Preparations ongoing for the big Split derby.
At 5 pm on Saturday, Hajduk and Split will play their city derby at the Poljud Stadum. For Hajduk, it will be the second important match in a row, after they were defeated against Dinamo in Maksimir last week. “This is a very important game for us, it is a great joy to play it”, said Hajduk coach Damir Burić, who has big problems with the squad. “We are ready even though we are missing Ohandza, Mujan, Tudor and Milić. We only have 16 healthy players, but I think we will have a good team against Split”, reports Index.hr and Jutarnji List on December 11, 2015.
Hajduk can count on Jefferson, who received a red card against Dinamo, but the card was later annulled. “Without him, we would have 15 players. People tend to look for flaws in everyone, but Jefferson is only 22 years old, he is getting better and better and I believe that he will become a great player in the future.”
Burić also praised the rival coach Goran Sablić and Split players. “They have shown that under the guidance of new coach they can play very well. We have watched a lot of their games and we are aware that it is going to be a tough and tight match.”
On the other hand, Sablić said that he was calmly awaiting the match against Hajduk. “It is an important match for us and for Hajduk. We expect aggressive Hajduk, particularly during the opening few minutes. Our game plan is well-known. We will try to take three points and get closer to the top of the league table”, Sablić said. “Of course, they have some weak points as well, but I will leave that just to myself and my players. We can compete with them, whether we play at Poljud or at our stadium.”
Sablić used to play for Hajduk, while Burić spent some of his playing days in Split. “Of course, I have great emotions about Poljud, Hajduk gave me everything, but as a coach and athlete I will do everything to win”, Sablić added.
“It is obvious that Burić is doing a good job, there are a lot of young players in his team. For me personally, he is like any other opponent, I want to outperform him and win. But players are more important than coaches”, Sablić said. He added that he wanted for the two clubs to have better relations in the future. “Rivalry must exist, but we can work together in the interest of development of better football in Split”, Sablić concluded.
