Feyenoord boss Brian Priske has outlined his defensive intentions ahead of this evening’s Champions League clash in Lisbon with Benfica.
Spirits are already high after the Rotterdam club beat Go Ahead Eagles 5-1 away from home this weekend, and the collective mood continued on an upward trajectory with news regarding both Gernot Trauner and Hugo Bueno. Speaking in regards to the two defenders, who were substituted in Deventer as a precaution, the Danish manager said:
“Trauner has definitely travelled to play. He is available. The same goes for Bueno. He is training today and we will see how his foot is doing. He has recovered in recent days and has not been on the field much.”
Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Chris-Kevin Nadje and Gjivai Zechiel. “Hopefully they will be back on Sunday. So the status is actually the same as before the match against Go Ahead Eagles.”
Regarding his Austrian centre-back, who paired David Hancko against GAE, Priske continued:
“I would like to see Trauner play ninety minutes, but we have to be careful with him. He has a serious injury behind him. So we want to take good care of him. We wanted him fit for this busy period.
(…) “The first day he was on the training field, I already saw how mature and experienced he is. He knew exactly where to stand on the field. He is a very good passer. He can also pass the balls between the lines. As a coach, you want to see that from your central defender. He also knows how to defend. He is very disciplined and organised. He is definitely here to play and to help us.”
