Rijeka in Finland Chases Conference League Play-off
The Rijeka side visits Ilves in Tampere tonight at 6 PM with a 1:0 lead from the first leg, and you can follow the match live on RTL and the Voyo platform.
The Rijeka side visits Ilves in Tampere tonight at 6 PM with a 1:0 lead from the first leg, and you can follow the match live on RTL and the Voyo platform.
HNK Rijeka plays its first-ever match on Finnish soil tonight. In the second leg of the third qualifying round of the Conference League, they visit Ilves in Tampere, with the match starting at 6 PM. Live coverage is provided by RTL and the Voyo platform, with Genc Nuza from Kosovo as the main referee.
Rijeka won the first leg at Rujevica with a minimal 1:0, with the only goal scored by Niko Janković. Despite Rijeka firing 23 shots on goal, the visitors were saved from a heavier defeat by Ilves' goalkeeper and former Dinamo player Faris Krkalić.
Rijeka's coach Matjaž Kek is not satisfied with the finishing and demands significantly more clinical edge and decisiveness from his players. Rijeka has had a perfect season so far, winning all four matches, with two victories over Derry City and one each against Rudeš and Ilves.
Ahead of the return leg, Kek warned of the danger posed by the Finnish side and stressed that the lead from the first match is no guarantee of progression. "A lead is a lead. We showed at Rujevica that it should have been bigger, but that match also showed that Ilves can be very tricky if we are not at our best, if we are not tactically disciplined, and if we don't play our brand of football," Kek said.
One of the key challenges for Rijeka will be the artificial turf at the stadium in Tampere, where Ilves regularly plays and trains. Rijeka had only one training session to adapt, and the coaching staff watched the Finnish team's domestic match live on Sunday to familiarize themselves with the conditions. Midfielder Thiago Dantas, who despite his questionable status is in the starting lineup, said: "I think it will be a very tough match, but we have to play as if it's 0:0. We've analyzed the opponent, we know what we could have done better compared to the last match. I fully believe we have the quality and the way to beat the opponent and advance to the next stage of the Conference League." Dantas also commented on the surface: "It's different; we had one training session to adapt. There's a big difference between playing on natural grass and artificial turf. That's obviously not an excuse; we're going to win."
According to available information ahead of the match, Kek has made two changes from the expected lineup. Instead of Gojak and Vignat, Lasickas and Puljić start, while Janković will operate on the left side behind Adu-Adjei. Toni Fruk, who hasn't fully recovered, will be on the bench, and Dantas is indeed in the starting eleven. On the other side, Ilves has also changed their lineup from the announcements, with Bamba, Kilo, Ala-Myllymäki, and Wallius on the bench, while Pettersson, Multala, Raap, and Suvanne get the nod.
The winner of the play-off will likely face the dangerous Danish side Midtjylland, who hold an advantage from the first leg against Irish side Bohemians after a 2:0 away win. Rijeka seeks to confirm their passage to the final round of Conference League qualifiers, and if successful, they would meet the better side from that tie in the play-off.
Tonight at 6 PM, you can watch the Ilves - Rijeka match live on RTL's main channel and the Voyo platform, followed by the central news program RTL Danas.
