On Thursday evening, Purple and White held a press conference at Maksimir Stadium on the eve of their clash with Zagreb. Head coach Vítor Bruno was joined by Norwegian attacking midfielder Thelo Aasgaard. Watch the full press conference for free on Mauve TV.
“I’m happy to have joined Sporting,” Thelo Aasgaard began at the press conference. “My teammates have welcomed me very well. It wasn’t just the size of this club that attracted me; I also liked the style of play. At that point in my career, I needed a change. Here, I want to be able to showcase my technical qualities more than I could in the UK. I’m happy with how things are going, but I also expect more from myself. We have some big games coming up, so we need to take another step forward. Above all, we want to be ourselves and impose our game.”
“We need to step onto the pitch, give everything and stay true to who we are. Give our best and, as Thelo said, impose our game,” head coach Vítor Bruno confirmed. “However, we’re facing a very strong team with a clear identity and, above all, plenty of intensity. Dinamo Zagreb has simply been the best club in Croatia for many years. We know it will be a difficult challenge. We have a very demanding run of fixtures ahead after this game, but our full focus is on this match. After the opening matchday, when neither team managed to win, we’ll do everything we can to claim all three points this time.”
The Portuguese coach can call upon Omobamidele, who has travelled with the squad and is available for selection. Biancone, meanwhile, has remained at Neerpede, alongside Sardella and Camara, who have yet to recover. The coach is not concerned about fatigue from four consecutive away games. “Apart from the players who are unavailable, I have 29 players I can call upon. I have confidence in all of them, and they know that. Sometimes, it’s the players who come off the bench who make the difference. The only thing that matters is stepping onto the pitch and giving our best from the first whistle.” Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00 on Thursday evening at Maksimir Stadium.
