Rijeka with a 1-0 lead in Derry: Kek warns, Todorović without conceding a goal for 8 hours
Rijeka defends narrow lead in Conference League second round second leg against Derry City at Ryan McBride Stadium, with rainy conditions and 16 degrees.
Rijeka defends narrow lead in Conference League second round second leg against Derry City at Ryan McBride Stadium, with rainy conditions and 16 degrees.
Rijeka's footballers arrived in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, where on Thursday at 19:30 they face the return leg of the 2nd qualifying round of the Conference League against Derry City. The Whites brought a 1-0 lead from last Thursday's first leg at Rujevica, and according to information from the club's website, the flight from Krk lasted a pleasant two hours and 45 minutes before they were greeted at the airport by rain and 15 degrees less compared to the departure temperature of 30 °C.
As NK Rijeka reports, the expedition was bid farewell by sun and heat on Krk, but in Derry they were met with cloudy weather and showers. According to the forecast, temperatures of only 16 degrees Celsius are expected during the match, representing a significant climate change for the Croatian players.
The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, with a capacity of around six thousand spectators, is known for its loud fan support that can be extremely uncomfortable for visiting teams. Derry City, a club that for political reasons competes in the Irish league, relies on this energy in an attempt to turn the tie around, and coach Matjaž Kek, who as a Maribor player has already been a guest in Derry, is aware of the challenge.
According to Transfermarkt data, Rijeka is valued at nine times more than the hosts, but Večernji list reminds that last season Rijeka lost 1-2 at Rujevica to Irish side Shelbourne in the third qualifying round of the Europa League, and had to recover in the return leg with a 3-1 win. This caution is shared by midfielder Branko Pavić, as reported by Kanal Ri.
"That guard, that desire, tactical discipline, were at a level that makes me satisfied. We need to continue building everything on that."
What particularly pleases Kek is the fact that young goalkeeper Aleksa Todorović has not yet conceded a goal for the senior team. The 22-year-old from Kruševac has spent just over eight hours between the posts without taking anything out of the net, and alongside him in defense are standard Ante Majstorović and Peruvian Alfonso Barco, who played in midfield last season. On the flanks are Ante Oreč and Mladen Devetak, while in attack the main threat is Toni Fruk, who got married this weekend.
In the event of progression, Rijeka awaits in the third round the winner of the tie between Icelandic Stjarnan and Finnish Ilves. Stjarnan carries a 1-0 lead into the return leg. The referee for the match in Derry will be Portuguese official João Antonio Ferreira Gonçalves.
