The league is taboo. We needed to clear our heads, the Council admitted before Alkmaar

“Even when I went to the press, I wanted you not to ask about the league. We know how we are there. Now the Conference League is waiting for us and I wouldn’t mount the league in it. Of course, it is no secret how we are in the domestic competition. But we have been working on the match that has been waiting for us on Thursday since Monday. We needed to clear the heads of the league, “said Jablonec coach Petr Rada at the official pre-match conference.

“But when we look at the opponent, he is not much better in the league than we are (12th place). Probably solves a similar problem. We have to forget what was in the league. We have a chance to fight for success in the group, and that should be our motivation. Only to deal with the league after that, “remarked Tomáš Hübschman, an experienced North Bohemian captain.

On Thursday, the Jablonec team will improvise against AZ for the second time in a row in the middle of the defense. In the home match of the 5th round of the Conference League, the Council must do without a Cubist tracker. He had already solved a similar problem over the weekend in the league against Slavia, when he again missed his usual Green partner due to cards.

“It was certainly not a problem for Slavia not to play one stopper. I think it was a problem for the whole team. I hope that the new stopper pair that will be formed now will manage the match and we will be successful, “believes Hübschman.

In Eden, in the middle of the defensive, Kubista started with the original extreme player Surzyn, now the Surzyn-Zelený pair is so likely. “We have to deal with forced absences. We will not make excuses and I believe that we will choose the right players. At least now the left-footed stopper is returning, which is always a bit of an advantage when it comes to taking over the ball and speeding up the game, “said Rada Zelený, who, apart from the last duel with Slavia, was not missing once in the basic line-up of Jablonec this season.

In addition to the Green, an experienced coach can also deploy Martinec, who has already left Marodka and is training with the team. “We have a little bigger alternatives now, but the break for some players was very long. Anything else can happen and we will see how we solve it, “said Rada. The extreme option may be to withdraw Hübschman to the defense.

The North Bohemians also solve the dilemma in the offensive. Will he send from the first minute to Čvančar’s playground, or Doležal, or both? “I am dealing with it and it is difficult. “

Jablonec defends AZ against the second place of group D by a one-point lead over the third Randers. In the event of a victory over the group leader and at the same time the loss of the Danish team in a duel played with Kluží, he can already celebrate advancing to the draw. “Of course we are happy that we are still playing for promotion from the group. But we have to give our best on the field and we will see what it will be enough for, “Hübschman concluded.