On Thursday, in the play-off of the Uefa Conference League, Zrinjski players will host the English Premier League club Crystal Palace in Mostar.
“Plemić” coach Igor Štimac said that a difficult game awaits them, against an excellent English team.
– It is an exceptional honor to host such a rival, from the strongest league in the world. We will do our best, and my players do not need special motivation when it comes to European games. We will leave our heart and soul on the field – said Štimac at the press conference.
He stated that the players of Bosnia and Herzegovina champions have a plan for tomorrow’s game.
– You play with opponents as much as they allow you, especially when it comes to stronger teams with distinct individual quality. We will see how things will unfold on the field, we have a clear plan of how we want to enter the game and how to direct it. We will stick to that, and we will be able to adapt and turn the story around to try with a “dense block” – revealed the coach of “Plemić”.
Although the Crystal Palace team is not in any form, Štimac warns that this should not fool his players.
– They dominate almost every opponent, create a lot of chances and easily get in front of the opponent’s goal. Only the results did not favor them. Regardless of their crisis of results, there is no crisis of play with them. They are powerful and confident in every position, and that worries me as a coach. It will be very difficult for us, we are aware of that, but we have our hopes up. We see our chance, we believe in it, but primarily we want to present Bosnia and Herzegovina. football in a quality way, as well as the Croatian Sports Club Zrinjski – he said.
As he said, he “doesn’t burden his players with the result”.
– I think less about the result, I want our team to show stability, maturity and a good game in front of our fans, so that everyone who comes tomorrow will be satisfied. We have exceeded the European goals this year, but we have not accepted that this is the end. We look at what our priorities are, we have to be smart, wise and humble. I will repeat again, tomorrow we will leave our heart and soul on the field, so God willing – stressed the coach of Zrinjski.
Hrvoje Barišić said that he and his teammates are ready for a big match.
– We have the honor of hosting a team like this, from a league whose matches are a pleasure to watch. Let’s face it, they are very different from our games. We have scouted them, we will prepare as best we can, and there will certainly be no shortage of motives. We are all looking forward to the game, the situation in the dressing room is good. Most of us have already played quite a few European games, we will stick to the plan. Concentration is important, and when we are at the level, we should not be afraid of anyone – concluded Barišić.
The match between Zrinjski and Crystal Palace is scheduled for Thursday at 18:45 at the stadium under Bijeli Brijeg.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
