Olimpija’s footballers are coming off a demanding pre-season weekend, during which they played two friendly matches. On Saturday, the Dragons faced Romanian side CFR Cluj and, after an even contest, drew 1-1. Sunday’s match against Rudeš was somewhat different, as many young footballers, integrated into the Dragons’ senior team, were given an opportunity to prove themselves. The encounter ended with a 1-3 victory for the new Croatian top-flight team.
Head coach Mišo Brečko commented: “Saturday’s match against Cluj was a serious test against a very high-quality team. The lads played maturely and showed many good things. Sunday’s match against Rudeš was different in many ways, as mainly players from the youth academy were given a chance from the first minute. Some of them also saw for themselves that they still have a lot of work ahead of them to reach the senior level.”
“The players who featured against Cluj could not help in the match against Rudeš, as playing two demanding matches in two days is extremely difficult. We are building on what we showed on Saturday, and I believe we can put together a very high-quality and competitive starting eleven. We are still somewhat lacking in squad depth, but we will fill all the gaps in that area as well.”
The Dragons now have one final pre-season week before the championship begins. The green-and-whites will play their dress rehearsal for the new season on Saturday, July 11, at 6 PM against Ukrainian vice-champions LNZ Cherkasy.
