Today, a press conference was held ahead of the match of the 27th round of the SuperSport Croatian Football League with NK Slaven Belupo, which is scheduled for Friday, March 31, starting at 6:00 pm. At the conference, head coach Gonzalo Garcia and player Zoran Josipović announced the match.
One of the most difficult matches awaits us on Friday. This is a team that can apply high pressure, they can surprise with an attack and defend well, they are excellent and competitive in every attempt. I am satisfied with the past matches this season against Slaven because we were efficient, especially in the first with three goals, while in the second match it was more demanding, yet but both teams were good and defended well. Unfortunately, Marešić and Abdallahi will be absent due to three yellow cards, but Blagojević, Knežević, Lisica, Maurić have already returned to training. I can count on anyone in my team and I know that many players are waiting for their chance, and when they get it, they should enjoy it. Slaven is a strong team that is aggressive and knows when to pressure you and when to fight – the same as us, that’s why we are now in the table so close. This short break certainly came in handy because we were all physically and emotionally exhausted after three intense games – Gorica, then Dinamo and Lokomotiv – we needed time to regenerate more and move on. We are looking forward to a good game on Friday, said coach Garcia at the press conference.
Of course, we expect a difficult match, but we prepared well as always. We are going to travel full of desire and strength to return home with three points. I have been extremely satisfied since I came to the club, which works very well and has a strong team. It takes a lot of work on my part to get minutes on the field, but I don’t bother with minutes because that decision is up to the coach, and mine is just to work and prove myself. At this moment, I am ready to play two games in a row if necessary! Slaven Belupo is a strong team and on Friday it will certainly be a difficult match, both for us and for them. Football is unpredictable – the course can change in five minutes, with one goal, card, or similar, but we prepare very well to be as ready as possible for them. I think that collectively we have a good playing quality and a great team. We are like a small family here and that is our best side. Simply, when you are fighting to stay in the league, then you have pressure, and when the possibility of “Europe” opens up, then you actually have a stronger wind behind your back. I adapted very quickly to fit into this environment, the players and staff were immediately kind to me, Pula is a fantastic city, the fans are great – we have everything we need to do a good job. We are ready for Friday! The atmosphere between us in the team is great as always, said Zoran.
#ForzaIstra