Leeds United defender Jaka Bijol is excited for a new challenge at international level in the March break.
The centre-half is once again part of the Slovenia squad for their fixtures against Hungary and Montenegro on Saturday and Tuesday respectively, and will expect to earn his 70th and 71st caps. This time he will be working with a new head coach in Boštjan Cesar. A former Dinamo Zagreb, Marseille and West Brom defender, the 43-year-old won 102 caps for Slovenia - a national record. He previously acted as assistant Matjaž Kek, who he succeeded in January.
“It is going to be a new challenge, a bit of new energy and a new vision of the game from the coach,” said Bijol before jetting off to join his international team-mates.
“It is going to be hard work in training, and then we will try to do good in the games and bring the ideas of the new coach to the field. A new coach is always going to have new challenges and for him to challenge us as a team. We have the same goals, so we have to work together and try to perform as best as possible.”
Meanhile Whites captain Ethan Ampadu and his fellow Elland Road Welsh internationals face a challenge that some of Craig Bellamy’s players know well, having qualified for the 2022 World Cup via a play-off. They take on Bosnia & Herzegovina at the Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday in the World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final. Wales, who boast four Leeds players in the squad, will meet the winners of Italy versus Northern Ireland next Tuesday.
"It would be very special," said Ampadu, on potential qualification for the World Cup. "I think everyone as a kid growing up, you get excited for a World Cup, and you want to play there. To have lived through that moment of achieving it, it gives you that feeling to want to go do it again. I think what is also exciting is that is still a lot of potential, and there are still a lot of things that we want to do better. And it's about that coming together, and I think Thursday night is a great chance to show where we are at."
Speaking from experience Ampadu believes the Welsh crowd in Cardiff can be a huge factor in the semi-final: “It can drag us over the line. I think that was shown in the last playoffs that we got to the World Cup with. We know the game is going to be difficult, and we know they are the 12th man. No matter what happens throughout the game they're right behind us and that gives us the confidence to, you don't feel it but naturally within you, you might run that little bit further."
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