A convincing win with four goals scored in the previous meeting between the two sides can only be a nice reminder, but by no means a reason for a more relaxed approach in the new encounter. Dinamo will face their city neighbours Rudeš this Saturday, an opponent they beat 4-0 at Maksimir earlier in the season. Rudeš were promoted from the second tier to the top flight of Croatian football over the summer, and so far, at the midpoint of the autumn half of the season, they have shown that they can more than hold their own at this level. That is precisely why that 4-0 win at Maksimir could become a kind of psychological trap for the Dinamo players ahead of the new match, scheduled for Saturday at 6 pm in Velika Gorica in Round 12 of the SuperSport HNL. Dinamo head coach Mario Kovačević is warning about exactly that.

– I have to praise my colleague on the Rudeš bench, Alen Peternac. He is leading his team well. There was no panic on their side at the start of the season, even though they practically had a new team, with a lot of players coming in. They have a recognisable style of play and use a different system from the others. This is not the Rudeš of a few years ago, who were relegated early. They have depth, they won away at Osijek, and before that they went toe-to-toe with Rijeka... They are a competitive team and we have to take them very seriously. Besides, we can't afford to do otherwise. We have to be careful – emphasised coach Kovačević.

What is the situation in the squad?

– Unfortunately, we still have problems with a viral illness. Luka Ivanušec and Fran Topić had a high temperature on Thursday, and we will see whether either of them will be available. Scott McKenna will most likely be out for two weeks with an injury, that is, until the break in the league calendar. Stjepan Radeljić has a sprained finger, and I am not sure he will be available. Everyone else is fine, training hard and eagerly awaiting the match.

Will you call up anyone from Dinamo's B team for this match?

– We should. If Radeljić is unable to play, we will bring in a centre-back from the B team.

Young Dinamo centre-back Marko Zebić is currently on loan at Rudeš and has contributed to his team's good performances.

– I'm happy for him. He also played a few matches for our first team. We know his qualities, but he needed regular playing time. It's good that he went out on loan, and he is one of the reasons why Rudeš keep getting better. Zebić is our player, and I'm sure this experience will serve him well when he returns to Dinamo – added coach Kovačević.