The Tigers round off their pre-season campaign with a second home outing of the week
Sergej Jakirovic feels the MKM Stadium will be a very different environment for opposition teams compared with previous seasons.
City have not been too fond of playing in front of their own supporters since returning to the Championship in 2021, winning just 29 of 92 home league outings in the four seasons since promotion.
Last term, they won just five times at home and had the league’s worst home record, something the new head coach is determined to change, and he’s got off to a good start.
It may have been a pre-season outing on Tuesday night, but Jakirovic saw his side come from a goal down to beat Premier League newboys Sunderland and get a rare home win in his first outing at the MKM Stadium with a vibrant display.
The Tigers will have the chance to end their pre-season campaign with a sixth straight victory on Saturday afternoon when they host Spanish side Getafe, and keep the momentum building ahead of the new campaign.
He said: “Yes, in my opinion, (it was good to get a home win), from what I saw before when I watched the games from last season (it was a struggle). Now, it will be a full stadium; it will be very difficult for the opponents to play here. I saw a different energy from our players (against Sunderland) as a group. It will be very interesting at the MKM Stadium this season.”
After recovery and a day off, City’s players returned to training on Friday and Jakirovic says he will see how his players look ahead of the clash with the La Liga outfit.
The squad will be boosted by the arrivals of John Lundstram and Enis Destan while Akin Famewo is expected to get a first run out. Jakirovic has hinted he may look to freshen things up.
“Some players will join us again,” he said when asked what he’s looking for against Getafe. “Maybe some players will refresh the team, maybe we will give a chance to other players, but we will see. We will see who will be healthy, who will be ready for the game, and also, we would like to play a good game.”
Famewo was one of the two players announced in the hours before Tuesday’s game, but wasn’t involved in midweek, though the Bosnian believes his signing on a free is an astute piece of business following the departures of Sean McLoughlin and Alfie Jones.
“He trains all the time,” the City boss said of Famewo. “He’s in good shape, but not yet for the sprinting. Maybe he will play Saturday, maybe some minutes; we will make a decision.
“Of course, Sean (McLoughlin) left us, and Famewo was a free player. In our situation, in an embargo, I think this is a good signing for us. He’s a good player. Okay, he had some problems with injuries in the past, but I think he can help us. We have three very good central defenders, so I think with him we have four and two good pairs.”
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