Four days after the first leg and four days before the return leg against Norwegian side Viking, the Maksimir footballers face another energetic "Viking" team, but in the domestic championship. Amid a busy fixture schedule, between two Champions League play-off matches, Dinamo will host Varaždin on Saturday at 9 PM in the 4th round of the SuperSport HNL, a spirited and dynamic team that has recorded three wins in the previous three rounds.

– We know tough matches await us in the championship, Varaždin have made an excellent start, they play better every year. This season we could have expected this because they kept their squad together, and in these first three rounds they've shown their quality. They have a dangerous attacking quartet, there's young Ivan Canjuga who brings creativity to midfield. We're aware they're dangerous, but we're not afraid of anyone. We don't have much time for training, but we believe in our players. Our squad is slightly thinned due to some minor injuries. We'll see if and how much Fran Topić, Luka Stojković and Miha Zajc will be able to play. We won't risk anything. All the others are fine, we're ready and waiting for the match. We praise Varaždin because they deserve it, but we believe in our quality and our victory – highlighted coach Kovačević.

Will new arrivals Kirill Kravtsov and Noah Nsoki be in contention for Saturday's match?

– They're training with us, we'll decide after the final training session. It's hard to expect significant playing time, they've only just arrived. They started training with the team on Wednesday. You can see they're quality players, they'll get their chance. Maybe even on Saturday.

How many changes are you preparing in the team compared to the previous match against the Norwegians?

– You've seen that in the HNL we constantly make changes, we have a broad squad. Some players we'll need to – I won't say rest, but – refresh. As I said, we have a broad squad, the lads are eager to play. We'll make changes to the team from the last European match, but we'll see how many. We have many matches ahead in a short period, it won't be easy.

What condition is recovering player Dani Rodriguez in?

– We know he had a serious injury so we're being cautious. He's training very well, but still individually. Now we'll gradually integrate him into team training. We must be careful, but I believe he'll quickly be back in the squad. We need him, he's a quality player.

Which goalkeeper will be in the starting lineup?

– We have one more training session and then we'll decide. Ivan Nevistić was in goal in the last match... There's him and Ivan Filipović. We'll see. And there's also Danijel Zagorac – added coach Kovačević.