Žarko Lazetić says FK TSC cannot wait for their UEFA Europa League Group A tie at West Ham United on Thursday evening.
The manager of the Serbian side brings his team to east London sitting top of their domestic SuperLiga and determined to make their mark on their first appearance in a European group-stage tie.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference at London Stadium on Wednesday evening, Lazetić said he and his players were under no illusions about the difficulty of facing the English Premier League side, but want to show the whole continent the quality they have demonstrated on the domestic stage in recent seasons.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate West Ham on their success, as I can see all the photos around me and it reminded me this needs to be said,” Lazetić began. “For us, it is a big honour and privilege to be here to play this match.
“We feel this is a challenge and also an obligation to be the best possible on the pitch. As soon as you arrive at West Ham’s stadium, you can feel how big this club and its history are. Our goal is to make TSC proud.
“We are going to use the experience we gained against Braga [in their 7-1 aggregate UEFA Champions League third qualifying round defeat] and I conveyed to the players the mistakes we made in those games. We started the first leg slightly in fear of our opponent and this continued through the game.
“West Ham’s players are perhaps of a better quality in comparison, but these are different teams, they play differently and West Ham is very dangerous in transitions and we see them as a dangerous opponent.”
Click here to find out more about FK TSC, and here for a tactical analysis of Lazetić's side.
Defender Nemanja Stojić also spoke to the media, including a host of travelling Serbian journalists, and he echoed his manager’s sentiments.
“This is definitely the most difficult opponent in this group,” said the one-cap Serbia international. “We have worked very hard for a year to prepare for this competition. This is obviously a big challenge for all of us and we’re going to do our best to get a positive result.
“A positive result obviously means we are undefeated at the end of the match. We are going to give our best. We want to represent our club in the best possible light.”
The 25-year-old, who was part of the TSC side which finished as runners-up in the SuperLiga last season, ahead of traditional power Partizan and behind only Red Star Belgrade, who took the lead in a UEFA Champions League tie at Manchester City on Tuesday evening.
“Of course, I’ve seen West Ham and we’ve all watched their players, so I feel I am ready for this challenge,” Stojić concluded. “We haven’t played a team as good as this in the past, and I feel that playing this match will be a great inspiration for us.
“This is a big challenge for all of us, staff and players. We want to be part of European competition and represent ourselves in the best possible light.”
