In Maribor, they believe that the return match will be a completely different story, and they also see an advantage in the artificial grass of Ljudski vrt

Published on 23. August 2024 23. August 2024

Photo: NK Maribor

Maribor returned from Stockholm with a defeat. Djurgarden celebrated a 1-0 victory, taking a step closer to the group stage of the Conference League. However, the Štajers can take comfort in the fact that, despite the loss, they remain in the race for advancement. “It was a challenging match, probably not as interesting for the spectators as it was for us coaches. To be honest, their long balls surprised us a bit. They tried to play direct football, something they hadn’t done before, but we responded very well. We had our moments in the game, although we were a bit inaccurate at times due to the artificial turf. What pleases me is that we stuck to our principles and our style of continuous attacks. We were competitive, unfortunately, we conceded a goal, but the boys played at a high level,” said Ante Šimundža after the match for the club’s official website.

The coach also highlighted the challenge of playing on artificial turf, which understandably didn’t suit his team well. “We adapted well to the artificial turf, and I expected that we might have more significant issues. The first 15 minutes passed without feeling the pressure from the hosts that we had anticipated. We responded very well in the opening phase. However, it’s clear that we needed to stay focused until the end of the match. We made a small mistake in deciding how to handle the ball under pressure, and then things quickly went wrong. It turned out that Djurgården is a team with both head and tail. The opponents can change their style of play even during the match, so we will need to be very careful to avoid finding ourselves in uncomfortable situations. The opponents do have an advantage, and we must not forget that,” said Ante Šimundža.

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If Djurgarden had the upper hand in the first leg due to the playing surface, the story will be different under Kalvarija. “If the opponents had a significant home advantage with the artificial turf and their stadium this time, I believe we will have a similar advantage with natural grass at Ljudski vrt. I believe, hope, and wish that we will have significantly more support from the fans,” anticipated Ante Šimundža, who will not be able to count on the suspended Sven Šoštarič Karič for the return match.

“It’s an unpleasant situation, but the response from the players after the red card was very good. We quickly coordinated from the bench and managed to finish the game without major issues. We will find a solution for the return match as well; we have a few days to prepare and, after the analysis, choose the best approach. M’Bondo is the first option, but Sven’s role can also be taken by Sikošek, and in that case, Milec would play on the left side,” concluded Ante Šimundža after the match in Sweden.

This text was automatically translated using AI.

Author: editorial Football Planet