SerbianLad
Well-Known Member
As I said, I did a pretty detailed preview. I hope I didn't forget anything important and that I did;' bore you with tis 
Intro: Our league is of a pretty poor standard with only two half-decent teams(Red Star and Partizan) and two teams that aren't completely sh*t(Vojvodina and Čukarički), and Red Star look pretty poor in most matches and get the help of referees quite often (our league is very corrupt but that's another story). Yet somehow whenever they play in Europe they look pretty good.
Europa League so far: As you know they topped their group, which tbf wasn't very difficult. Their result against Midtjyland which I saw was mentioned by a few posters needs some context though. They were down to 10 men since the 12th minute and conceded an unlucky own-goal. Red Star was by far the best team in the group.
Playstyle: They are defensively very compact and try to attack teams on the break(they played defensively even against Ludogorets who seem weaker than them on paper). They usually play 4-2-3-1 but without natural wingers(Katai and Ivanic, who are no 10s play on the wing with Kanga between them). Apart from Kanga and Sanogo other players are very slow, and their breaks are more down to excellent passing than to speed.
Coach: Dejan Stanković. One of our most famous players in the recent history, was excellent at Lazio and Inter and he captained our NT. As a manager, he seems like a very good motivator but he is tactically pretty poor. His tactical decisions were the main reason Red Star lost against Omonia and Sheriff in thr last two season. Has a nasty temper as well and always looks like he is close to being sent off because of his behavior on the touchline.
Lineup I expect to see vs Rangers: Same as it was in the derby game against Partizan.
GK:Milan Borjan- Canada NT first choice goalkeeper and vice-captain, Red Star captain. Leader of this team, saved them on numerous occasions in european games. Good shot-stopper, likes to time-waste a lot.
RB: Cristiano Piccini- former Valencia rb, haven't seen much of him but he must be better than their previous rbs. Played well in the derby.
CB: Strahinja Eraković- youth academy product. Still very raw. Potentially a weak-link in the defence, although he had some cracking games in Europe.
CB: Aleksandar Dragović- Plays for Austrian NT. Very composed, confident player. Best cb in our league by a country mile.
LB: Milan Rodić- He is quite liked amongst Red Star supporters but honestly he isn't a really good fullback. Does ok defensively against most teams (especially if they don't have pacy wingers) and once in every 10 games he can whip in a solid cross. Terrible stamina.
DM: Sekou Sanogo- Very good dm, covers a lot of ground, decent passer, decent dribbler. Extremely dirty player though.
DM: Slavoljub Srnic- Very average footballer. Energetic and hardworking but not much else. Can play on both fullback positions,on both wings and all across the midfield. This season he is mostly used as a dm. Pocketed Mane when Red Star beat Liverpool few seasons ago.
AM: Guelor Kanga- Gabon NT player. Can play as an 8 or a 10. The X factor. Honestly on his day, he is unplayable. He destroyed AC Milan in one of the matches last season. He scored a few bangers in Europe too (type Kanga Sparta or Kanga Krasnodar if interested). Excellent passer. When his not having his day than he is one of the worst players on the pitch, loses a ball a lot and tries impossible shots.
Wingers: Aleksandar Katai- technically very gifted, too slow for best leagues in Europe. Apart from Serbia, he only played well in the MLS (before his wife had a racist incident) . Still, he can be quite dangerous because of his dribbling, passing and shooting skills if not careful. Great free-kick taker.
Mirko Ivanić - In my opinion, Red Star's best player. I'm shocked Red Star managed to keep him. Their only player that could play in top five leagues apart from Dragović. Best dribbler, passer and shooter at the club. Terrific footballer. Was linked with Rangers if I remember correctly.
ST: Ohi Omoujiuanfo- New striker signing from Molde. Scored 27 in 29 last season with 2 assists in Norwegian league. Should add desperately needed firepower.
Subs: Liverpool win hero-Pavkov, Comoros national team vice-captain and highest scoring foreigner in Serbian league history Ben Nabouhane, Italian 10/winger-Falco, ex Sampdoria midfielder Krstičić, new signing from Bayern Nemanja Motika(talented winger) and a cb if they are leading- Radovan Pankov(reckless player) are players that may come of the bench/surprisingly start.
Conclusion: They will be probably be tough to break down, especially at home. They struggle against pace, and their attackers are slow too. You'll need to be very careful with the corners and free-kicks, they are excellent in that department. I think you've got a pretty good chance of going through, but Red Star will fancy their chances too, because they, just like Rangers, beat/drawn much better teams than their opponent in the recent years.
Good luck, I think it will be a good game, and the atmosphere should be cracking in both games. If you have any further questions about Red Star/Serbia feel free to ask.
Intro: Our league is of a pretty poor standard with only two half-decent teams(Red Star and Partizan) and two teams that aren't completely sh*t(Vojvodina and Čukarički), and Red Star look pretty poor in most matches and get the help of referees quite often (our league is very corrupt but that's another story). Yet somehow whenever they play in Europe they look pretty good.
Europa League so far: As you know they topped their group, which tbf wasn't very difficult. Their result against Midtjyland which I saw was mentioned by a few posters needs some context though. They were down to 10 men since the 12th minute and conceded an unlucky own-goal. Red Star was by far the best team in the group.
Playstyle: They are defensively very compact and try to attack teams on the break(they played defensively even against Ludogorets who seem weaker than them on paper). They usually play 4-2-3-1 but without natural wingers(Katai and Ivanic, who are no 10s play on the wing with Kanga between them). Apart from Kanga and Sanogo other players are very slow, and their breaks are more down to excellent passing than to speed.
Coach: Dejan Stanković. One of our most famous players in the recent history, was excellent at Lazio and Inter and he captained our NT. As a manager, he seems like a very good motivator but he is tactically pretty poor. His tactical decisions were the main reason Red Star lost against Omonia and Sheriff in thr last two season. Has a nasty temper as well and always looks like he is close to being sent off because of his behavior on the touchline.
Lineup I expect to see vs Rangers: Same as it was in the derby game against Partizan.
GK:Milan Borjan- Canada NT first choice goalkeeper and vice-captain, Red Star captain. Leader of this team, saved them on numerous occasions in european games. Good shot-stopper, likes to time-waste a lot.
RB: Cristiano Piccini- former Valencia rb, haven't seen much of him but he must be better than their previous rbs. Played well in the derby.
CB: Strahinja Eraković- youth academy product. Still very raw. Potentially a weak-link in the defence, although he had some cracking games in Europe.
CB: Aleksandar Dragović- Plays for Austrian NT. Very composed, confident player. Best cb in our league by a country mile.
LB: Milan Rodić- He is quite liked amongst Red Star supporters but honestly he isn't a really good fullback. Does ok defensively against most teams (especially if they don't have pacy wingers) and once in every 10 games he can whip in a solid cross. Terrible stamina.
DM: Sekou Sanogo- Very good dm, covers a lot of ground, decent passer, decent dribbler. Extremely dirty player though.
DM: Slavoljub Srnic- Very average footballer. Energetic and hardworking but not much else. Can play on both fullback positions,on both wings and all across the midfield. This season he is mostly used as a dm. Pocketed Mane when Red Star beat Liverpool few seasons ago.
AM: Guelor Kanga- Gabon NT player. Can play as an 8 or a 10. The X factor. Honestly on his day, he is unplayable. He destroyed AC Milan in one of the matches last season. He scored a few bangers in Europe too (type Kanga Sparta or Kanga Krasnodar if interested). Excellent passer. When his not having his day than he is one of the worst players on the pitch, loses a ball a lot and tries impossible shots.
Wingers: Aleksandar Katai- technically very gifted, too slow for best leagues in Europe. Apart from Serbia, he only played well in the MLS (before his wife had a racist incident) . Still, he can be quite dangerous because of his dribbling, passing and shooting skills if not careful. Great free-kick taker.
Mirko Ivanić - In my opinion, Red Star's best player. I'm shocked Red Star managed to keep him. Their only player that could play in top five leagues apart from Dragović. Best dribbler, passer and shooter at the club. Terrific footballer. Was linked with Rangers if I remember correctly.
ST: Ohi Omoujiuanfo- New striker signing from Molde. Scored 27 in 29 last season with 2 assists in Norwegian league. Should add desperately needed firepower.
Subs: Liverpool win hero-Pavkov, Comoros national team vice-captain and highest scoring foreigner in Serbian league history Ben Nabouhane, Italian 10/winger-Falco, ex Sampdoria midfielder Krstičić, new signing from Bayern Nemanja Motika(talented winger) and a cb if they are leading- Radovan Pankov(reckless player) are players that may come of the bench/surprisingly start.
Conclusion: They will be probably be tough to break down, especially at home. They struggle against pace, and their attackers are slow too. You'll need to be very careful with the corners and free-kicks, they are excellent in that department. I think you've got a pretty good chance of going through, but Red Star will fancy their chances too, because they, just like Rangers, beat/drawn much better teams than their opponent in the recent years.
Good luck, I think it will be a good game, and the atmosphere should be cracking in both games. If you have any further questions about Red Star/Serbia feel free to ask.
