Here is what the Croatian coach said:

On the qualification:

«Congratulations to my team. It is important for the club and the city to be in the group stage. We wanted to reach this stage. I liked our mentality, we were demure from minute one. We wanted to win –but it is important not to lose anyway. Our game against PAS Giannina is our top priority right now«.

On the upcoming international break:

«This break will come in handy. We will be missing our internationals of course, but we will work with the rest of the players«.

On how qualification was achieved:

«This procedure of summer games was a huge experience for me. We didn’t have our signings from the first match, several things happened like the departure of Lucas and other players. Right now it may seem easy, but it wasn’t«.

On the team’s goalkeepers:

«They also have the right to some errors. We will work with them as well to get their best«.

On the newcomers:

«It isn’t easy to claim centre stage or join a club and adjust right away. As this transfer window draws to a close, I can say that we have a youthful side and I like that. Klaus will return shortly, we will wrap up our signings and we don’t need to change many things. We need to keep up working well«.

On the group stage draw:

«I would like to see us drawn against teams that we can eliminate. I spent nine years in Italy, therefore I would welcome an Italian side in our group«.

On the differences between league and European competition:

«Our main concern is the league. However, when participating in the UEFA Europa League, one can’t say that they are not interested in winning. However the league is our top priority«.

On Stefanos Athanasiadis:

«I don’t believe he will be ready by Sunday, but we expect him for upcoming games«.