Derek McInnes reveals what Hibs can expect in Rijeka after two trips with Aberdeen

Derek McInnes still looks back on the away trips to Rijeka as among the toughest of his Aberdeen tenure.

But the former Pittodrie boss believes Hibs have the personnel and playing style needed to emulate his victorious class of 2015, rather than repeat the defeat suffered by the Dons team that made the trip to Croatia in 2019.

Both trips were first leg matches in the clubs’ Europa League group qualifiers and while the first gave the Scottish side a 3-0 advantage their opponents failed to overhaul and the second ended in a 2-0 win for Rijeka, a result they replicated in Aberdeen a week later, McInnes says the earlier tie was actually the trickier.

“Rijeka are a club who invest in their squad and while I don’t know as much about the current team I do know that this type of club is always a danger.

Hibs boss Jack Ross (left) with former Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes. Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group

“The team we managed to beat was better than the team they had when they beat us. But we worked hard for that first win.”

While the Scottish domestic season is aligned pretty well with its Croatian counterpart, the timing of the ties, when temperatures are still high in the Balkans, turns up the heat on the Scottish representatives.

“Both our away games were played in the heat. The first was above 35C and we had to have water breaks and although the second wasn’t as bad it was still humid,” said McInnes, who explained the importance of Hibs’ playing style in such energy-sapping conditions.

“Rijeka will come at Hibs but I don’t think that will trouble them too much. In recent seasons Hibs have been quite happy to be patient, conserve energy and invite teams onto them and then exploit them on the counter-attack but they need to keep Rijeka out for as long as they can. At this level it is so important to limit mistakes.

“In any game against good teams you will have periods when you are under pressure but that is why the counterattack part is so vital.”

Pointing to the pace in which individually and collectively the Leith side can turn defence into surging forays forward, the man Hibs boss Jack Ross is hoping to emulate in maintaining a spot in the higher echelons of the SPFL and turning Hibs into a consistent consideration in Europe, said there should be belief in the capital club’s ability to match their hosts’ firepower.

“Especially when they have Christian Doidge, Kevin Nisbet and Martin Boyle, who scored 50 goals between them last season and have started off this year in the same vein of form.”

But, it’s not just the likes of Josip Drmić, Issah Abass, playmaker Domagoj Pavičić and the returning Robert Murić who can turn up the heat, the fans are passionate in their support, according to McInnes.

“That atmosphere the first time we were over there was incredible. It was quite an attritional crowd but that was diluted the second time because they had moved stadiums and the one they are in feels more like a training complex. The support was still very passionate but it wasn’t the same.

“Hibs have experienced worse here, although not for a while, so I think the focus will be on how they handle a talented team, not the crowd.”

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