Coach Modica calls for mental resilience as Ħamrun Spartans face Samsunspor in Conference League

Ħamrun Spartans coach Giacomo Modica has appealed to his players to show great mental strength when they face a tough trip to Conference League front-runners Samsunspor, of Turkey, this evening (kick-off: 18.45).

For the Malta champions, this will be their third fixture in the League Phase of the Conference League, and it looks like it’s going to be the toughest one against a Samsunspor side who are showing great form not only in their domestic championship but also enjoy a perfect record in the UEFA competition so far.

Samsunspor are currently sharing top spot in the League Phase with five other teams after defeating Legia Warsaw in Poland 1-0 and then trouncing Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev 3-0 in their last outing.

Added to that they are currently in fourth place in the Turkish Superliga, conceding just one defeat from their opening 11 matches.

Ħamrun Spartans coach Giacomo Modica told the Times of Malta that his team are bracing themselves for a very tough test against the in-form Turkish side.

“It’s a delicate match for us,” Modica said.

“Samsunspor are in a very strong run of form and have so far managed to pick up six points from their opening two matches. They have established themselves as one of the strongest sides in the country, as their performances in the league show, and we are aware that we are in for a very tricky night.”

The Ħamrun Spartans coach singled out the hostile atmosphere his team is set to face at the Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium and is hoping his players show the required mental resilience to perform at their best.

“The match will be played at a very hostile stadium so it will be crucial that we are well prepared from a psychological point of view,” Modica said.

“It’s important that we don’t let our emotions take control and that we are focused on the job at hand right from kick-off.

“I want my players to bring with them all the positives from our first two items. For me, the games against Jagiellonia and Lausanne-Sport showed that we are a good team that refuses to play second-fiddle to our opponents.

“We need to be very intelligent in how we read the game throughout all 95 minutes and prove that we can play at this level and replicate our excellent showings in previous outings.”

Asked about the team’s physical condition ahead of the match, Modica sounded pleased with his players’ condition and urged them to show on the pitch that they are an ambitious side who want to succeed at this level.

“All players are in good condition, but these kind of matches are decided on how we approach them mentally,” Modica said.

“We know it’s a tough test but we also need to remember that we are Ħamrun Spartans, a very good side that should be respected by everyone.

“Our goal is to go out and give our all to try and produce another strong performance. If that will be able to get at least a point it would be something that every player would deserve for all that we have shown so far.

“That is because in our previous matches we may have ended up with zero points in the bag, but our performances have surely shown that we should have had at least four points, and my players would really deserve that for all the effort they have put in so far.”