Ivica Ivušić (31) took a blow to his arm during training and will not be available to coach Gonzalo Garcia for the first match of the third qualifying round for the Conference League.
Hajduk's footballers will face Lithuanian side Žalgiris on Thursday at 7 PM in the first match of the third qualifying round for the Conference League. The Whites will be weakened in this, their fifth European test of the season, by the absence of goalkeeper Ivica Ivušić, who has once again found himself on the injured list.
The former Croatian international took a blow to his arm during training last week. Due to this injury, he was not in the squad for Sunday's league defeat to Varaždin, and he will also miss Thursday's clash in Lithuania. However, the absence of the 31-year-old shot-stopper will not disrupt the planned starting lineup, as Toni Silić has become the undisputed first choice between the posts. Dante Stipica and David Fesyuk are expected to serve as backups on the bench.
Ivušić joined Hajduk in the summer of 2025 with the status of a major reinforcement and a long-term solution for the goalkeeper position, signing a contract until the summer of 2029. He opened the season as the undisputed starter, making 18 appearances, eight of which were clean sheets. The turning point came on November 22, 2025, when Hajduk suffered a heavy 5:0 defeat to Rijeka at Rujevica. Following that match, Ivušić missed the last four matches of the first half of the season due to a pubic bone injury, as well as the entire winter preparations.
He returned to the pitch for the final six rounds of last season, making his comeback appearance in the last league round in a high-scoring 6:3 victory over Vukovar. During the summer preparations, he played one half in each of the friendly matches against Shkendija and LNZ, but in all four European matches this season, he remained on the bench. According to Transfermarkt data, his current market value is estimated at one million euros. Before arriving at Poljud, Ivušić played for Istra 1961, Olympiakos, Osijek, and Cypriot club Pafos.
