The Osijek Coach is Primarily Expecting that Players improve on their Speed.

Zoran Zekic attended the press conference a day before the game against Slaven Belupo. He informed the press about the current state of the team and what he personally expects from his squad in the 4th home match of this HNL season.

Absences – Pusic resumed training but will not be able to play, nor will Grezda, who recently resumed training as well. Boban isn’t in his peak form because he is still feeling the aftermath of his injury when he played against Petrocub. Kamenar joined the training sessions too, but he will not be ready for Friday’s match.

 

Running and Quality – Zekic’s wish is for Osijek to improve on the running aspect from the match in Maksimir. Osijek must show prowess in every quadrant of the pitch in order to rake in the points.

 

Foreigners – “We are witnessing a shift in Croatian football. There is no team left that has a purely Croatian roster, which used to be the case in the past. I want to stress that every matchup is as difficult as can be and that every match has a special something to it. However, we must bring our A-game” Zekic said.

 

Newcomers – Janza joins the fold and is still getting the hang of some dynamics, but isn’t ready for a serious match quite yet. He will surely prove to be valuable, but other players are of higher importance as of now. However, things change quite quickly here at NK Osijek, so that it’s possible for him to join the main roster sooner, rather than later. M’Pinda is here, too, but he will require some getting used to as well.

 

Slaven Belupo – “They brought many new players, their 2 defensive midfielders are foreign players, they have a player that played during the French Cup finale, Mendy. In general, clubs aren’t “asleep” anymore and everyone is reinforcing their rosters. Belupo will surely prove to be a worthy club to play against” Zekic added.

 

Squad – Zekic said that if things work out as intended, the roster will consist of: Malenica, Lončar, Tomelin, Škorić, Grgić, Bočkaj, Mudražija, Hajradinović, Lopa, Henty & Marić.