Serbian coach Marko Nikolic, who now heads CSKA Moscow, commented on the decision of Partizan Belgrade to prepare for the confrontation with Dynamo Kyiv in the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League through friendly matches with Russian teams (Dynamo Moscow, CSKA and Lokomotiv).
Marko Nikolic- Partizan have more favorable opponents for preparation than Dynamo Kyiv. I even think it's an ideal choice, because Dinamo Moscow, CSKA and Lokomotiv are teams that are much more similar to Dinamo Kyiv in terms of style of play and everything else than Dinamo Kyiv's opponents in friendlies are similar to Partizan," Nikolic said for a podcast on Partizan's official website.
We should add that Partizan has already played in Moscow with local Dynamo(2:2, penalties - 4:2) and CSKA(0:3) within the framework of the so-called "brotherhood cup", and on July 10 the rival Kyivians will play a friendly match with Lokomotiv. Here Partizan's preparation for the new season will be over, but before the first match with Dynamo Kyiv, the Belgrade team will play on July 19 with Napredak in the opening round of the Serbian championship of the season-2024/25.
Recall, the first match between Dynamo Kyiv and Partizan will be held on July 23 in Lublin, Poland, and on July 31 the teams will play the return match in Belgrade.
