As a big signing at the central back position, a former member of BATE Borisov, 28-years-old Nikola Vasiljević, arrived to Vojvodina this summer. However, two days ago, during a training session he was tackled by Ranko Veselinović, due which he has suffered an ankle injury that prevented him from continuing with the regular training process.

Fortunately, thanks to professional treatment and adequate care provided by the medical staff of the first team of FK Vojvodina, made of Dr. Vladimir Čolaković and physical therapists Goran Marijan and Nemanja Mijić, Nikola Vasiljević is now feeling much better, so he will return to the pitch faster than it seemed at first.

– The injury was painful and at first serious, but now, after a couple of days, it does not seem so terrible, and I hope that in two or three days I will be able to train with the team. As we hoped, it’s really fast – says Vasiljević.

How did you fit into the team for now?

– I am satisfied how I fit in and am pleased with the team and the coaching staff. I only had that trouble with the injury, but I hope that I will recover quickly so that I can prove myself and be at the disposal to the coach Lalatović.

Before Vojvodina, you were a member of BATE Borisov, the current champion of Belarus and the round of 32 participant in Europa League last season. In this regard, how do you see your transfer to Voša?

– In BATE Borisov, I had some problems with injuries, so now I look at that period as a not very good experience, although, beside that, I felt really nice there. I accepted the invitation of Vojvodina, because I believe that throughout your life you have to constantly prove yourself. First of all, I talked to the sports director and trainer and I liked their idea. Vojvodina is a club that constantly searches for results and successes, just like BATE Borisov in Belarus, so there is not much difference, except that in Serbia there are many more clubs that want to go to Europe and win titles, while in Belarus there are only two or three such clubs, among which BATE is the strongest.

During the previous seasons, BATE Borisov was able to surprise fans of football with excellent results in Europe?

– It’s a very organized club and it’s known who does what. They have good scouting, good players and they always have a balanced team, so it is never overwhelmed with 25-30 players. They have fifteen already formed players, while the rest is filled with youngsters who still need to develop. They also have that competitive spirit and mentality, and that was the first thing I felt when I came there. Although it may not seem that way, they, as a team, believe that they can beat everyone, which they showed in Champions League and Europa League. This competitive spirit began with the president, who recently passed away, but it got transferred to the coach and players. They are literally able to play the whole season without a defeat.

If you compare the Serbian and Belarus league, what are the similarities, and what are the differences?

– Since I have not played in Serbia for four years now, I do not know if I could compare it accurately, but I do not think there is any big difference. There are many good clubs and players in Serbia, who go to even stronger leagues in each summer and winter transfer window. Red Star has been making great results lately. Perhaps the difference is only in the mentality, but apart from that, more or less all is the same.

Vojvodina enters the new season with the ambition to qualify for the Europa League qualifications. Do you think this is achievable and whom do you see as the biggest competitors?

– Vojvodina should be right behind Red Star and Partizan, but we should not talk about it, we should work hard to reach it and concentrate on what the coach and management of the club wants from us. Even while I played in OFK Beograd, I was aware that Vojvodina is a huge club and, apart from the last two seasons, it is always at the top where it deserves to be, because it represents a great name in Serbia and the Balkans. The players are good, the coaching staff is excellent, so if our health serves us, with good work we can achieve great results.

Exactly to achieve such results, coach Nenad Lalatović returned to Vojvodina this summer?

– In the last few years, wherever he was, with his team he made good results and was among the two or three best teams in the league. I do not doubt his knowledge and work, so us players just need to listen what he wants from us and, with the quality we have, we will manage to accomplish it. He is a winner and always eager to win.

When you recover, what can the fans expect from you, and what is your message for them?

– They can expect from me that I will give 100 percent of myself in each game, and the same goes for every other player in the team, because already in training and friendly matches so for, it can be seen that each one of us will do his best and I think that it is the only right way to go. On the other hand, I would like that we have support which I know that Vojvodina had in the past years, and in that case, I believe that we can achieve great success – said Vasiljević.