Sopić ahead of Dinamo clash: 'I wanted to draw them, this is a special match'

Željko Sopić, now coaching Lithuanian champions Kauno Žalgiris, is set to face his former club Dinamo Zagreb in a crucial Champions League third qualifying round match. Sopić described the upcoming game as "special," admitting he specifically wanted to draw Dinamo to "come home and play against Dinamo."

Speaking at a press conference, Sopić conveyed his team's readiness and belief in their chances, despite acknowledging the significant quality difference between Kauno Žalgiris and Dinamo. He highlighted the team's journey through previous qualifying rounds, overcoming opponents with higher coefficients, and emphasized the substantial progress made in just a month under his tenure.

Sopić is aware of the pressure Dinamo will face playing at home in front of thousands of fans but stated his team is not in Zagreb for tourism. He has bolstered his squad with two players familiar to Croatian football fans: Australian-Croatian midfielder Anthony Kalik and striker Gabriel Debeljuh. Sopić indicated that decisions on their participation would be made based on what's best for the club and Lithuanian football, though at least one Croatian player in the Lithuanian squad is expected to feature against Dinamo.

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Nemojte misliti da sam bedast i da ne razumijem razliku u kvaliteti između nas i Dinama, ali gledajući kvalifikacije u Ligi prvaka općenito, sa stajališta Kauno Žalgirisa, igrali smo protiv Drite koja je imala veći koeficijent od nas i prošli smo. Onda smo igrali s ekipom s Farskih Otoka, također veći koeficijent, prošli smo i njih. Mjesec dana smo stožer i ja s dečkima, napravili smo velike pomake u igri.