17 February 2021

Wolfsberger coach says his side have to overcome loss of home advantage

17 February 2021

Wolfsberger head coach Ferdinand Feldhofer says his side have conceded any advantage they may have had by playing the first leg of their Europa League last-32 clash with Tottenham in Budapest.

The game was moved to the Puskas Arena in the Hungarian capital after coronavirus regulations in Austria meant that the game could no longer be played at Worthersee Stadion.

The second leg will still be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, meaning the Austrian club forgo any home advantage, yet the away goals rule still applies.

Furthermore, they have had a longer journey to Budapest than Spurs, having embarked on a six-hour coach journey, whereas the Premier League club flew from London on Wednesday afternoon.

Feldhofer knows any home advantage has gone but is accepting of the situation.

“The journey was very comfortable, we took the bus, it took six hours to get here,” he said.

“I accept the situation, but we would have preferred to play at home. It would have been better if Tottenham could have worked out a situation where they could have come to us but we will manage in Budapest.

“There is no advantage to playing here because we have more work to get here, a longer journey and more travel. It is just how the coronavirus situation is forcing us to work, so we accept it.”

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Feldhofer, 42, will come up against one of the most decorated coaches in the game in the shape of Mourinho, but says the game is not about that.

“He is probably one of the most successful coaches, he has won with a lot of different teams and won a lot of competitions, but the game is not Mourinho v Feldhofer, it is Wolfsberger v Tottenham.

“We looked at everything, every player, every formation and tactics. They are a very physical team, playing with a lot of individual things. They are very tactical, which is what you would expect from a Mourinho team.”

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