Barbarez on the match with Austria: We have confidence, we are the hosts and we set the rules

(Patria) - The coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team, Sergej Barbarez, addressed the press conference today regarding the match of the 5th round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Barbarez first spoke about what the new players and substitutions brought, which turned out to be a great success against San Marino.

"That's what we hoped for, we started with the experienced Haris (Hajradinović). That was our goal - experience at the start and some qualities he possesses - ball possession and a good pass. We finally got depth too. The goal is certainly to work in that direction. The match will be very intense, a real fight. We'll see. We still have a few things to resolve. Expect us to have players who possess depth," Sergej Barbarez began.

The players' reaction after the away match in San Marino was satisfactory.

"I was tired too, those flights take a toll, but we can already see this morning that everyone is satisfied, smiling, ready to work. Fortunately, no one is injured. We will proceed in such a way that everyone is here tomorrow.

Barbarez also spoke about whether, considering everything, a point would be satisfactory in tomorrow's match.

"If I were thinking about some point or a draw, I wouldn't be in this business. We have a stance, a vision, if we don't have confidence after these four matches, I don't know when we should have it. It's nice to have this streak, this goal difference, it's nice to have two new debutants, four new scorers, two joker goals. These are things that give you confidence. It's not easy to score six goals. I am pleased with that reaction in the second half. These are things that make me, as a coach, satisfied, happy, and I hope we will repeat some of them."

The coach said he is a fan of Ralf Rangnick, as well as the Austrian national team.

"I've liked the team under that coach for a few years. They have incredible energy. We are striving in that direction. Their intensity is unbelievable. The team is in the foreground, not individual players. It will be a very intense match, perhaps the most intense for us. We will go with a great deal of confidence. We are playing at home, we will show that this is our home, our stadium, and where we are the hosts and where we set the rules," concluded Barbarez, who analyzed the Austrians' play.

Amar Dedić did not play in the match against San Marino and says he is ready for the match against Austria.

"I know their system, I grew up in Salzburg. I know how they play. They try to get the job done through strength and running. We have to be ready for that tomorrow and respond aggressively from the first to the last minute. They should feel that we are playing at home and that we will show who we are and what we are in front of our audience," said Dedić.