Ħamrun Spartans coach Branco Nisevic praised his players’ attitude ahead of the team’s second leg fixture of their UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier against Velez Mostar on Thursday (kick-off: 20.00).

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, the Spartans coach said that even if their opponents enter the pitch with better players, if the team manages to win the ball, they will be focusing on effecting their philosophy throughout the 90 minutes.

“This is part of our style of play and to change this is difficult,” Nisevic said.

“To go out and say ‘Today we play long balls and fight for the second ball, we are not made for this.

“What we practice in our training sessions has always been an emphasis on possession. We insist on this principle, so no matter against whom we play we will always follow this.

“Tomorrow (Thursday) we might play against a team that is better than us, with players who are physically better or faster or can jump higher, but if we can win the ball we can always give them a good game, so controlling the ball is our target.”

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