Mozzart Bet Serbian Super Liga is back in action with round 21 fixtures scheduled for this weekend. Partizan is home to Spartak on Saturday, 6.30pm CET kick-off.
H2H (last six)
Partizan 4, Spartak 2, Drawn 0. Gd: 8-4, Partizan.
TEAM NEWS
Partizan players suffered a number of injuries during Antalya winter training camp – Roganovic, Mujakic, Djurdjevic, Ilic, Zubairu and newcomer Milosevic all picked up injuries. Ilic resumed training and might be in contention tomorrow. There was no news on other players but some reports suggest Zubairu might be in contention to play tomorrow as well.
Partizan boss Srdjan Blagojevic ahead of Spartak home game:
“We barely spent three weeks together training. Time scale is not big but we are aware time is scarce and everyone expecting quality and results from us. I can tell you we are on a certain level now and we can rise further. We are lacking week or two of work but competition is not going to wait for us and we have to be at our current best against Spartak, to please our fans”.
Backline injuries and doubts - Djurdjevic, Roganovic, Ilic, Mujakic - are early problem for Blagojevic.
“We have injury problems at the back but are not looking for excuses. We are hosting Spartak who beat us this season already and we have to show respect them massively for that win alone. I expect tough and demanding game. We understand we only started working together and things are not as they should be but I`m ready to praise players for their efforts during training sessions. They want to adapt as soon as possible and to meet all the demands”.
Blagojevic on Spartak…
“We watched lots of the games they played, what they were doing during winter break preps, they are a very interesting side. Spartak changed their roster a lot during winter transfer window, their squad is much better now. They play intensive game with some specific defending involved. Spartak plays two formations and they can cause you trouble with such good players like Tomovic or Todorovski in the team. But, our attitude in every game will be not to send threats to anyone, as we are not in a position to do so. It`s going to be our general attitude. First of all, we will have respect for any opponent but we will have even more respect for what we do ourselves, we will believe in what we do. We will enter each and every game with desire to win and I hope fans will recognize that”.
Blagojevic on working progress…
“This is a process, every idea demands it. Anyone taking over this post cannot expect to do everything desired within three weeks. I want to praise players for their attitude towards new stuff again as I know it`s not easy for them. I see and I feel they are out of their comfort zone but that`s the path we embarked on and there`s always space for progress. We are ready to advance. League competition restarts tomorrow and we have to pick our form up and to compete at the same time. I talked before about pace and building the puzzle and we are going to enter the competitive season doing both at the same time. I hope we`ll get good results along the way”.
On Partizan youngsters…
“Partizan relied on youths throughout the history. It`s gone downhill in recent years but our duty is to get it back on the right track, to include as many youngsters as possible. Therefore, we had lots of young players during Antalya winter training camp and they showed a lot of commitment. Some of them are close to first team, some are not, but it`s normal they have their ups and downs at this stage. I don`t know how much some of them are ready for the big boys world but some of them are definitely going to be out on the big stage. It`s on them to seize the opportunity in the circumstances we are now”.
Blagojevic sees current overall roster problems as more of a challenge.
“I`m not going to talk about transfers now. I see this situation as a challenge rather than a problem. It`s best for us not to moan but to try and get the max out of all this. As Danko Lazovic said, I would love Partizan fans to recognize this moment and support the club. Not for me, not for the management but for this group of players and the club itself. It`s like a love for your kid – when your child does things wrong you are not going to push him further down, you will criticize him and then support him to get out of it. We would love Partizan fans to come down and bring their positive energy to help us push things forward in a right manner”.
First game is important for confidence and mood around the camp.
“When you have a new coach, we can talk about player`s reaction and how they meet new demands. More importantly, we need good result as your faith grows as a result. Positive results brings positive mood. I said to the players how this is our first step and this is not a sprint but marathon. There`s lots of games to be played and regardless of the final score tomorrow, we have to be focused on the next thing in line and we will stick to our principles. That`s what we want - to remain the same frame of mind regardless of the result tomorrow”.
