Honkavaara Describes Selection of Djurgården Squad for Rapid First Leg as a ‘Journey’

The focus of Jani Honkavaara’s preparations has been squarely on team selection as his Djurgarden squad gears up to face SK Rapid in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League (UECL) Quarter-Final.

Tonight, at 21:00 CEST, the Stockholm club will host their Austrian counterparts in a momentous occasion, marking their first European Quarter-Final since the inaugural European Cup campaign back in 1955/56. This milestone has certainly not gone unnoticed by the Finnish coach, who shared his thoughts during the pre-match press conference.

“Indeed, this is a historic match for us, a significant opportunity against a formidable opponent. Rapid is a high-quality team in many respects, so we need to put forth our best effort to secure a positive result, keeping in mind that it’s a two-legged affair and the outcome is crucial,” he stated.

Honkavaara emphasised the need for a strong display, even though his squad is not at full capacity, saying, “We have a few players sidelined due to injuries and others who are suspended. Choosing the ideal XI for tomorrow has been an interesting ‘journey’, but we are prepared.”

Tokmac Nguen, who has netted three goals in the UECL this season, will miss the match due to a yellow-card suspension, alongside Daniel Stensson. Additionally, Rasmus Schuller had to be substituted after sustaining an injury in the side’s recent 1-0 win over Sirius in the Allsvenskan, joining Malkolm Nilsson and Patric Aslund in recovery.

Despite these setbacks, Honkavaara remains confident in the available squad, stating, “I believe we’ve been preparing for this throughout the pre-season. We want to utilise all players at our disposal, and we are pleased with our remaining options. This situation presents opportunities for others to step up.”

“We have faith in our current players and will focus on making the most of the team we have available, rather than dwelling on those who are unavailable. We will support them as best we can, and we are determined to put a strong XI on the pitch.”

Having secured eight wins from their last eleven UECL matches, the Iron Stoves have ample reason to be optimistic about tonight’s encounter at the 3Arena, even if they will need to lean heavily on their starting players to head to Vienna with an advantage.

“It will be intriguing to manage the substitutions. If everything goes as planned, our starting XI could potentially play the full 90 minutes without any changes,” Honkavaara remarked.

“There may be players who need to adapt to the unfolding situation, making it challenging to predict how the game will play out and what substitutions will be made.

“We have several multifunctional players on the bench who can fill multiple roles, but our approach will be reactive, depending on the circumstances we encounter.”