“We showed in the first game that we can do it, we had a good chance to win, and we are sure that we will have a chance in London as well”, said Zrinjski coach Igor Štimac ahead of the second leg of the 1/16 finals of the Conference League against favored Crystal Palace, scheduled for this Thursday.
After 1-1 in Mostar, the current champions of BiH on Thursday from 9pm at Selhurst Park in London, they play the second leg of the knockout stage of the Conference League, which will decide the place in the round of 16.
It will be Zrinjski’s sixteenth European game this season, i.e. the second on English soil after visiting Birmingham in the fall of 2023, when the Nobles were defeated by Aston Villa (0-1) in stoppage time.
On Wednesday morning, the people of Mostar traveled to their eighth European visit this season on a direct charter flight from Mostar to London, before which the coach Igor Štimac presented his expectations, generally tinged with optimism.
We will see what kind of condition Palace is in and what tools they will use to attack us. However, it is clear that they in Mostar, everything did not go as they wantedgiven that they fielded the strongest team and wanted to settle everything in that first gamesaid Štimac.
He emphasized that the current winners of the FA Cup will also face a difficult game at their Selhurst Park, where he has fond memories from his playing days.
We will do our best, we have a vision, we have shown that we can. After re-watching the first game, we once again saw that we had a very good chance to win. And I’m sure that some opportunity will arise in London as wellhe emphasized.
Strategist BH champion in particular he pointed out the importance of focus and discipline when moving line, especially in the context of the expected, greater possession of the English against whom they will look for vertical play when Zrinjski gets the ball.
The midfielder is also moderately optimistic ahead of the away game in South London, where among the 25,000 fans there could be more than a thousand of those whose hearts beat for Zrinjski. Adi Nalić.
We can expect a difficult and demanding match. The first one was great, but it won’t be the same. I’ve played in England before, at Stamford Bridge, it’s a pleasure. We will do our best, I just want the atmosphere to carry ussaid Nalić, who did not participate in the Mostar draw.
Between the two duels, Zrinjski drew with Široki Brijeg (1-1) on Sunday, and Palace narrowly defeated Wolverhampton (1-0).
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