NK Varaždin enters the tenth round of the SuperSport HNL in second place, preparing for an away trip to leaders Hajduk Split on Sunday. Coach Nikola Šafarić insists his team is stable and ready for the challenge at Poljud, despite the summer departures of key players. With 18 points from nine games, comprising five wins, three draws, and one loss, the team has a positive goal difference of seven, having scored 14 and conceded seven.
Šafarić is pleased with his team's output after nine rounds. He said that to be fully satisfied with the first part of the competition, they might be missing a few points. He added that before the season he would not have believed their point tally was a realistic target. The team is unbeaten in its last five matches, with two wins and three draws, most recently beating Lokomotiva with a goal from Lovre Mamić, assisted by Petar Bočkaj. Mamić is also the club's top scorer with four goals.
Although the club lost several important players in the summer, Šafarić believes they have compensated. He says they have ready players in the second line and that the departures do not disturb the team. “We must respond to Hajduk's aggression and pressure and impose ourselves,” Šafarić said. Player Petar Bočkaj, who assisted the winner against Lokomotiva, praised the team's work. He stated the team had a very good first round and that the players give their maximum.
Varaždin faces a Hajduk side that sits just one point above them at the top. Hajduk secured an important win against Ajax on Thursday, boosting their confidence. Bočkaj acknowledged the opponent is in good rhythm but expressed hope for a good result in Split. Šafarić stressed his team must focus most on itself. “Hajduk has width and quality players, but if we are true, we will be competitive,” he said. The coach is used to his team not being talked about enough publicly but does not bother himself with it. The most important thing, he says, is to avoid big highs and lows and remain stable.
Varaždin won the last meeting between the sides in August. Now they hope to repeat that success on Sunday. A win would see them take top spot in the standings. Ahead of the clash, the team trails their Split rivals by just a single point, with a positive goal difference. Key for Varaždin will be achieving their target per match, an average they have maintained in the first part of the season. Alongside the win over Lokomotiva, other results in their unbeaten run include draws with Aluminij, Osijek, and Gorica, and a win over Zagora. Their next fixture after this derby is a home match against Rijeka on Saturday.
Read the full report at index.hr
