Ahead of Thursday’s Europa League 4th preliminary round opener at Dinamo Zagreb, Sparta coach Brian Priske hopes the two-legged Champions League qualifier against Copenhagen has given his players confidence and shown them they can face quality opponents in big games.
Sparta coach Brian Priske does not care about the fact that the defending Croatian champion changed his coach before the match. He also joked at the press conference that he might find it harder to sleep after being reminded by reporters that Sparta are still waiting to win the cups under his leadership.
After the opening goalless draw in Denmark in the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League, Letenští played in the home rematch with Copenhagen 1:1 after 90 minutes and after extra time, in which they led twice, 3:3. However, they failed in the penalty shootout. On Saturday, they also lost their first points in the league season when they drew 1:1 in Teplice.
“I hope the boys arrived here with confidence. The results against Copenhagen and Teplice weren’t what we expected, but we didn’t perform badly. Perhaps the rematch with Copenhagen gave the team a good feeling that if we can stick to our style of play in big games against strong opponents we play with confidence, we can make it difficult for many quality teams in Europe,” said Priske.
Sparta did not win in four cup duels under Priske’s leadership. “I never thought of that until you asked, so thanks. Maybe I’ll sleep a little worse now,” Priske joked.
“Obviously it’s not a good statistic, but that’s football. We’re focusing on our style of play. The games against Copenhagen were tough, but the boys did amazing, especially in Letná. They played a great game and deserved to win, but it didn’t go our way they wished. I will definitely be chasing a cup win together with the team, it would be great to taste it,” said the 46-year-old native of Horsens.
Dinamo started the competitive year by winning the domestic Supercup and progressing through Astana to the 3rd preliminary round of the LM. However, it was not enough for AEK Athens, who lost 1:2 at home and drew 2:2 away with them, despite having a two-goal lead at the start of regulation. The club’s management dismissed coach Igor Biščan on Monday, who was replaced by Sergej Jakirovič. Stopper Josip Šutalo, who transferred to Ajax Amsterdam, will no longer help Dinamo against Sparta. Captain and goalkeeper Dominik Livakovič is also leaving, according to the Croatian media, he will head to Fenerbahce Istanbul.
“What is happening in Dinamo is beyond us. We are aware of their situation, they decided to change the coach and sell two players, but new ones arrived. It is a kind of homework for us. We found out how the coach (Jakirovič) worked in Rijeka, and we have a decent picture of what he’s capable of,” said Priske.
In July, Sparta drew 1:1 with Dinamo in preparation. “The match showed us that it is a very good team with quality players. But for us it was only the first training camp match, for Dinamo, on the contrary, the last. We have improved since then. Tomorrow it will be completely different here than in Slovenia. We have a lot of respect for Dinamo, it doesn’t matter who they field. It’s a really strong team,” said the former player of Genk, Portsmouth and the Danish national team.
Dinamo, which has won the Croatian league six times in a row, considers its offense to be its strongest point. “The two wingers are very good, Petkovič is a top striker. The midfielders bring dynamism to the game. There is no doubt that they excel offensively, the players know each other well and the midfielders and wingers rotate a lot. It is a high-quality team,” noted the former coach Midtjylland and Antwerp.
2023-08-23 18:35:05
#games #Europe #win #reminder #Sparta #coach #joked #Currently.cz
