Hibs Euro rivals send 150th birthday wishes - but Partizan boss planning no gifts for Gray's men
Serbian gaffer names top threat of ‘intense’ Conference League rivals
Partizan boss Srdan Blagojevic has wished Hibs a happy birthday as the Edinburgh club kick off their 150th anniversary celebrations in earnest. But he’s promised David Gray’s men a less than hospitable welcome in the Serbian capital, as the home side look to match the “intensity” of the Scots in their Europa Conference League qualifier.
Blagojevic, who singled out Hibs skipper Martin Boyle as the obvious danger man, expects a full house of 30,000 at the Partizan Stadion for the first leg of this third qualifying round tie. And he believes his young team will face a tough challenge from the visitors.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate Hibernian on their 150th birthday, which is amazing,” said Blagojevic. “Now we have to find a way to beat them.
“There is no doubt that if we want to find a way to beat them, we have to match their intensity, win duels, win the second balls. And then we have to impose our own style of play. Our aim is to find an answer to what they do well – and then do what we do well.
“The biggest advantages Hibs have are their directness, the danger of their free-kicks, their intensity, and their physical strength. We must match that.
“We are treating this very seriously. When you have 30,000 people in the stands, it is a great energy. We tell our players to be rational, even when you score – we know how important it is to keep your feet on the ground.
“There is no doubt that this is a very hard game for Partizan. Hibernian are a very strong team. The important thing is for us to adapt to Hibernian’s style.”
Midtjylland loss was ‘amazing’ effort by Hibs
The Partizan boss was hugely impressed with Hibs in their Europa League loss to Midtjylland, saying: “It’s amazing how Hibs played against Midtjylland, who we all know are a very good European team with a big record in the past few years.
“The fact that Hibernian didn’t lose until the 119th minute tells you how good they were over the two matches. That says everything about their quality.”
Asked if he had identified any single player as a particular threat, Blagojevic said simply: “Boyle.”
Pressed on whether he had a plan to stop the livewire forward from inflicting damage on a young home defence, the manager smiled as he said: “We’ll try …”
Partizan star Nemanja Trifunovic, meanwhile, hopes the home fans will roar him and his team-mates to glory tomorrow, saying: “There is no pressure playing in front of this crowd. When you have 30,000 here, coming to the stadium to support you, it can only be motivation – like having a wind on your back, pushing you forward.”