Tulipa: Sparta are the favourites against us, but miracles do happen

Ararat-Armenia head coach Manuel Tulipa held a press conference ahead of the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round match against Sparta Prague.

The Portuguese coach noted that he is very familiar with Czech football not only professionally, but also for personal reasons.

— Since my daughter lives in Prague, I know the Czech league, the coach of the team, and the city very well. She lives near Slavia's stadium and works in the city centre. She’s not very interested in football. But she supported Slavia in their Champions League match against Inter, and later loved the food at Letná. My daughter has taught me a lot — she works with people, and that’s the essence of football. Now I try to share my football knowledge with her, — Tulipa shared.

Assessing the upcoming match, Tulipa named Sparta the favourite but stressed that anything is possible in football.

— You know, favourites don’t always win. We need some luck and a well-prepared game plan to surprise the home team. The opponent is well-organised, with quality passing and attacking play. It’s really different from our previous opponents, — he said.

At the end of the press conference, Tulipa became emotional as he remembered his friend — the captain of Porto’s 2004 team — who recently passed away at the age of 53.

— We lost a great man and a true friend. He was a great captain, a real legend. My sincere condolences and support to his family, — said Tulipa with tears in his eyes.

The match between Sparta and Ararat-Armenia will take place on August 7 at 22:00 Yerevan time.