Excellent form, a diverse attacking arsenal and an average of 3.7 goals scored per match in the spring half-season significantly boost the confidence of the entire Dinamo squad, as well as the atmosphere among the supporters. The next challenge for the Blues awaits on Saturday at 4 PM when they will host Rijeka at Maksimir in the 30th round of SuperSport HNL.

It will also be a kind of overture to a new encounter between the same opponents scheduled less than a month later, on May 13, in the Cup final in Osijek.

– I wouldn't say that Cup match is much more important than the one awaiting us on Saturday because we still haven't won the championship title. We want to secure it as soon as possible and mathematically. We know we are close, but as long as we haven't won it, it means we are "far away". Rijeka has been our biggest rival for years, they are still the current champions, we respect that. I believe an interesting match awaits us – highlighted Dinamo coach Mario Kovačević.

In the spring half-season in HNL and the Cup, the Maksimir footballers have played 13 matches and recorded 12 victories. The only one in which they failed to collect full points was precisely the encounter against Rijeka when they drew 0:0 at Rujevica.

– It was a balanced encounter, we had better situations, but we didn't score a goal. At Rujevica, that one goal was missing for the match to ignite. They defended and held their ground, we tried to score, but we weren't concrete enough. From that perspective, our desire to beat Rijeka in front of our supporters is even more pronounced. We know they are a strong opponent, when a team plays so well against Strasbourg in the Conference League, when they are so good against us, it's clear they have quality. We know that Rijeka showed two faces – one in HNL and another in the Conference League where they handled European opponents very well. We certainly don't expect anyone to give us anything for free, but we are in good form, we must be the way we were in recent matches. I expect an interesting match and I believe in our victory.

Coach Kovačević emphasizes that there is no room for calculations, he will field his best team on the pitch.

– I don't know how it will be from Rijeka's side, but from ours there will be no calculations. The Cup match is scheduled only a month away, at this moment we are going with our strongest forces. It's important that everyone is healthy, we have no yellow cards... Dominik Livaković is returning to us after a muscle rupture, he did everything to return to the team as soon as possible. Matteo Perez Vinlöf and Ismaël Bennacer will also compete for the lineup. We are looking forward to the match.

What is Bruno Goda's condition?

– It turned out he has a hard head, ha ha ha... Fortunately, his nose isn't broken. He trained and will compete for the lineup.

The in-form Dion Drena Beljo has currently stopped at 25 goals scored and still needs nine more to equal the record holder Eduardo da Silva who scored 34 goals in the 2006/07 season.

– The way he's playing lately, I believe he can reach that number. Beljo's form makes me happy and my wish is for him to continue like this. If he breaks the record, no one will be happier than us.

Young Dinamo footballers shone this week at the prestigious Premier League International Cup in England where they defeated Valencia 4:3 in the quarterfinals.

– I'm happy they played so well, there are many players there who also train with us – Sven Šunta, Cardoso Varela, Marko Zebić... Our wish is for them to continue like this – concluded coach Kovačević.