Duljaj unruffled at Partizan reunion

Igor Duljaj promised to keep his emotions in check as the Serbian international prepares to come up against former employers FK Partizan with his current side, UEFA Cup holders FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

Belgrade memories
A graduate of the Belgrade outfit's youth system, the 29-year-old defensive midfielder won three league titles and two domestic cups with Partizan before joining Shakhtar in 2004. He expects memories to come flooding back as UEFA Europa League Group J pits him against the Serbian champions, but they will not hold him back. "I don't know whether I will play," he said. "Mr Lucescu never tells us these things in advance. Obviously for me this fixture is a bit different; I cannot go into it without feeling something, but I will only be emotional before and after the match. During the game I will be professional, focused on the job at hand."

No walkover
While Shakhtar's 4-1 win at Club Brugge KV contrasted starkly with Partizan's Matchday 1 efforts – a 3-2 home defeat by Toulouse FC – Mircea Lucescu is not expecting a walkover. "The UEFA Europa League is a stronger competition than the UEFA Cup and every point counts," he said. "We're up against a good team who we have analysed carefully."

Aerial threat
Partizan recently replaced coach Ivan Jovanović with Goran Stevanović. "Stevanović slightly changed the tactics and tried some players in different positions, but they are still the same players," said Lucescu. "Partizan's squad is pretty strong; they're better than FC Timişoara who beat us in the Champions League play-offs. We need to build on the success of Matchday 1. Partizan need points to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout phase alive. They have a lot of strong, physical players so it will be difficult for us in the air. We need to be careful at set-pieces." Duljaj will perhaps be more wary than most.