Adelaide United defender Pana Kikianis says representing the Club in Asia is an extension of his childhood dream, as the Reds prepare to host Lion City Sailors in the AFC Champions League Two on Thursday night.
Speaking alongside Head Coach Airton Andrioli at the pre-match press conference, Kikianis discussed his ambitions, his defensive partnership with Sotiris Phillis and the confidence gained from victory in Thailand.
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Andrioli also outlined the importance of Thursday’s match and how United is approaching a busy schedule across two competitions.
Kikianis on living his childhood dream…
“I’ve got certain goals I’m trying to achieve this season, and I’m just thankful to be living my dream every day.
“As a child, all I wanted to do was play Adelaide United. Now I’m doing it not only in Australia but throughout Asia. So it’s a blessing.”
Kikianis on his partnership with Phillis…
“I’m enjoying it. I’ve obviously known Sotiri for a long, long time. Both come from Greek families, so we’re very similar in certain ways.
“He’s a very good footballer, and he doesn’t need me really telling him what to do on the pitch. He’s very confident in himself, and like I said, he’s been performing really well.
“We went through the system together, like a lot of us boys, even Airton. We’ve known each other for such a long time, and it’s really good to be around familiar faces every day. We have the same humour now, so we all understand each other really well.”
Kikianis on confidence from Thailand…
“Every game is important for us. We’re playing every three days, so our goal is to win every single game.
“But that game specifically was very important for us. What I saw from the players, especially in that second half, was very positive.
“I was very proud of the boys to get through those conditions. It wasn’t easy. It was our first away trip together. So to get those three points on the day was very good.”
Andrioli on the importance of Thursday’s match…
“We’ve got our game plan already. We’ve worked on that. As you know, it’s a quick turnaround.
“Once we finished the game in Sydney, we came back. The focus turned to this match because, as I said, I think this is an important match. We’re playing at home.
“If we can consolidate the result tomorrow night, then we put ourselves in the position that we want to be.
“Hopefully, everyone comes away from the game tomorrow with no issues at all, and then we will make a final assessment and decide what’s the next step.”
Andrioli on managing the schedule…
“We manage that by rotating the players. Obviously, it’s an important match for us tomorrow night. We want to get the result for obvious reasons.
“I think if we can get the result tomorrow night, it puts us in a very good position to then look into that management of the squad.
“We’ve got a plan. We work with S&C staff and the coaching staff. We’re assessing players day by day, seeing how the ones have more or less loads, and we manage that accordingly.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge because we often speak about not having enough football matches in this country, and the fact that we are playing two competitions is a challenge that I’m looking forward to.”
Andrioli on Anselmo’s midfield role…
“We knew Anselmo, when he played, he was a box-to-box midfielder, but I think we used him last year in that more advanced position simply because we needed that focal point for us to play the ball.
“He did a good job for us, but he’s also capable of playing a little bit deeper.
“He’s an intelligent player, gives us that strong presence in the midfield. He’s calm. He’s strong on the ball. So I’m happy with the way he is going.
“He’s got the capabilities, like he’s shown last year.”
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