Trabzonspor’s Noah Saviolo says playing alongside Mohamed Salah was a dream

Noah Saviolo says sharing the pitch with Mohamed Salah was a personal dream and believes the Egyptian forward will provide significant help to Trabzonspor as they begin their UEFA Europa League play-off campaign.

Trabzonspor face Hungarian side Ferencvarosi in the first leg of their play-off tie on Thursday, with a place in the league phase at stake. The Turkish club are aiming to secure a positive result before the return fixture.

Speaking at his pre-match news conference, Saviolo said: “It will be a big game and a good test for us. I think we are ready for the match.”

The Trabzonspor player also indicated that the squad were approaching the tie with confidence and believed they had the quality to compete.

“We are in a very good situation and we have confidence,” he said. “We know our quality and the strength of the team, and we will try to show that on the pitch.”

Saviolo added: “We have great fans and we will meet them tomorrow. We will give our best.”

His comments about Salah reflected the importance of playing alongside a forward he greatly admires.

“Playing with Salah on the same pitch is very important. He is a very big player,” Saviolo said.

He continued: “Being able to play alongside him was a dream for me. He will help us a lot. He is a great player and I am very happy to play with him.”

The match against Ferencvarosi will be Saviolo’s first appearance in a European competition. He said the support of his team-mates had helped him prepare for the occasion and that he was determined to make the most of the opportunity.

“It will be my first match in the Europa League,” he said. “My team-mates are helping me, and this is a competition that every young player wants to take part in. I will give my best on the pitch.”

Trabzonspor will play Ferencvarosi over two legs in the play-off round for the league phase of the UEFA Europa League. Thursday’s first leg is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 and will be broadcast by On Sport Plus, with Hatem Batisha providing commentary.

The On Sport network has confirmed that it has secured the rights to show both matches between Trabzonspor and Ferencvarosi in the European play-offs. The second leg will take place the following Thursday, 27 August.

Trabzonspor began their Turkish league campaign with a 1-1 draw against Kasımpasa in the opening round of fixtures. Salah came on as a substitute in that match, entering the game in the 58th minute.

Saviolo is now preparing for his first European appearance as Trabzonspor look to build momentum in the tie and take an advantage into the second leg.