pleased with the draw result
- 22.06.2009 17:01 -
Monday afternoon UEFA Europa League draw in Switzerland put HJK against the winner of the 1st round game Vétra (Lithuania) - CS Grevenmacher (Luxembourg). Striker Juho Mäkelä says it was just what the team wanted.
- Very interesting result, says Juho Mäkelä.
- Actually lithuanian football is somewhat familiar to me. One of the lithuanian teams, Kaunas, was a co-operating team for scottish team Hearts, which I played for a few years. There were often a lot of lithuanian players training with us.
Grevenmacher from Luxembourg is not, according to head coach Antti Muurinen, the favourite of the two teams. Mäkelä agrees.
- One could say so, yes. Lithuanian national league is getting better and better all the time. I understood that the league in Luxembourg finished, unlike the league in Lithuania. That is a clear advantage for them as well.
Juho Mäkelä personally wished a team from the Western Europe, but is gladly taking on the former Soviet Union team Vétra.
- I know there’s no easy match in the European competitions, but it think we are so ambitious to go on in the Europa League that it doesn’t matter who we are playing against. Also, the fact that our first game is an away game is better for we get to play the decisive game on home ground. In front of our supportive fans.
- I sincerely believe in our chances.
Europa League 1st round pair Vétra-Grevenmacher plays on the 2nd and 9th of July.
HJK plays against the winner on the 16th and 23rd of July.
- Actually lithuanian football is somewhat familiar to me. One of the lithuanian teams, Kaunas, was a co-operating team for scottish team Hearts, which I played for a few years. There were often a lot of lithuanian players training with us.
Grevenmacher from Luxembourg is not, according to head coach Antti Muurinen, the favourite of the two teams. Mäkelä agrees.
- One could say so, yes. Lithuanian national league is getting better and better all the time. I understood that the league in Luxembourg finished, unlike the league in Lithuania. That is a clear advantage for them as well.
Juho Mäkelä personally wished a team from the Western Europe, but is gladly taking on the former Soviet Union team Vétra.
- I know there’s no easy match in the European competitions, but it think we are so ambitious to go on in the Europa League that it doesn’t matter who we are playing against. Also, the fact that our first game is an away game is better for we get to play the decisive game on home ground. In front of our supportive fans.
- I sincerely believe in our chances.
Europa League 1st round pair Vétra-Grevenmacher plays on the 2nd and 9th of July.
HJK plays against the winner on the 16th and 23rd of July.
