At the press conference before the match against Zrinjski, Velež's head of the professional staff, Mr. Ibro Rahimić, addressed the media present.
"First of all, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all the players and the professional staff led by Sergej Barbarez on the historic success achieved by our Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. This news has certainly delighted all of us working in Bosnian-Herzegovinian football. Regarding the derby, I've had many so far, so I expect a match full of duels, certain pressure, but I must admit that the guys behind us have been working very well and with quality these past days. This break came at a good time; the players maintained their level of physical readiness, but freshness has also arrived, and we are entering the derby with a lot of optimism," emphasized Rahimić in his opening address.
Footballer Mićo Kuzmanović also addressed the media present.
"A derby is a very specific match, one of the most important in the season. We are aware of that, we know certain weaknesses of the Zrinjski team that we will try to exploit. We have trained very well in the previous days, and we want to show that on the field tomorrow, win, and celebrate with our fans," said Kuzmanović.
When asked by a journalist how important tomorrow's match is for Velež and what kind of Zrinjski he expects, coach Rahimić said:
"In the city derby, both we and Zrinjski approach with a great desire to win the match. I don't want to burden my players with anything unrelated to the match; the most important thing to me is that they have completed a very good preparatory period before this encounter. I have doubts about Hrkać and Abdullah, who have some injury problems, and considering the tight schedule, I will think about whether it's worth risking them. We also have three players who have returned from the youth national team gathering. Mešić played two matches and feels that fatigue, but as for the other players, everyone is ready, and we can't wait for the match. We have a great desire to win and continue with positive results. With a potential victory tomorrow, we would gain additional confidence and be ready to face even three matches we play against Sloga in a short period," Rahimić pointed out.
In addition to the league battle, Velež players are also in the semi-finals of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Cup. When asked how difficult it is to fight on two fronts, Rahimić responded.
"We have proven so far that we are physically well-prepared. I am pleased by the fact that Velež now has something that makes me feel secure. Regardless of the opponent, the players give me confidence, and I have absolutely no nervousness. We will continue to play on two fronts, and if we win the Cup, we will continue with the goal of creating a winning mentality," said Rahimić.
Since arriving at Velež, Kuzmanović has played two city derbies and spoke in superlatives about the clash between Velež and Zrinjski.
"Derbies are matches full of emotions, both on and off the field. We know the Zrinjski team; they have many good players, and we will need to pay great attention, but it is certain that they also need to be very wary of us. We should only focus on ourselves; we have had a very good week behind us, and we need to transfer all that onto the field. All of us players really love derbies; these are matches that are remembered. We maintain and have a very good atmosphere, and we are full of motivation awaiting tomorrow's match," said Kuzmanović.
Derbies are matches where, besides quality, certain small details often decide. What could decide tomorrow's match, Rahimić answered:
"I absolutely do not want euphoria; we had it in the match against Željezničar, and we all know how that ended. I want our players to be focused, to think only about the game, and what I would like tomorrow is for a lot of fans to come and support us so that we can celebrate together at the end of the match," concluded Rahimić.
Mićo Kuzmanović took the opportunity to congratulate the loyal Velež fans on their birthday and made a promise on behalf of the entire team.
"I congratulate our loyal fans on their birthday; they are always with us wherever we play and are definitely our twelfth player. We greatly respect and appreciate that, and on my behalf and on behalf of my teammates, I can promise that we will fight every minute on the field and give our all for tomorrow's victory, so that in the end we can celebrate both the victory and the birthday," said Kuzmanović.
The match of the 27th round of the WWin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina between Velež and Zrinjski will be played tomorrow, starting at 8 PM at the Rođeni stadium.