This is what Kosta Runjaic had to say when he held a news conference on Saturday ahead of Udinese's next Serie A match, away to Bologna on Monday evening.
Solet and Bologna
“Oumar trained partly with the team for the first time today. Tomorrow he'll do the full session and then we'll decide whether or not to include him in the squad.
“We know what to expect on Monday: Bologna are a very good team. Their league position doesn't reflect their real potential. In the reverse fixture we paid the price for some individual errors and we'll keep that in mind. We're going to need a good performance. We know how good they are. They play a very aggressive brand of football based on duels – a similar playing style to Roma and Atalanta. We'll need to fight harder than our opponents and give everything we've got while maintaining our focus. We're going to have to run a lot, strike the right balance between attacking and defending and make sure we take the chances we get”
Build-up to the game
“I don't think Bologna playing in the Europa League gives us an advantage. They rotated on Thursday and have a strong squad so they can rotate without losing quality. They could afford to keep [Riccardo] Orsolini on the bench and that says a lot about how deep a squad they have. It's true that they had a long journey but they have time to recover before Monday. We can't influence they way they prepare for the game; we can only influence our own preparations. I hope we can play well and not make mistakes like against Sassuolo and in the reverse fixture. It's important that we are aggressive, focused, willing to dig in and make the most of the chances we create. In the last two games, we've fashioned some good openings but haven't been able to capitalise. We must try to make things happen with our intensity – that will be crucial against a side like Bologna who play man for man.”
Buksa and Mlacic
“[Adam] Buksa has trained with the team and is ready to play. He can't wait, also because his season hasn't gone the way he hoped so far because of injuries. He's an important player for us with experience and quality and I'm happy to have him available. Now we have a few more options in attack and hopefully we'll get [Keinan] Davis back in a few weeks' time too. Buksa could start and that's a good thing.
“[Branimir] Mlacic is young. He played some games in Croatia and is very talented. He's also got the right character for Udinese but we don't know yet if he'll be able to contribute this season. We need to work more with him. He's a positive lad who trains well. He's happy to be here and he's been welcomed in well. He's taken a big leap going from Croatia to Italy and we need to be patient. We're taking things one step at a time. If needed, he can play, but we have other players in his position who are more ready for Serie A.”
Ekkelenkamp
“[Jurgen] Ekkelenkamp has done well in recent weeks. He creates chances, works hard for the team and puts in a lot of running. Sometimes I'd like to see him carry the ball forward more and show more belief when he does. He's very disciplined defensively, although he didn't get back quickly against Sassuolo when they scored. He always puts in a shift and I'm happy with him but we can expect more from him. After his injury at the start of the season, he went through a not-so-good spell, but he's doing very well now. He can play in various positions including wide midfield, but he's not a winger. We don't have any wingers in our squad. He needs to find another level. He has room for growth and we can see progress on the training ground, although it doesn't always translate into matches.”
Kamara
“[Hassane] Kamara won't be coming to Bologna with us. He's training separately and is improving but he had an injury and he needs time. We're optimistic about having him back in full training next week but we want to be careful. It will be good to have him back because we're a little short on numbers – which is why we've drafted some of the Primavera lads for training sessions – and having two players vying for the same position is motivation for both of them. Competition is essential.”