Olimpija without central midfielders in Celje on Sunday, coach Zoran Zeljković stresses: ‘The forecast is simple. We need a win!”

Published on 5. November 2023 6. November 2023

Source of photo: NK Olimpija Ljubljana

Igor Barišić, Commercial Director Olimpija, is convinced:“Olimpija is better than Celje!” That’s why he expects Olimpija to win today’s derby of the 15th round of the national championship, which will start in Celje at 15:00. Zoran Zeljković, the new coach of the Dragons, didn’t want to be as pompous as Barišić before the away game against Telemach, the leading club of the First League, but the Ljubljana expert agrees that his team needs a win. All the more so after a series of lacklustre performances and less-than-glowing results.

“We have a very important match ahead of us! The prediction is simple. We need a win to reduce the gap to the leader. I expect a very difficult, but at the same time interesting encounter with two teams that attack and want to score,” Zoran Zeljković, who is by no chance without any personnel worries ahead of the match in Štajerska, pointed out for club website.

Agustin Doffo will definitely miss Celje, as he is suspended for four yellow cards. Timi Max Elšnik will almost certainly be sidelined as well, as he has a thigh muscle problem. An MRI scan confirmed that the muscle is still intact, but the pain is still present, so it is unbelievable that Elšnik will risk his health just before the end of the Euro 2024 qualifiers…

“I’m certainly sorry that I won’t be able to help the team in Celje, but I’ll be there. We support each other at home and away games, regardless of whether the boys are injured, penalised or out of the team. We all stick together. And so it will be again. There are a lot of games and everyone wants to win in football. We are not doing well at the moment, but we know we can do better. It is important to be patient. We must believe in good things. So, at this moment, winning is the most important thing of all. We need this to keep fighting at the top. Everyone in the team is well aware of the importance of Sunday’s game. I hope that we will also have the right support from the stands again,” said Agustin Doffo before the match with Celje, who already have an eight-point lead over Olimpija.

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Celjani will of course try to continue their positive league run in the current season, and the young side’s defender Nino Milić said before the match against the reigning champions:”We go into the game like we go into every other game. Three points are always the most important goal, no matter who we win against. But we know that we have a big game ahead of us, with a big meaning. We will prepare well and do everything we can to keep the three points at home and increase our advantage over our rivals.”

This text was automatically translated using AI.

Author: editorial Football Planet