Slovenia boss Kolman still keeping an eye out for old friend Jim McGuinness
In advance of the game, the manager attributed his self-belief to a meeting with Jim McGuinness at Celtic over a decade ago.
The Donegal manager was working as a performance consultant with the Glasgow giants, while Kolman spent some time at the Bhoys' academy.
'We were talking after the game on WhatsApp,' Kolman revealed. 'He saw a headline from when I spoke to him at Celtic in 2013, that I thought I was going to 'conquer the world'.
'He said, 'Saša, you took it literally!' And I said, 'Well, you told me so!' 'It's not very often that we talk, but it is a really nice relationship.
'No contact since Koper. He's in his business, and I am in mine. It has been pretty hectic with four international games in four months, but maybe I will hear from him tomorrow again.'
Their friendship has made a GAA fan out of Kolman.
'I just follow Donegal. Because of Jim. I didn't watch (against Cavan) because we were on the way here, but I've been reading about it. They smashed them.
'I was pretty sad when he decided to go back because I really thought that he has a big future in football. Well, maybe he still has. Wherever he is, he's doing a fantastic job.'
Kolman also complimented the facilities at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
'It's a fantastic stadium. Even when we were driving here, everybody was looking outside the window. We would just wish that we would have facilities like that one day in Slovenia. Maybe one day.'
As for their rematch, Kolman is targeting another statement win. However, he knows Ireland will provide a different challenge this time around.
'That game in Koper changed Ireland more than they changed us. For sure, they took something out of it. They look very good, very compact.
'We will play to win, but we know who we are playing against. The first game doesn't mean anything. We know Ireland are still the favourites, the best team in the group, so we need to show character again.
'To finish six from six, that would make a huge statement in Slovenia.'
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