Hajduk Split Menjamu Zilina di Kualifikasi Liga Eropa

Klub sepak bola Kroasia, HNK Hajduk Split, bersiap menjamu wakil Slovakia, Zilina, dalam pertandingan leg pertama babak kualifikasi pertama Liga Eropa UEFA di Stadion Poljud pada Jumat, 10 Juli 2026 dini hari WIB.

Pertandingan ini merupakan pertemuan pertama bagi kedua tim sejak tahun 2009, di mana saat itu Zilina unggul agregat 2-1 atas Hajduk Split pada kualifikasi ketiga kompetisi yang sama. Dilansir dari sportsmole.co.uk, tuan rumah mengakhiri musim domestik lalu di peringkat kedua Liga Kroasia, sementara tim tamu merupakan peringkat keempat Liga Slovakia sekaligus juara Piala Slovakia.

Penyerang Hajduk Split, Michele Sego, menyampaikan pandangannya mengenai ambisi mencetak gol pada pertandingan pembuka yang krusial ini.

"God willing. We'll see. Every player who plays sports has a hunch…" ujar Michele Sego, Striker Hajduk Split.

Sego menyatakan bahwa dirinya berada dalam kondisi kebugaran yang baik dan menganggap laga perdana ini sebagai ujian terberat bagi timnya.

"Well, I don't know, I feel good, so I wouldn't want to announce anything too much. We'll see tomorrow. Overall, it feels good, so we'll see.

This is the first game, and it's the hardest. What result do you want?" kata Michele Sego, Striker Hajduk Split.

Pemain berusia 25 tahun tersebut menambahkan bahwa seluruh skuad telah mempersiapkan diri dengan matang guna memperbaiki catatan rekor pertemuan yang kurang apik saat berhadapan dengan klub-klub asal Slovakia.

"We're going to do our best, we've prepared well and that's it. If we go back further in time, Hajduk doesn't have a good record with Žilina, and the one with Ružomberok wasn't happy either recently?" tutur Michele Sego, Striker Hajduk Split.

Menurut penuturannya kepada media, motivasi utama internal tim saat ini adalah membalikkan sejarah kelam tersebut menjadi hasil positif di lapangan.

"That's why we're here, to change that." tegas Michele Sego, Striker Hajduk Split.

Taktik menekan sejak awal pertandingan menjadi instruksi utama dari jajaran pelatih demi menjaga stabilitas energi sepanjang jalannya laga.

"That's what the coach asked us to do from the beginning – to press high up, to have energy for the entire game or as long as possible. I think we're on track for that and we'll show it tomorrow, and I hope we'll present ourselves that way throughout the season." papar Michele Sego, Striker Hajduk Split.

Mengenai kekuatan lawan, Sego mengidentifikasi Zilina sebagai tim muda yang sangat bertenaga dan memiliki kerja sama tim yang solid dalam periode yang cukup lama.

"Of course not. What you said, we analyzed them and we know that they've been together for a while, that they're a fairly young team and that they're powerful in terms of racing. But, you said it yourself, they've already beaten us once, so let's go get revenge." ungkap Michele Sego, Striker Hajduk Split.

Ia juga menegaskan bahwa isu atau dinamika di luar lapangan sama sekali tidak mengganggu konsentrasi para pemain di ruang ganti.

"Honestly, nothing has affected me, nor any of us. We are professionals, everything is communicated in the club. We can only focus on the field and that is our only task." jelas Michele Sego, Striker Hajduk Split.

Tekanan besar dari para suporter setia justru dikonversi menjadi energi positif demi mengamankan tiket menuju fase berikutnya.

"In general, and because of history, it's certainly a motivation for us. We know the pressure around the club, but I think we took that as motivation and that's it." sebut Michele Sego, Striker Hajduk Split.

Kondisi fisik para pemain diklaim jauh lebih siap berkat porsi latihan pramusim yang berjalan lebih berat dibandingkan musim sebelumnya.

"We are generally satisfied with the physical fitness. We trained a lot harder than last preparation, so I think we are ready to welcome the new season. I can play everything in attack." kata Michele Sego, Striker Hajduk Split.

Sebagai pemain depan, ia mengaku siap ditempatkan di posisi mana saja meskipun merasa performanya paling maksimal jika diplot menjadi ujung tombak utama.

"Honestly, I can play all three positions up front. But I think I'm kind of at my best at the point guard, that's something I played through the academy. So, let's say that's the position, but I don't have a problem playing all three positions up front." jelas Michele Sego, Striker Hajduk Split.

Pada kesempatan yang sama, pelatih kepala Hajduk Split, Gonzalo Garcia, memberikan kabar terbaru mengenai situasi kembalinya penyerang andalan Marko Livaja ke skuad utama.

"First of all, I'm glad to see you. Yes, Marko has returned to the team in the last few days. The rest of the information is provided by the club. As for who's playing, as always, I never talk too much about it, so I'll stick to that." ujar Gonzalo Garcia, Pelatih Hajduk Split.

Garcia menerangkan bahwa tim asuhannya saat ini masih berada dalam fase transisi dan pembangunan komposisi pemain di bursa transfer pramusim.

"Look, we're in a building phase, that's sure. We've signed a few players right now, some have left, some new ones are coming in. We're still building.

But what I can say is that the team has been training very well, I mean better than last preseason, stronger, and the chemistry is good. They have energy, they feel good with each other, they push each other and they work to improve." tutur Gonzalo Garcia, Pelatih Hajduk Split.

Terkait target jangka panjang di kompetisi domestik, arsitek tim tersebut memilih fokus membangun mentalitas pemenang dari satu laga ke laga lainnya.

"We don't have that many, we work according to our capabilities and communicate. As for the second question, it's a typical question… Yes, we will fight to win every game, as we always do. First we have to build a team, a strong team, a strong mentality, a strong chemistry among the players who are here, and we'll see about the rest." kata Gonzalo Garcia, Pelatih Hajduk Split.

Ia menutup keterangannya dengan menganalisis gaya permainan Zilina yang dinilai agresif dalam menyerang namun kerap menyisakan ruang terbuka di pertahanan.

"Yes, it's a strong team, a physically powerful team, a team that presses a lot, they score goals, but they also concede them. They have young players, talented players, players who will continue to grow. It will" pungkas Gonzalo Garcia, Pelatih Hajduk Split.

Berdasarkan catatan performa pramusim terbaru yang dilansir vietnam.vn, Hajduk Split sukses mengemas tiga kemenangan uji coba tanpa kebobolan, sementara Zilina di bawah asuhan manajer Pavol Stano belum meraih kemenangan dalam empat laga persahabatan terakhirnya.