Partizan welcome Sheriff Tiraspol to the Partizan Stadium on Thursday night, in what is the second leg of the Europa Conference League playoff round.
The Serbian side ran out 1-0 winners out in Moldova last week, so they come into this week's fixture in a very strong position to progress to the last 16.
Match preview
© Reuters
Partizan are faring well in the Serbian SuperLiga this season, currently sitting in second place, but it is fair to say that the league title is likely to be out of reach, given that they trail top-of-the-table Red Star Belgrade by 11 points.
Recent league form has been very patchy for Crno-beli, losing two of their last five games, and they were on the receiving end of a shock 4-0 defeat against Mladost GAT, the team that are second-bottom in the SuperLiga standings.
Gordan Petric's side came through a fairly tough group to reach this stage of the competition, finishing level on points with group winners Nice, while they also managed to record an impressive 1-0 win away at Bundesliga outfit FC Koln.
In their last match, Partizan did not make it easy for themselves against Spartak Subotica, but they managed to collect all three points in the SuperLiga courtesy of a brace from Ricardo Gomes.
The same can be said about the first leg against Tiraspol, in which Igor Vujacic saw red in the second half, but they were able to close out an important 1-0 away victory, despite the hosts dominating the majority of the possession.
As expected, Sheriff finished top of the Moldovan Super Liga, and they have now progressed to the Championship group, along with five other teams, with fixtures set to resume in the middle of March.
The side from Transnistria have not been in league action since the beginning of November, so they may be lacking in match fitness, having only played two friendly games to warm up for the first leg of their tie against Partizan.
Given that they lost the first leg, a monumental effort will be needed from Roberto Bordin's side out in Belgrade, but they have history for punching above their weight in Europe, having defeated Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Champions League last season.
The Moldovan outfit did not manage to qualify for the continent's elite competition last season, instead entering the Europa League at the group stages, but they were handed a very tough draw, falling short in matches against Manchester United and Real Sociedad.
In all three of Sheriff's previous meetings against Partizan, they have lost 1-0, also meeting in the qualification round for the 2005-06 Champions League, so they will have to score for the first time ever against their opponents to stand any chance of keeping their European dream alive.
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- D
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
One change that Partizan will be forced into is replacing Vujacic, with the defender being given his marching orders in the first leg, and so youngster Mihajlo Ilic could come into the side, having been brought on as a substitute after Vujacic's dismissal.
Gomes is almost guaranteed to lead the line for Petric's side, given that the striker is the top scorer in the Serbian SuperLiga, netting on 13 occasions in 22 appearances, while Bibars Natcho is likely to play in an advanced midfield role.
Sheriff are set to be without striker Abou Ouattara, who has missed the last nine games with injury, although Iyayi Atiemwen is unlikely to continue up front, despite scoring two goals in his last three games.
Rasheed Akanbi is instead poised to lead the line for the visitors, as he is now available after serving his suspension, with Abdoul Tapsoba and Amine Talal providing support from either side.
Akanbi scored two of the Moldovan side's four goals in the Europa League this season, including the winner in their crucial final game against Omonia, so Atiemwen is likely to drop to the bench.
Partizan possible starting lineup:
Popovic; Filipovic, Ilic, Markovic, Sehovic; Fejsa, Natcho; Belic, Diabate, Menig; Gomes
Sheriff Tiraspol possible starting lineup:
Koval; Zohouri, Kiki, Garananga, Kpozo; Badolo, Kyabou, Diop; Talal, Atiemwen, Tapsoba
We say: Partizan 1-0 Sheriff Tiraspol
Partizan have a history of winning 1-0 against Sheriff, so it would not at all be a surprise if it is the same outcome on Thursday night, given that both teams are fairly evenly-matched.
Regardless of how they do it, the Serbian side should be able to do enough to progress to the round of 16, as they are in a very strong position after edging a victory in the first leg.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
