Garcia: Playing Thursday-Sunday is tough, and Gorica is a team with multiple faces

Hajduk Split visits Gorica on Sunday for the third round of the Croatian Football League, aiming for their first three points of the season. The team has struggled, drawing with Istra 1961 (2-2) and losing to Varaždin (1-2), leaving them with only one point and in seventh place in the league standings.

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It's always difficult to play Thursday-Sunday, but it's good. I think the guys are good, especially when you achieve a good result, then you are mentally well. We are recovering physically today, tomorrow we have another day for recovery and we will start thinking about Gorica. Mentally we are good.

Coach Ivan Leko, speaking at a press conference, acknowledged the demanding Thursday-Sunday schedule. "It's always difficult to play Thursday-Sunday, but it's good," he stated. "I think the guys are good, especially when you achieve a good result, then you are mentally well. We are recovering physically today, tomorrow we have another day for recovery and we will start thinking about Gorica. Mentally we are good."

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We try to rotate when we can. It's not possible to rotate every time because you have to compete and be competitive in every game, it's not just about rotating for the sake of rotation. We know it's hard for the players when minutes accumulate week after week. Now some players, like Sigur, have returned, and that gives us another option. It's important to rotate, everyone must be ready, but the most important thing is that they are mentally ready for the match.

Leko stressed the importance of rotation and mental preparedness for his young squad, who must focus every three days amidst the stress of matches. "We try to rotate when we can. It's not possible to rotate every time because you have to compete and be competitive in every game, it's not just about rotating for the sake of rotation," he explained. "We know it's hard for the players when minutes accumulate week after week. Now some players, like Sigur, have returned, and that gives us another option. It's important to rotate, everyone must be ready, but the most important thing is that they are mentally ready for the match."

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Gorica is a team that with Mario can play in different structures. They can press high, and they can defend organized low. It's hard to predict what they will do because they have different faces.

Regarding their opponent, Leko described Gorica as a team with "several faces." He noted their ability to play in different structures, either pressing high or defending deep. "It's hard to predict what they will do because they have different faces," he said. "It's always difficult there. We once played an excellent game there, and another time, I think, we didn't play badly. We had enough chances, especially in the second half, to achieve a better result. But in the first half, we weren't sharp enough, they punished us, we couldn't turn the result around and we lost there last time."

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It's always difficult there. We once played an excellent game there, and another time, I think, we didn't play badly. We had enough chances, especially in the second half, to achieve a better result. But in the first half, we weren't sharp enough, they punished us, we couldn't turn the result around and we lost there last time.