In his opening statement, the coach addressed the team’s medical situation: “Yesterday we got the news that Ifet Đakovac is unfortunately injured. I’m sorry about that, he was in good form and brought good energy. We’ll miss him. That’s why we decided last night to activate the standby call for Esmir Bajraktarević, who will join us.

The other issue is with Arijan Malić. He’s got a knee injury that isn't serious, but it needs a few days of attention, so we’ll see how that goes. The others are healthy; we’re satisfied. A lot has changed since the initial call-up, many players have hit good form and solid minutes. We’ve also got several scorers and finishers now. We’re pleased, and I think things are slowly falling into place.

We’re very happy with the current situation when it comes to players, their playing time and scoring side, and our goalkeepers are doing great. We always ask players to show up with a smile, because then they’ll have the drive, the desire, and the pride to show what they can do. Pressure’s a privilege, and we’re glad to be in a position where we’ve got positive pressure. Our fans and our people are fired up: there’s a real desire to take the next step. We’ll give everything we’ve got to make that happen.”