The Whites will play an official match in Finland for the first time in history. On Thursday, they face Ilves in the return leg, with coach Matjaž Kek stressing that the team must focus on scoring.
Rijeka's footballers set off by bus in the early hours of Wednesday towards the airport on Krk, from where they flew on a special charter flight to Tampere. On Thursday, they face Ilves in the return leg in Finland, marking the club's first European away match in that Nordic country. The team departed in considerable heat, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees, but were greeted in Tampere by a noticeably cooler 15 degrees with wind.
Rijeka coach Matjaž Kek sent a clear message to his team before the trip, as noted in the related news.
"We must think about the quality of our play and how to score a goal,"said Kek, emphasizing the offensive approach needed to advance to the next round.
Adding to the intrigue of the tie is a statement from Ilves' goalkeeper, published in the related news, who admitted he had warned his teammates about the danger posed by his friend, Rijeka's Janković.
"I warned about the 'bomb' of my friend Janković,"said the Finnish goalkeeper, aware of the quality of Janković's striking ability.
For Rijeka, this will be a historic moment as they have never played an official match on Finnish soil. The match at Tammelan Stadium kicks off at 6 PM Central European Time, or 7 PM local time. Rijeka will be seeking their 50th overall victory under UEFA in club history, but above all, a result that leads to the next round of the Conference League. The club organized a special charter flight for the trip, and among the passengers were goalkeepers Todorović and Vekić, defenders Majstorović, Devetak, and Oreč, and midfielders such as Janković, Fruk, Gojak, and Dantas. Photos and videos of the departure were captured by Zlatko Horvat.
