We Will Demonstrate Our Power In Koprivnica

On the eve of the second game in the Cup finals, Dinamo coach Branko Ivankovic has announced a spectacle.

Journalists’ last chance to hang out with the Dinamo coach this season has not brought anything spectacular, as expected. Branko respectfully talked about Slaven again as the most enduring team this half-season, alongside Dinamo: 

- Slaven Belupo deserves our full respect. They are the team who scored nine goals against Zagreb in this competition and knocked Rijeka out on top of that and they are the most enduring team, next to us, of course, in this part of the championship.

In spite of the danger that looms on all sides in Koprivnica, mainly because of the minimum advantage, 1-0, which Dinamo earned at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb, Ivankovic wants this trophy too because it is a part of “Dinamo’s ambitions and goals” from the start of the season.   

- We have accomplished everything this season, all that remains is the Cup. We are going to Koprivnica to demonstrate our power. This victory is also important to us for the additional confidence both for the upcoming tests in Europe and for maintaining a good atmosphere in the course of preparations, The team is in optimal shape and mood, and we are going to the return match prepared.  

Dinamo’s chief strategist does not change the winning team. The team he announced for Koprivnica is the same team that defeated Hajduk at Maksimir last week: Loncaric, Corluka, Drpic, Schildenfeld, Carlos, - Pokrivac, Vukojevic, - Sammir, Tomic, Modric, - Eduardo. Other players who might make the team are Tadic, Jertec, Mikic and Cale.

Dinamo does not have any kind of celebration in store for Koprivnica because, as Branko says, those of the spontaneous kind are the best:

- We won’t, as they say, count chickens before they’re hatched and spontaneous celebration is always the best. 

Dinamo is leaving for Koprivnica at 10:30 h on Saturday and the team will rest at Golf hotel. 

After the Cup finals, the players will be free until June 11, when the first part of the preparations begins. Five players of the national team – Corluka, Modric and Eduardo - will report to coach Slaven Bilic on Monday and Loncaric and Tadic will report to Drazen Ladic. 

We are not frantically looking for a goalkeeper, we have Loncaric 

Dinamo players who are in the senior national team will have an extended vacation until June 23, when they will join the rest of the team for the preparations in Austria. 

It was inevitable for us to talk to the Dinamo coach about the reinforcements that have been mentioned. Branko Ivankovic would not comment on the story about Robert Kovac, except for saying that the media reports were true. 

- Many players are offering to play for us, but we don’t have the imperative to bring anyone but Robert Kovac. For other positions, we are leaning on our own resources, which are huge, especially among the injured players. We are not frantically looking for a goalkeeper because we have Loncaric, who is certainly our choice in the long run. He possesses quality and keeps getting better from game to game. The team have accepted him very well. Of course, Turina did not lose his chance to impose himself as the top goalkeeper and there is also Vranjic. They are all players for the national team, each at his own level, of course - concluded Branko Ivankovic.