In the eighth round of the Serbian Super League, Vojvodina will meet Radnik from Surdulica tomorrow. For the red and whites, this match comes after the defeat by Javor, which interrupted a series of four consecutive victories.
Despite the unfavorable result in Ivanjica, the Manager of Vojvodina, Nenad Lalatović, still believes that his team deserved at least one point from that match.
– It was not easy after the defeat in Ivanjica, because whoever watched the game, saw that Vojvodina was dominant and played great. We created many one hundred percent chances, especially in the first half, which unfortunately we did not use. I mean on Zukić and Vukadinović, and when you don’t use such chances, then you get punished. Javor scored a goal from the first shot after a corner kick, and the second after a long ball and carelessness of our defensive line. However, I still think that the first half against Javor was perhaps our best performance on the side this season. The players had a hard time losing, I saw it in them, but I hope they will be right against Radnik – says Lalatović.
He has great respect for the team from Surdulica.
– I watched them against Inđija. They lost, but, like us against Javor, they had many one hundred percent chances. Radnik has a phenomenal half-counter and counter, with fast and lower wing players, who are looking for space. There is also Makarić, a child of Vojvodina, and he will surely have a great motive. While I was Radnički’s coach, I brought him to Niš and if I had stayed there, he would surely got a chance. He is very agile and attacks the back line well, and Radnik also has two experienced defensive midfielders, so we will definitely have a difficult match ahead of us. Those matches won in advance are always the most difficult, but we are Vojvodina and we will go to win three new points, for which we are very motivated – Lalatović notes.
However, the Old Lady against Radnik will not be able to play in full squad.
– Unfortunately, Topić has not recovered yet. He suffered an ankle injury in training while we were on Zlatibor and because of that he did not play against Javor. It is a big handicap for us, because he is a young and talented player. What also worried me a lot was the injury of our goalkeeper Simić. Before the recovery training, they played foot tennis, and he threw himself because he wanted to do “scissors” and fell on his elbow. An MRI will be done tomorrow, so we will know the severity of the injury. However, he will certainly not defend for at least three weeks, but we have two more great goalkeepers in whom I absolutely believe – Lalatović points out.
Already on Thursday, Vojvodina is expecting a match of the third round of qualifications for the Europa League, in which its rival will be Standard from Liège or Bala Town from Wales, who will meet each other in the second round tonight at 8 p.m.
– Honestly, we are not talking about that game at all. We still don’t know whether we will play against Standard or Welsh, because anything is possible in football. You should not give up in advance and the Welsh may have their chance. We are focused on Radnik, although I have already watched two Standard matches. Now, the most important thing for me is to beat Radnik, so that we can enter the European competition in a good atmosphere – says Lalatović.
The Manager of Vojvodina points out that he prefers when the schedule is tight, than when there is no competitive match for two weeks.
– I don’t like it when we have breaks. After Radnik and Europe, we will play against Inđija and Novi Pazar, and then we will have a break again. It’s easier for players when they catch the rhythm, because then they play better and better. But, that is no justification, because we couldn’t allow to lose against Javor. After the match, I was sad because we played well and with quality, and we missed chances and were punished – Lalatović notes.
He points out that the club is not currently thinking in the direction of signing another striker, because he has full trust in Momčilo Mrkaić and Petar Bojić.
– Vojvodina has Mrkaić, whom I really appreciate. He is a quality player, who works a lot for the team. It may not be so noticeable, but when he is in the team, he always manages to “tie” two central backs, since he is tall and dominant in the air, so it is difficult to guard him “one on one”. They always double him and then space opens up for the players from the background. He may not be that efficient, but he is a team player and, among other things, thanks to such robust center forward, we already have 10 scorers this season. Bojić can also play great in that position, so we still haven’t talked much about signing another striker. If the opportunity arises to bring a quality central forward, who would make a difference, then we will react, but otherwise, we should not force and bring anyone. Teams that accumulate players create inquietude in the team – said Lalatović.
The match between Vojvodina and Radnik will be played tomorrow at 6 pm at Karađorđe, with a live broadcast on the first channel of Arena Sport television. Due to the epidemiological situation, the match will be played without the presence of spectators.
