Atmosphere is better than ever: Dragons believe in victory, Irish must fall in Zenica

The BiH national football team continued their preparations today at the Training Centre in Zenica, and a press conference was held, reports a Patria agency journalist.

Dragan Perić, assistant coach Mehmed Baždarević, stated that all called-up footballers are healthy and training, and everything is proceeding according to plan.

- The lineup for the match against Ireland will feature the players in the best form. We are monitoring the situation with the Irish and know that some players will not be playing. We are focused on our goal; we have worked hard to be mentally strong. Our players are in great form, which makes us happy. We will surely achieve our goal with our team. There are some variations in the lineup, but it will remain a secret until the very start of the match – Perić emphasized.

The Dragons' training session also began at 17:30, and the atmosphere is at an enviable level.

This is confirmed by the statement of Ervin Zukanović, a BiH footballer, who says that everything is going according to plan.

- We are getting to know Ireland, just like we analyze opponents at every gathering; we don't focus on their statements. We have great motivation, and with the support from the stands, we will achieve a positive result. It is important that we are all here, and whoever plays will give their maximum. Generally, their team strives for combativeness, they are aggressive, their mentality is known; they go 100 percent into duels – Zukanović stated.

Asmir Begović, the BiH goalkeeper, also confirmed that the atmosphere is positive and much better than it was a few months ago.

- We have done some good things in the past months. Ireland has discipline; that is their quality, and they are a good team. They have not reached this stage of the competition without reason, and two difficult matches await us. There is no opponent in the world that we should fear. We must prepare ourselves and enter the match seriously – said Begović, also commenting on the situation at his club, Chelsea.

- The situation at the club is not ideal, but I am in form and playing well – Begović added.