A chat with Nemanja Nikolic after Backa game

Partizan restarted the season with a 3-0 win away to Backa. Nemanja Nikolic scored an early opener and we spoke to Partizan attacker after the game:

-This win is important both for me and for the team. It`s paramount to score an early goal in such games otherwise you play against opponent behind the ball and that limits your attacking options. But, this wasn`t the case today and I`d also like to praise Backa for their performance as they were out there to compete, said Nikolic.

This was a convincing 3-0 win with a number of opportunities missed as well.

-Great result but we missed few opportunities along the way, myself and Ricardo in particular. More convincing win was on the cards.

Starting line-up with two forwards proved a winning combination.

-It proved a great solution and I`m glad we both scored. I hope for more from Ricardo and myself, to bring more joy to Partizan fans. This was extremely important win for our confidence after the winter break and preps.

Partizan during winter preps compared to Partizan now?

-There`s no much difference in our aims and playing style. Preps friendlies are not so competitive though. Now we play for points and each and every game is a must win for us. As it stands, we cannot afford to drop any points and we are all aware of it.

Marko Jankovic departed but Zoran Tosic is back after lengthy injury.

-We lost quite important player, our creative force in some ways. I hope Jankovic will show his quality in Italy and I believe he can play for top five teams over there. Tosic is back and he`ll show how important he is for this team. Unfortunately, he picked up injury early in the season and his absence was felt around. He played behind Ricardo and myself today and it looked quite good all together.