Coach Kovačević: Looking forward to the derby, respecting the opponent, but aiming to impose our game

Dinamo respects its opponents, but on the field wants to impose its style of play... That is the basic message of the Maksimir coach Mario Kovačević ahead of the visit to Poljud in the 7th round match of the SuperSport HNL. The footballers of Dinamo and Hajduk on Saturday at 5 PM will face each other for the first time in the new season, entering the match with identical points in the first six rounds.

- I am personally looking forward to the biggest Croatian derby, the first of this season, we have prepared well, but in the end the result will show how we have worked. My colleague on Hajduk's bench, Gonzalo Garcia, is also in the process of putting together the team, they have brought in a lot of players towards the end of the transfer window. However, the backbone is always the dangerous Marko Livaja, good and fast wingers, Rokas Pukštas coming from the back, and also Filip Krovinović and Adrion Pajaziti who control the midfield. It is important for us to be strong in the middle. It is clear that they have quality, Hajduk is always tricky, especially at Poljud, but we focus on ourselves and our team, you can see in the players that the derby is approaching and they want to show that the Sunday loss against Gorica was a bad day - emphasized coach Kovačević.

What is the situation with the squad?

- Due to red cards, Luka Stojković and Marko Soldo will be absent. Everyone else is available. We have some minor injuries, but mostly everyone is ready and we can't wait for the start. We know what awaits us down there, we know we have to be brave and determined to achieve a positive result.

How are Miha Zajc and Ismaël Bennacer, who recently joined the team, doing?

- They are in good condition, Zajc has already played two matches, one friendly and one in the Cup. We will see how much we can use Bennacer.

Will there be any changes in the formation?

- We have our own way of playing. Of course, you always have to prepare a bit for each opponent, especially against Hajduk at Poljud, but we play our game, from the first minute we will seek what characterized us at the beginning of the season, which is to be aggressive, to have initiative, to apply pressure and without the ball. Also, I want us to be more quality when we have the ball at our feet, to seek our game. It's not easy, we are still in the process of forming, you can see that not everything is ideal, but I believe in my players and I know that we can show the right game against Hajduk and come to victory.

Coach Kovačević led the Slaven Belupo team last season, while his colleague on the bench of the Split club, Gonzalo Garcia, coached Istra 1961. Both of them have been marked by the majority of the public as the most promising coaches in the Croatian First Football League. How different is it this season in a new club when the pressure is significantly higher?

- I have always highly respected my colleague Garcia from the first day, matches against him have always been interesting, there is a lot to learn from him. In a developmental path, it is normal that after success in smaller environments one dreams of coming to such a big club like Dinamo. I must commend my staff, but also everyone in the club, I see how much everyone here helps me, we all want to achieve something. It's not easy, there are a lot of changes, but I think we are on the right track. I will do my best to make everyone satisfied and make our fans happy.

When asked by a journalist about Robert Mudražija often playing well and scoring goals at Poljud, coach Kovačević responded:

- We have a lot of ideas, but we can't implement them all at once. I know that Mudražija has played many good matches and scored goals at Poljud, we also count on that...

What kind of match do you expect in Split, is preparation key in all of this?

- Yes, of course. After all, that is the basic job of us coaches, to prepare the team. Hajduk will start aggressively with their fans and a full stadium, we need to be careful at the beginning and redirect the game to our advantage as soon as possible. We have quality and good players, we need to try to play our game as soon as possible, impose ourselves. We know what awaits us, an aggressive Hajduk at home, we will prepare for that - concluded coach Kovačević.