On June 23rd, Turkey's Demiral was interviewed by the media before the second round of the UEFA Europa League group stage match between Turkey and Portugal. He talked about his performance in the last match, his upcoming opponent Portugal and his personal expectations for the match.
Reflecting on the game against Georgia, Demiral thought his team played well defensively, but admitted there were mistakes. "We had some turnovers, but there are things like that in every game. Georgia is also a good team." He said, "We've had a post-game discussion and analyzed it for areas that need improvement. I am confident that we will perform better in the second game."
Referring to the upcoming match against Portugal, Demiral said the match is very important for Turkey. "Portugal is an experienced and good team with great players." He said, "We are in a good shape and will give our best to the game. Our fans are our motivation and with their support I am sure we will win the game." He also made a special mention of his good memories in Portugal, saying that this game was special for him.
Speaking about Portugal's number one Cairo, Demiral praised his excellent form and mentioned how he felt when he played against Cairo in Saudi Arabia. "Cairo is in excellent form at the moment, he is a great player who loves to train and is very dangerous." He said, "We have to be very aware of him in defense."
In terms of defensive strategy, Demiral said he has no particular preference and will try to carry out his coach's instructions whether it's a three-guard or four-guard formation.
In addition, Demiral talked about the contribution of celebrity manager Jose Mourinho to Turkish soccer and said that Mourinho's arrival will bring a lot of opportunities for Turkey.
Finally, he expressed his expectations for the final: "I hope that in the final we will play against Germany. I think the fans will have the same expectation. We'll take it one game at a time and give it our all."
