DistantNews
Support us
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Slovenia /Sports

Albert Riera Fires Up Ahead of Serbian Derby as Pep Guardiola Calls to Welcome Him

From Delo · () Slovenian

Translated from Slovenian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Albert Riera will coach Crvena zvezda in his first Belgrade derby against Partizan on Sunday.
  • Riera said derby matches have no favorite and called for players who would give everything for the club and their careers.
  • He said Pep Guardiola sent him a message when he joined the club and suggested that up to four young players could feature.

Albert Riera will experience the eternal Belgrade derby for the first time as Crvena zvezda's coach on Sunday. The Spaniard, a former coach of Olimpija and Celje, says the match against Partizan cannot be approached as though one side is favored.

"The players are ready. The most important thing is to prepare them mentally. There is no favorite in a derby. I need warriors who will give everything for the club and their careers," Riera said before the 180th eternal derby.

The players are ready. The most important thing is to prepare them mentally. There is no favorite in a derby. I need warriors who will give everything for the club and their careers.

· Albert RieraHis assessment of the challenge before Crvena zvezda's derby against Partizan.

Crvena zvezda will host its city rival at Rajko Mitic Stadium. Riera identified the opening 15 minutes as especially important and said his team needed to dominate early and send Partizan a psychological message. He said he already knew his starting lineup but declined to reveal Partizan's weaknesses.

Passports, age and names do not play for me. Motivated footballers play.

· Albert RieraHis explanation of how he will choose the lineup, including possible young players.

The coach hinted that as many as four young footballers could receive an opportunity. "Passports, age and names do not play for me. Motivated footballers play," he said. Riera also said he had received a message from legendary coach Pep Guardiola when he arrived at Crvena zvezda.

"Two months are not enough to create a perfect team, it is a process. When I came to the club, I received Guardiola's message. I know where I am, and I know the responsibility is great. I will give everything, I spend more time at the stadium than at home," Riera said. He is seeking to become only the second foreign coach after Walter Zenga to win his first eternal derby for Crvena zvezda.

Two months are not enough to create a perfect team, it is a process. When I came to the club, I received Guardiola's message. I know where I am, and I know the responsibility is great. I will give everything, I spend more time at the stadium than at home.

· Albert RieraHis comments about building the team and a message from Pep Guardiola.
About this summary

Originally published by Delo in Slovenian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog