The goal of Sutjeska is still the passage to the third round of qualification for the Europa League, despite the very unfavorable result from the first game in Nikšić - a 1:0 loss against Alaškert of Armenia.
This was announced by the coach of the Montenegrin champion, Nikola Rakojević, yesterday before training at the rain-soaked "Vazgen Sargsyan" stadium in Yerevan.
Of course, that goal will be incomparably more difficult to reach after the shock near Bistrica last Thursday. Rakojević and his footballers will have to look for him in a "detour".
For that, they need the first goal and the first victory on the European stage this season - today at 19:17 local time, and XNUMX:XNUMX Montenegrin time.
"The goal is to pass, but ambitions are one thing, reality is quite another, and we will see what the game will bring. We came here to do something that is expected of us, and that is to play the best we can, and hopefully with enough quality to reflect that." and on the result. How much it will be enough, considering the defeat in the first game, remains to be seen," Rakojević said.
Midfielder Stefan Lončar is not eligible to play due to a card, 19-year-old Vladan Bubanja will most likely play in his position.
The players of the Montenegrin champion learned from their mistakes in the first game, their coach claims.
"We realized that we didn't do some things properly in the first match. During these few days of work, we corrected it, I hope we corrected it. It's also normal that we get better and better as the preparation period goes on."
Sutjeska's players, however, have a psychologically very demanding match...
"I hope that we will be good on that, psychological level as well. We still have five or six days together compared to the last match and it is to be expected that this will bring us improvement, both in the game and in the result".
Against Sutjeska you will find an experienced and solid team, which does not take many risks...
"Their players are confident with the ball, they don't make rookie mistakes that we made in certain situations. However, these are all things that we are trying to correct. Alaskert players have the quality to be calm, they have been champions for three years in a row, few players are changed in that period, and that is something that is very significant - when you play together for a long time, then the quality of the collective is at a high level," Rakojević points out.
Sutjeska must at least score a goal if she wants to hope for anything, but she must also be careful in front of her own goal...
"We will also be patient, we will believe that we can score a goal, maybe more than one, but we are aware that we will play as much as the opponent allows us. We do not know what kind of tactics our rival is preparing, whether closed, like against us in the first match, or opened like recently in the Cup. Whatever it is, we will try to adapt," Rakojević said.
The match in Yerevan starts at 17:XNUMX our time, and the referee is Bulgarian Ivajlo Stojanov.
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