Derry City Bersiap Jamu CSKA Sofia di Kualifikasi Liga Eropa

Klub sepak bola asal Irlandia Utara, Derry City, bersiap menjamu tim tamu asal Bulgaria, CSKA Sofia, dalam laga leg kedua babak kualifikasi pertama Liga Eropa UEFA pada Kamis malam, 16 Juli 2026. Pertandingan krusial ini akan digelar di Stadion Ryan McBride Brandywell dengan misi tuan rumah membalikkan ketertinggalan agregat 2-3.

Persiapan CSKA Sofia menjelang laga di Irlandia Utara sempat terganggu oleh masalah administrasi. Dua pemain pilar mereka yang juga merupakan penggawa tim nasional Belarus, kiper Fyodor Lapoukhov dan gelandang Max Ebong, dipastikan absen akibat belum memperoleh visa masuk dari otoritas Inggris Raya.

"CSKA menginformasikan bahwa saat ini pesepak bola kami dan pemain tim nasional Belarusia — Fyodor Lapoukhov dan Max Ebong — belum menerima visa yang diperlukan dari otoritas Inggris untuk perjalanan mereka ke Irlandia Utara. CSKA mengajukan semua dokumen yang diperlukan tepat waktu, tetapi masalah ini belum terselesaikan. Klub telah menginformasikan kepada semua institusi Bulgaria yang kompeten, serta UEFA, tentang situasi ini. Jika kedua pemain tidak menerima visa waktu, mereka tidak akan dapat berpartisipasi dalam pertandingan leg kedua melawan 'Derry City' di babak kualifikasi pertama Liga Eropa, yang akan berlangsung pada 16 Juli," rilis pernyataan resmi CSKA Sofia.

Manajer Derry City, Tiernan Lynch, menegaskan bahwa skuadnya harus memiliki keyakinan penuh meskipun menghadapi lawan dengan nama besar serta anggaran yang jauh lebih timpang.

"I'm not going to sit here and try and have arrogance about us because I don't think we've done enough to do that," ujar Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.

Lynch meminta anak-asuhnya fokus mencari celah dari kekuatan lawan setelah mendapatkan pengalaman berharga pada pertemuan pertama pekan lalu.

"What we have to do is understand the areas where we feel we can exploit them now that we have a little more knowledge of their personnel," kata Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.

Ia juga mengakui kualitas teknis dari tim tamu yang sempat memberikan kejutan taktis pada laga sebelumnya di Sofia.

"Technically they are a very good team. They have some really good footballers and are a real threat. There were a couple of players we expected to play that didn't play.

We were probably taken aback by the shape they played. It wasn't the shape we were expecting them to play," ujar Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.

Kendati demikian, Lynch berharap atmosfer berisik dari para pendukung tuan rumah di Brandywell dapat menjadi faktor intimidasi yang menguntungkan.

"So who knows what Thursday is going to bring from their end. There's a couple of elements for our game we need to get better at. We need to show a little bit more confidence and composure. Hopefully at home, with our own supporters behind us that intimidation factor that I think the Brandywell will bring, we will go into it with plenty of belief," kata Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.

Terkait perbedaan finansial yang mencolok, termasuk gaji besar rekrutan baru CSKA Sofia, Stefano Sensi, Lynch mengingatkan bahwa hal tersebut tidak berpengaruh di lapangan.

"We are where we are," ujar Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.

Ia menegaskan bahwa status sejarah dan besarnya tagihan gaji lawan akan sirna saat pertandingan 11 lawan 11 dimulai.

"The two teams and clubs – all you have to do is look at the new stadium they've built. The difference in the club in terms of size and stature and the wage bill and the monetary value that goes with it but when you step onto that pitch it's 11 v. 11. I keep trying to tell the players that, no disrespect to CSKA but it's not Barcelona," kata Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.

Performa apik pada 30 menit terakhir di leg pertama dinilai menjadi bukti bahwa The Candystripes mampu bersaing di level Eropa.

"We've seen for the last 30 minutes of the game on Thursday night that we can play at this level and compete at this level. It's really important we don't show any disrespect but it's also important we try to impose our game," ujar Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.

Lynch merasa beban para pemainnya yang baru pertama kali merumput di kompetisi Eropa kini telah berkurang.

"There's definitely things we felt we could have and should have done better. You also have to remember a lot of our players it was their first time playing in Europe. Now the monkey is off our back, I don't think there's any huge pressure on our shoulders.

I think we can go and enjoy the game in front of our own fans. As long as we give 100 percent, I think we will be okay," kata Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.

Satu gol telat yang diraih di markas CSKA Sofia dianggap sebagai modal krusial untuk mengelola jalannya laga leg kedua.

"There's definitely areas we feel we can exploit and we will cause them problems no doubt. It's in our hands as far as I'm concerned. That last goal gave us a bit of a platform.

Something to hang onto and get after. It's just managing the game," ujar Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.

Mengingat atmosfer stadion yang diprediksi akan sangat bergelora, Lynch mewanti-wanti pasukannya untuk tetap bermain dengan kepala dingin.

"The fans will be there and it will be an electric atmosphere. You will want to go gung-ho and get after them. We have to manage that situation.

You can't win the game in the first 10 minutes but you can lose it. It's playing with our heads as well as our hearts," kata Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.

Terakhir, ia meminta para pendukung tuan rumah membalas tekanan yang sebelumnya diberikan oleh suporter lawan saat leg pertama di Bulgaria.

"The intimidation factor that their fans brought and how noisy they were. I thought our boys managed that brillianty. It's hugely iportant our fans recipriocate. It's a smaller ground, tighter ground, in your face and I think the more intimidating we can make that the better it will be for us," ujar Tiernan Lynch, Manajer Derry City.