Maribor coach Ante Šimundža before the eternal derby with Olimpija: “The perception is undoubtedly European, even though we are in a demanding rhythm”
Photo: Žan Pak
The pace is relentless, but anyone who has ever been involved in football will say that these kinds of matches are the best. These are the moments when fatigue is forgotten. And when do you give your all despite the fatigue, if not in the eternal derby! This time will be the 158th in a row, Maribor and Olimpija will clash at Ljudski vrt, with the match starting at 17:30. Coach Ante Šimundža expects Maribor to be at a high level. At a European level.
Ante Šimundža began by addressing the fact that the Štajers only returned from their trip to Stockholm on Friday afternoon. “From a physical perspective, it’s better to have a training session after a night’s sleep. We wanted to ensure a plan that is as least burdensome as possible for the players, so we opted again for a regime with a morning training session and a later return home. We know what the derby brings as the biggest match in the league. Both we and Olimpija are involved in European competitions, and we can expect a European test. The perception will undoubtedly be European, even though we’re in a hectic rhythm,” Ante Šimundža explained to the club’s website.
Šimundža: “The derby is something entirely different”
Regarding the upcoming match with the Ljubljana team, the purple coach continued: “There was a time when only Maribor was in the rhythm of playing two matches a week. I’m glad that this year three clubs are in the playoff. We can’t be satisfied with just that, we all want to secure a spot in the group stage, and this match will be slightly different from that perspective. Not in terms of emotions, intensity, or the desire to win, which will be in abundance. But from the perspective that both clubs are equally burdened,.”
It seems we have a heated derby ahead of us. Maribor is unbeaten at home in 2024 in the 1. SNL, and Olimpija hasn’t lost under the leadership of Victor Sanchez. “We are mainly thinking about ourselves and how to find the best solutions in the game. Olimpija is always Olimpija, just as Maribor is always Maribor. Derbies are something entirely different compared to other matches, because of the emotions and sports rivalry. Regardless of form and burden, the match is often unpredictable, and I expect something similar on Sunday. We’re not thinking about how Olimpija was before and how it is now. We respect our opponents, but our main focus is on how we are and will be on the field,” Ante Šimundža elaborated and firmly emphasized: “We want to continue the tradition. And we will,.”
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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