In the clash of the 15th round of the Serbian Super League, Vojvodina will face Red Star at Karađorđe on Sunday. It will be a duel between the two first-placed teams on the table, so football fans in Serbia rightly expect good football and an interesting match.
Vojvodina will enter the match weakened, because due to injuries it will not be able to count on central back Siniša Saničanin and midfielder Mirko Topić, but despite that, the Manager of the red and whites Nenad Lalatović believes that his team has a chance for a good result.
– Red Star has a lot of quality players. Whoever watched their matches saw that they were dominant. Against Zlatibor, they had 14 shots on goal, but the ball did not go into the net. They were loosing 0-2, but thanks to their individual quality, they turned the game around and scored four goals in 15 minutes. However, every team has flaws, including Red Star. We know what those shortcomings are and we will try to use them, and neutralize their virtues, in order to make a favorable result for us – says Lalatović.
According to him, everyone in Vojvodina team is strongly motivated ahead of this match.
– When they play against Red Star and Partizan, my players do not lack motivation, because those are, along with Vojvodina, our biggest clubs. I played a lot of derbies as a player and led them a lot as a coach, so I know that motivation is not needed here. These are matches where heroes are made, and I hope that on Sunday the hero will be someone from Vojvodina. My players need more motivation for, on paper, smaller games – Lalatović points out.
In his coaching career so far, he has remained undefeated against Red Star four times.
– I have beaten Red Star with Voždovac 1-0. When we needed it for Europe, with my Vojvodina, I have beaten Red Star at Marakana 1-3. I also interrupted the winning streak for Red Star when they chased the European record of Benfica, in the match when it was 0-0 at Karađorđe, and at the time when Mr. Milojević was the coach, as the coach of Radnički I played 2-2 in Niš. It is not exactly that Red Star has always beaten Nenad Lalatović, and I hope that this will happen for the fifth time on Sunday – Lalatović notes.
He points out that this match he sees the same as any other.
– People think that I want to let Red Star to win, but that is not normal. I am a professional and I absolutely want to beat Red Star, like any other club. Red Star has won three titles in the last three years, and it’s not that I’m the only one losing against it as a coach, since 90 percent of the teams do that too. As the coach of Čukarički, I led 1: 0 against the strongest team of Red Star, and in the second half, a penalty was awarded for Red Star, my player was sent off, we were damaged for a penalty, etc. Sometimes it is impossible to win, although, whether someone wanted to admit it or not, Red Star has twice been a participant in the Champions League, now it is a participant in the Europa League and has great results. They play well, they are an organized club, they have the biggest budget, the most expensive players and the biggest fund of players in the Super League, so it is difficult to oppose them. However, on Sunday, we will do our best for a favorable result, and that is everything but defeat – says Lalatović.
The Manager of Vojvodina announces that his team will play in the clash as in every other match.
– There is no reason for me to adapt to Red Star, just as I do not believe that they will adapt to me. As we play against Partizan, Čukarički or Javor, so will we play against Red Star. My staff and I have already watched three or four of their games and we know how they play. They can change the formation, but we are ready for that. Red Star can be defeated when the players are concentrated to meet the requirements I set ahead of them for all 90 minutes. These requests are not easy at all, so physically and mentally you must be maximally ready – Lalatović points out.
Last season, Vojvodina was defeated by Red Star 1-2 at Karađorđe.
– In the last match, when we lost 1-2, we conceded the first goal literally in the way I told the players that we must not allow it, and after that Garcia scored a Euro goal. We were better in that match, but we did not have concentration and luck. I see no reason for my players to see this match differently from other matches, and if that is the case, they will have the concentration not to make individual mistakes, which Red Star punishes – Lalatović notes.
Due to the current epidemiological situation, this match will also be played without the presence of spectators.
– I’m very sorry. The duel between the first and the second is a clash and on Sunday the stadium would be filled to the last place. However, you see the situation with the corona virus. There is absolutely no need to play in front of the audience, because human life is more important than any sport. I support playing without an audience until the situation is better. My players and all the other actors certainly miss the audience, because then you play at an even higher level and you have more motivation – says Lalatović.
The clash between Vojvodina and Red Star on Sunday will be refereed by Novak Simović.
– I have to admit that Mr. Simović refereed excellently in the last match against Metalac, without a mistake, although I don’t have a very good score in the matches he referees. I hope that Serbian football is above all of us and that the audience near the small screens will enjoy both the game and the refereeing. There is no need for Mr. Simović to make mistakes, although I do not believe that he makes them on purpose, because he is a good and quality referee. I have to praise our Refereeing Organization, because no one damaged Vojvodina, even though no one helped us literally for anything, which is why I am very satisfied as a coach. I have never asked anyone to help me in my life, but also, I will not let anyone take away from me – Lalatović points out.
He believes that after the clash, none of the actors will have a reason to complain about the referee.
– For the benefit of Serbian football and all of us together, I hope that the refereeing will be fair and that Mr. Simović will once again show why he is an international and one of our best referees. I hope that he will not make a difference between Red Star and Vojvodina, because Vojvodina is absolutely also a big club, like Red Star. I hope that he will have a 50:50 criterion, because that is good for Serbian football. To play in Europe, you have to have a 50:50 refereeing in the domestic league, because if that is not the case, you will play at least 20-30 percent weaker in Europe. This is a match between the first and the second, so I see no reason for referee Simović not to do his work as best he can, because that would be good for the Football Association, and for the Referee Organization, Vojvodina, Red Star, our fans and peace in Serbian football – notes Lalatović.
Yesterday, his best man Nemanja Vidić made fierce accusations against the Football Association of Serbia, claiming that they established the system in favor of its directors and managers, and not players.
– I am now bringing the clash back to the forefront, and Dejan Stanković will do the same. I am sure that we all want to concentrate on football, and not to read what someone said in the newspaper. I live from football, so I am only interested in Sunday’s game against Red Star – says Lalatović.
He believes that his team has a chance in the clash, regardless of the fact that the opponent has an incomparably higher budget.
– The motive for my players is that Red Star is not defeated and that they will play against the participants in the group phase of the Europa League, the state champions, whose players earn 10-15 times more than them. In order for them to earn that much tomorrow, they have to beat Red Star. Now is their chance to show how much they are worth and how much they can, and if they beat Red Star, their lives will be better in the future, because they will provide existence for themselves and their families. That is all I will tell them before the game – Lalatović points out.
The Manager of Vojvodina believes that this generation of the Old Lady has a winning mentality.
– It will certainly be a nice match, and the stakes are high. It will be a real test for this generation of Vojvodina, which broke many records. Last season, we won the Cup in front of 15,000 people and brought the trophy to Novi Sad, which is to be commended. Of that generation, only Rockov was sold to Hungary. He is not playing at the moment, but he absolutely deserves it and I have no doubt that he will fight for his place. I wish him that with all my heart, because he is a quality goalkeeper and a great guy. All other players are there and I hope that we will become the first team to beat Red Star this season – said Lalatović.
The match between Vojvodina and Red Star will be played on Sunday at 5:30 PM at Karađorđe, with a live broadcast on B92 television.
