High hopes for Crvena Zvezda

By Aleksandar Boskovic

By winning the European Champion Clubs' Cup final against Olympique de Marseille in 1990/91, FK Crvena Zvezda appeared to have put Belgrade rivals FK Partizan permanently in their place.

Times change
But times have changed, and when Partizan qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage last season, they claimed a moral victory in this neighbourly squabble. They also left Crvena Zvezda with a point to prove in tonight's second qualifying round tie against BSC Young Boys of Switzerland.

Financial realities
The financial realities of European football might exclude Crvena Zvezda from any list of title contenders, but reaching the group stage will be considered a success. Coach Ljupko Petrovic, who was in charge that famous night in Bari in 1991, said: "We just want to compete against the other big European clubs." Of the European Cup win, he added: "We were the best in Europe - it was the greatest day of my career."

First step
The first target for Petrovic's class of 2004/05 will be to overcome Swiss league runners-up Young Boys in the away leg in Zurich. It might be no contest in terms of tradition, but the coach is expecting a tough test. "They are very clever and organised," said Petrovic. "They have also started their domestic campaign, while we have not."

Awesome season
Crvena Zvezda qualified for the Champions League by claiming their 23rd domestic title in a league and cup double. They have subsequently parted company with coach Slavoljub Muslin, defender Nemanja Vidic and midfield player Dragan Mladenovic, but Petrovic has faith in those that remain.

Great generation
"I have not worked with a better generation of players," he said. "They are very, very talented. The chief thing is that they are not scared. Not of Young Boys, nor of the big boys in the third qualifying round."

Talented youngsters
There is little doubt that Crvena Zvezda have some talented youngsters, with the arrival of Serbo-Montenegrin Under-21 international midfielder Dragan Stancic from OFK Beograd only strengthening the squad. Continuity is also provided by Petrovic's decision to retain the 3-5-2 system favoured by Muslin, so his players all know their jobs.

Giant striker
None more so than giant striker Nikola Zigic, who scored 21 goals in domestic competition last season and six more in the UEFA Cup. Having recovered from a knee injury, he is desperate to set Crvena Zvezda on course for the third qualifying round.

Home advantage
"We have the ability to take the next step into the third round," he said. "We have spent the last month preparing for these two matches. We have more supporters and better players than Young Boys. We also have home advantage in the second leg, so the plan is to stay unbeaten in Zurich."

Confident keeper
Goalkeeper Vladimir Disljenkovic, who has replaced Vidic as captain, exuded similar confidence. "Our job is to be better than the opposition," he said. "It's hard, but not impossible. We have a steady defence so I don't think they will threaten my goal too much."

Bold prediction
Petrovic has certainly got Crvena Zvezda thinking positive. Now they must put that positive thinking into practice. "I congratulate Partizan for the way they played in Europe last season," he said. "But I believe that they will be congratulating us in August when we take our place in the European élite."