Ajax finally presented the thirty-year-old defender Daniele Rugani on Wednesday. The experienced Italian immediately boarded a plane to Poland with his new teammates. Of course, Farioli was immediately asked whether the brand new acquisition – who will play with number 26 for the time being – is available.
“Daniele has just arrived. He was on the field with the group for the first time on Wednesday morning. He needs to build up his condition. Actually, just like other players who joined recently. He is with us, but of course he will not start on Thursday. If necessary, he might play a few minutes.”
Ahmetcan Kaplan is not in Bialystok. He is still not fully fit and missed the match against NAC (2-1) on Sunday. A match in which he was supposed to start. Kristian Hlynsson and Kian Fitz-Jim also stayed behind in Mokum. Farioli could explain that simply.
“They both have complaints. Kian has a problem with his shoulder. It’s not serious, but unfortunately it was not possible for him to train with the team. We will continue to monitor his situation in the coming days. Kristian has a muscle injury. Also nothing serious, but something that made it impossible for him to join us.”
Recommended
Rensch knows the strength of Jagiellonia Bialystok and expects a tough duel
Farioli also briefly spoke about the disappointing 2-1 defeat at NAC. “It was painful. Of course, nobody was happy. We have analysed the match. We will take the things with us that we think are useful for the match preparation towards Thursday. And on the other hand, also to get the players ready. There is no time to sit back and do nothing.”
There is indeed no time. The Ajax coach was therefore happy that he could talk about the match with the Polish champion. He showed his players a lot of images of Jagiellonia Bialystok these days.
“We expect a similar duel as with Panathinaikos FC, with a lot of pressure from them. They want to make mistakes for us. I expect an aggressive opponent. They play with a clear organization. There are dangerous players in the center of the field. Their striker is strong and has a lot of power. He looks a lot like Brian Brobbey. They didn’t win the championship last season for nothing.”
Ajax and Jagiellonia Bialystok kick off on Thursday at 8:45 PM in the Bialystok City Stadium.
Recommended
Ajax travels to Bialystok with Rugani, but without Kaplan
