Daichi Kamada has said he is not sure how much his experience at the business end of European competitions can help Crystal Palace as they prepare to take on Fiorentina in the second leg of the Conference League quarter-final.
Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada said he was not sure how his European experience could help his team to secure their Conference League semi-final spot.
Palace are all but in the final four of the Conference League, after a convincing 3-0 win over Fiorentina in the first leg last Thursday
They are now making their final preparations for the second leg in Florence, with a healthy lead offering them significant reassurance.
And Palace have the added advantage of having Daichi Kamada in their ranks, a player who has been there and done that on the European stage.
Kamada was a core member of the Frankfurt side that won the Europa League under Oliver Glasner but he insists that his experience of European glory will not play a major part in the team’s preparation.
He said: “I’ve played many European games and I have experience, but I really don't know how much that can help the team [tonight].
“At least the gaffer and I, we've already won the European titles.
“I think that our gaffer’s tactics are very, very much [good] for playing the tournament games, because I think that his defensive tactic is one of the best tactics in the world for me.”
With Evan Guessand sidelined with a knee injury, which seems set to have brought his time in a Palace shirt to a premature end, up steps Yeremy Pino, the Spanish winger who impressed when coming on in the first leg.
It has been a challenging first season for Pino in the Premier League, who has shown glimpses of his capabilities but has struggled to find the consistency required for a regular run in the team.
Kamada and Pino struggle to communicate as well as some of the Palace players may do, but he speaks highly of the Spanish international, citing his incredible work ethic in training as formidable.
Kamada added in the pre-match press conference: “Unfortunately, I can't speak with Yeremy a lot because he can't speak English and I also can't speak English well!
“But, yeah, we all see his effort in training, every training session.
“And also, I know how difficult it is to play in the Premier League - the player needs time.
“The players only can do every training session. We train hard.
“We try, we give our all, everything, that’s all we can do and Yeremy always does.”