FK Partizan match preview

By: j | August 12th, 2008

Following the devastation of MTK Budapest, Luis Aragonés is brimming with confidence as they head into todays match against FK Partizan in Belgrade. In yesterdays pre-match press conference he noted:

“We totally respect our opponent Partizan and what they have achieved so far. However, we have been watching their games, so I can reveal that we know their weaknesses very well. If you want to be successful, you have consider every little detail.”

Partizan will certainly face a tough task that is complicated with the loss of Almani Moreira, Juca, Kamel Zaiem ,Marko Jokanović and Aleksandar Lazevski for the match, however they will have the very boisterous support of their legendary home fans to push them on. Their manager, Slaviša Jokanović, will have them prepared and you can expect a tight, physical battle in which every ball will be challenged and every blade of grass advanced will be earned. Within this match, Fenerbahçe must be very careful not to over-commit to the attack as Partizan will be sitting poised ready to counter. Tactically the Serbian squad is most susceptible to flanking assaults and will be attempting to narrow the field. Flanking and channel movements will create vast openings for the duo of Semih Şentürk and new-man, Daniel Güiza to prey upon. I’m expecting Daniel to stamp his name on this match and serve notice to the rest of the Champions League that Fenerbahçe is a team to be reckoned with. Keep a close watch on Emre Belözoğlu through the mid-field as his touches and work-rate could be the telling story of the match.

For those who haven’t watched a match at Partizan Stadium, this rivals any in the world for intensity. While I respect Luis Aragonés comment that he understand Partizan’s weaknesses, you can never underestimate this clubs tenacity and this is a match you do not want to miss.

I will be posting a full match review after.