Coach Kovačević: We want to finish the first half of the season with a new victory and first place

Victory in Koprivnica spiced up with a brilliant and convincing performance, attractive moves, and five goals in the opponent's net further ignited the good atmosphere in the dressing room at Maksimir and the Blues will, on the wings of such enthusiasm, strive to conclude the autumn half-season in a similar atmosphere. On Saturday, at 5:45 pm in Maksimir, Dinamo will host their city rival Lokomotiva, seeking to avenge their recent defeat at the same stadium and secure the top spot on the league table before the winter break.

– Our desire is to end the half-season with a victory, we know it won't be easy, Lokomotiva is a tough opponent for us, but I believe in our team. Lately, we have been playing well, especially evident in the previous match in Koprivnica. I believe that on Saturday we will look the same and that in the end, we will celebrate the victory with our fans – emphasized Dinamo's coach Mario Kovačević.

At the beginning of October, Lokomotiva, as the formal host at Maksimir, defeated Dinamo 2-1. Right after that match, Lokosi went on an eight-game winless streak, which is still ongoing, with four draws and losses each.

- That won't deceive us. Matches against them are always tough, they are motivated when Dinamo is on the other side. They play decently even though they don't collect many points as they did at the beginning of the season. I say, that won't deceive us, we know how good Lokomotiva is, they have both young and experienced players. But we also know that a lot will depend on us, and I believe we will be ready on Saturday.

What makes Lokomotiva most dangerous?

- They play a specific style of football, have good wings, and there are Marko Pajač and Marko Vešović as experienced players, but they also have young players who every time against Dinamo maybe give even more than they can at that moment. They are especially fast going forward, we need to pay attention to that, the last match between us should be a warning. I say, I believe that we will impose ourselves from the first minute. In the previous part of the season, we have defeated all opponents except Lokomotiva, so that is an additional motivation.

What kind of squad are you welcoming the match with?

- Ismaël Bennacer and Mounsef Bakrar will be absent as they are joining the Algerian national team before the African Cup of Nations. Leon Jakirović and Noa Mikić have left with the youth team for the Premier League International Cup in England. Everyone else is more or less ready. We have a really wide squad, good, quality players will step in - added coach Kovačević.