I would like Misimović to return, and I believe City has the strength to get past Barcelona

Edin Džeko, captain of the BiH national team and member of English champions Manchester City, revealed in an interview for the Patria news agency that he would like Zvjezdan Misimović to return to the BiH national team and what he expects from the City team by the end of the season. Džeko also speaks openly about Mehmed Baždarević, who took over the Dragons' bench from Safet Sušić.

PATRIA: How much have injuries held you back, and when can we expect the "old" Edin back?

DŽEKO: I'm not used to being injured, so it was a completely new situation for me. First, an injury to my right calf, and then an injury to my left calf. It would throw any player off rhythm, and it did me too. I'm slowly getting back into rhythm now and I just need more games to be my old self again. I feel better and better every day, and I believe that my performance on the field will soon confirm this.

PATRIA: Where do you see yourself in the Manchester City team after Wilfried Bony joined? How important is competition for quality itself?

DŽEKO: Competition is very important. City is a team that wants to win all trophies every year, and it's completely normal for the squad to be constantly strengthened. I respect Bony a lot because I know him from the Premier League, but we all have our place in the team. There's still a lot of the season left to play, and we will all get a chance to prove ourselves.

PATRIA: Chelsea has a comfortable lead in the league, you were eliminated from the FA Cup, what can City achieve this season?

DŽEKO: We hope to manage to defend the English championship title, as that is our primary goal. We were eliminated from the cups, which disrupted our plans a bit, but we believe we can overtake Chelsea at the end of the season, who are not far ahead. We will try to catch up and eventually overtake them, because I believe we have a strong squad that can achieve this feat.

PATRIA: The transfer window has closed, and there were media reports about you moving to Turkey, were there any offers at all?

DŽEKO: Like every winter and summer, the media constantly move me from City to some other club, and I've been in Manchester for years. I don't comment on any speculation, because if I did, I would have to spend the whole day on such things, given the amount of speculation that appears. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it now - I'm only focused on Manchester City and the national team, I'm really not interested in other things or speculations, nor do I worry about them.

PATRIA: You often appear in the company of Aleksandar Kolarov and Stevan Jovetić, besides them, who else in City is someone you often enjoy spending time with?

DŽEKO: It's quite normal that I spend most of my time with Kolarov and Jovetić because we come from the same region. I also spend a lot of time with other teammates, but Alex and Stevan are the closest to me.

PATRIA: City is playing Barcelona again in the Champions League, what can you achieve in the two-leg tie?

DŽEKO: I believe we learned a lot from the two-leg tie against them last season. We weren't outplayed, and in one game, we conceded a goal in the final minutes, and in the other, we had a player sent off. Barcelona is an excellent team that has been playing in the Champions League for years and is more experienced in this competition than us, but I believe we have the strength to get past them. We will give our all to achieve that, and a lot will depend on how we approach it. They have a strong offensive line, but we also have assets to counter them. I expect two uncertain matches.

PATRIA: You were injured for a long time, Ibišević too, and many national team players are not in form. How much can the national team achieve in the remainder of the qualifiers?

DŽEKO: Everything seems to have turned against us, but I believe we can achieve a lot by the end of the qualifiers. The whole team needs to regain confidence, and we can only do that with wins. We will take it game by game and try to achieve our goals. The first game in the series is Andorra, which is important because it's the first in 2015, because some things have changed in the meantime, and because we have to win. We don't underestimate anyone, so we don't underestimate Andorra either, although it's clear that we are the absolute favorites, but we were also favorites against Cyprus. So, in every game, we have to give our maximum, and that's what we will do.

PATRIA: Does the national team need Zvjezdan Misimović until the end of the qualifiers?

DŽEKO: We need every player who can help the national team. Misimović's problem is that he doesn't have a club yet, and I don't know his status in the national team, but personally, I would like him to be part of the team again, as well as all others who have retired.

PATRIA: How much do you think coach Mehmed Baždarević can bring new to you and the BiH national team?

DŽEKO: He has already brought a lot of new things. I know he travels a lot, and we have met twice - once in England, when he visited Begović and me, and once in Sarajevo. He is getting to know all the players, which is very important for us footballers. He talks, plans ahead, and I hope we have a bright future ahead of us. I believe that his thorough approach to the problem and to us players will yield results in these qualifiers, and that we will, which I believe is everyone's goal, qualify for the Euros in the end. I strongly believe in that, although I am aware that it will be difficult. However, as long as there is a glimmer of hope - we will fight.