All or nothing in Belgrade

By Jonathan Wilson

It is impossible to underestimate how important the derby is to the people of Belgrade. FK Crvena Zvezda meet S.S. Lazio in the UEFA Cup in a fortnight, but nobody associated with Yugoslavia's most famous club is looking beyond Saturday's meeting with FK Partizan.

'Take my chances'
Zvezda midfield player Branko Boskovic said of the fixture: "If I were being diplomatic I would say that I am taking each game as it comes. But the truth is that I would take the win on Saturday and take my chances against Lazio. The fans can forget any misfortune apart from a defeat in the derby."

Childhood dreams
Every player contesting the Belgrade derby insists he has been a lifelong fan of the club for which he plays. Zvezda forward Mihajlo Pjanovic, a man whose best performances in red and white have conspicuously come against Partizan, said: "When I was a kid playing in the streets, I would pretend that I was scoring the winner in the derby."

Zvezda legend
Dusan Savic, a former Zvezda captain and now the club's sports director, grew up in Ub, a town some 80 kilometres from Belgrade, but still supported the club. He recalls how he and the brother of the Zvezda legend Dragan Dzajic talked their way on to the ballboys' roster so he could attend the derby in 1971. Three years later, he was playing against Partzan alongside Dzajic. "It was a dream come true," said Savic.

Priceless goal
The feeling is the same 400 metres down the road at the Partizan stadium. "To score the winning derby goal would be worth more than money," said Partizan forward Ivica Iliev. "Take my car, take my phone, take everything, but let me score the winner."

'More than money'
His coach, Ljubisa Tumbakovic, is just as passionate. He once refused to drink in a café because they served him coffee with a spoon in Zvezda red. "I would not coach Crvena Zvezda for £1m a year," Tumbakovic said. "Partizan is more than money, it is more than football." Tumbakovic has already coached Partizan in a record 40 derbies, but for him familiarity has not bred contempt. "Every time it is different," he continued. ""Every time there is a new set of circumstances - a new excitement."

Injury concerns
This year's circumstances, however, include an eleven-player injury list, the most notable of which is the attacking midfield player Vladimir Ivic. "Whoever goes on the pitch for Partizan will give their best," Tumbakovic assured followers of his club.

Pressure on
The injuries could not have come at a worse time as champions Partizan look to protect their ten-point lead over a Zvezda team down in ninth place at present but whose UEFA Cup victory away to AC Chievo Verona showed just what they are capable of when everything clicks. Nevertheless, the pressure is on Zvezda as they look to close the gap on the leaders.

Double chase
"We have an obligation to win the double," Savic said. That may be a tall order for a team featuring five players aged under 20, but if trophies are beyond Zvezda, then a derby victory would go some way towards making up for it.

'Hero or villain'
The derby stands alone, and in its 90 minutes reputations can be won and lost. "You enjoy it, but you also endure it," said Partizan striker Andrija Delibasic. "One action can decide everything, can make you a hero or a villain." It remains to be seen who will be the hero this time.