by Red Star Belgrade and Breznica Pljevlja will battle for third-place in the group to conclude their UEFA Women’s Champions League commitments this evening at 17:45 at the Centenary Stadium. The two teams have been in a race against time to recover from playing with ten for large portions of their semi-final matches, but Miljana Rondovic expects a hard-fought battle this evening. Red Star Belgrade will be seeking a first positive result in their debut year, while Breznica Pljevlja will aim to return to winning ways in the competition.
Taking Lessons On Board
Red Star Belgrade and Breznica Pljevlja will yearn to conclude this year’s commitments in the UEFA Women’s Champions League on a positive note this evening. They meet to determine the third place in the group, following defeats in the semi-finals, during which both played with ten players for long durations of the matches. However, the two teams feature plenty of young players, for whom tonight presents another chance to showcase their talent.
Breznica Pljevlja’s coach Miljana Rondovic suggested that the team has taken the past couple of days to recover, underlining the challenge brought on by the fixture against Birkirkara which went into extra-time, “It was a very difficult and even match. Playing one hundred and twenty minutes have been very exhausting for our players, but in these two days we talked a lot and worked on recovery both physically and mentally.”
The Montenegrin champions led in the match, but saw the lead slip away in the second half, ultimately paying the biggest price in extra-time. However, Miljana Rondovic explained the team is determined to take these lessons into the next match.
She said, “We talked a lot about the mistakes we made in the last game and we hope not to repeat them in this one. The girls are quite young and some of them don’t have experience yet, but that’s why matches like this are great for them. I don’t know what the outcome of the match will be, but it is important to stay focused even if we lead or concede a goal.”
Match Expectations
Breznica Pljevlja looked to hit on the counter-attack against Birkirkara, while attempting to stay compact at the back. The tactic worked initially, but eventually the side was overpowered by the hosts, also noting the Montenegrin side had to close spaces with lesser numbers.
Meanwhile, Red Star Belgrade had a tough start against RSC Anderlecht, with the Belgian champions dominating possession. The Serbian side followed a similar tactical approach to Breznica Pljevlja, however the very early sending off is likely to have impacted the game-plan quite significantly. Despite that, the Serbian champions threatened on multiple occasions and kept up the fight until the last minute. Nina Matejic’s late goal will certainly have invigorated the side to believe that they can get something this evening to conclude their debut in the competition.
The two teams are certainly not afraid to get stuck into a challenge in search of imposing themselves. However, it will be interesting whether a side will ditch the counter-attacking style and look to control the match themselves, or whether both will be keen on this different approach. The two sides will certainly have some fatigue from Wednesday’s fixtures, which will also play a part.
Breznica’s Miljana Rondovic is expecting an even battle, “Both us and Crvena zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) had the misfortune of having to play with ten players for most of the game (on Wednesday) and we played extra time. Now it’s the second game, both teams are tired. So, I think the game will be tough and the biggest battle will be fought in the middle of the field.”
The Sporting Fan reached out for comments from Red Star Belgrade’s coach Bojan Macesic, but none were received at the time of writing.
The two teams will kick-off the concluding double-header of Round 1 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League in CP-Group 4. The victor will earn third-place in the group, begins at 17:45 and will be played at the Centenary Stadium.
It will be followed by the decider between Birkirkara and RSC Anderlecht, which begins at 21:15 at the same stadium. That will determine the team who will progress to Round 2 of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Match tickets for both games are available for online purchase.
Lead Images: Lara Schembri / Brandon Bonett
Stay up to date by following The Sporting Fan on social media: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ X
