04 Feb 2020
Doha, 4 February 2020. In their opening game of MATCH PREMIER CUP Partizan Belgrade beat Lokomotiv on 4-2 penalties after 1-1 draw. Before the Serbian side faces Rostov today at 6pm, Partizan winger and former FC Liverpool-player Lazar Marković took the time to talk about the tournament, the ambitions of his club and the time at Aspire Academy.
Lazar, what is the strength of your team and how far do you see them going in this tournament against the Russian sides?
Lazar Marković: The advantage of this team is that it has been together for a very long time, we know each other very well, are currently second in the league, we played Europa League. Maybe it’s an advantage that we start In our championship in about ten days, but again I have to mention that these are friendly games, so we are not playing with 100% and it’s very important that nobody gets injured.
One of Serbia’s famous coaches and former Partizan Belgrade-player, Velibor “Bora” Milutinovic is based in Qatar working with Aspire Academy. How special will be the reunion with him and other Partizan supporters living in Qatar?
Bora Milutinovic is a legend of international, Yugoslavian and Serbian football. His support and the support of former Partizan player and head coach Slavisa Jokanovic means very much to us, and I was extremely glad that both of them came to our game against Lok. I think that being here is also a great opportunity for Partizan to connect with the club’s supporter in Qatar.
What do you think about Aspire Academy, the venue of the MATCH TV Premier Cup 2020, and its philosophy to develop athletes for Qatar?
The conditions here in Qatar and at Aspire Academy are really more than great, me and my teammates are really thrilled.
What are the goals of your club in the second half of the season?
The most important thing for me is to stay healthy to help the team in every game. We still have the eternal derby against Red Star ahead of us and we want to win it. Of course, we are trying to win every remaining game of the season, because haven’t given up the fight for the title yet.