On the occasion of the gathering, the head coach Ivaylo Petev addressed the media.

The head coach referred to the injury of Edin Džeko and the match with Finland:

“Džeko means a lot to this team, we are waiting for news about his injury. He will do the examinations today; we hope that he will be well and that he will be ready for the match. We can get to the points and achieve a qualification for the play-off. We are now focused on the first match with Finland, we have to prepare well and we hope to win.”

Asked if the weather conditions would be more suitable for the Finns, Petev answered:

“We will not look for an alibi, the weather conditions will be the same both for them and for us. It will not be an easy match, but we have the strength and quality to do a good job. It all depends on us; the most important thing is how we will look on the pitch.”

Ivaylo Petev expects a good atmosphere at the “Bilino Polje” in Zenica:

“It will mean a lot to us that we will play in front of full stands. There was a great atmosphere against Kazakhstan, although the capacity of the stadium was not full. I can’t wait to see what the atmosphere will be like now at the matches with Finland and Ukraine.”

Tonight, the national team players will train at the Grbavica Stadium at 17:30 h, and not at the Butmir as previously planned.