Partizan travel to Lucani to face Mladost on Saturday (6.30pm CET kick-off) in round 36 of the Mozzart Bet SuperLiga play-offs.
H2H (last six)
Partizan 5, Mladost 0, Drawn 1. GD: 13-2, Partizan.
TEAM NEWS
Jovan Milosevic (injury) and Nemanja Nikolic remain unavailable. Dusan Jovanovic has recovered and is expected to be in the matchday squad as the only fit striker.
Partizan boss Srdjan Blagovic ahead of Mladost away:
– We secured second place even before the play-off began, and that gave us room to test players and experiment tactically. Unfortunately, several injuries disrupted those plans. The last two defeats have brought pressure we didn’t expect, but at a club like Partizan, even self-imposed pressure matters – we simply cannot allow a run of poor results.
Mladost are a very specific team, one of the most stable in the league for years. They play a deep defensive 5-4-1 setup and limit space between the lines very effectively. They’re hard to break down and dangerous on the counter, which they showed against us last time. Regardless of the standings, we’re treating this game with full seriousness and want to end the season on a positive note.
We’re proud of our younger players who’ve been getting minutes. Against Novi Pazar, six of them started. It’s a big learning curve and a valuable experience for their development. I’ve told the team clearly what’s at stake and they’ve responded professionally. Some players face uncertain futures, but everyone has stayed focused and committed in training.
I don’t read media reactions – the only pressure I feel is the one I put on myself. My biggest source of pride is the integration of young talent. Statistically, we’re among the top clubs for youth minutes, maybe even the highest by season’s end. More important than minutes is the progress these players have shown. That’s something to build on, along with some improvements in our collective play.
