Partizan vs. Tottenham: 5 Things Spurs Fans Should Know About the Belgrade Side

Tottenham travel to Serbia to face Partizan Belgrade in the opening match of the Europa League group stage on Thursday evening. Partizan currently sit top of the Serbian Super Liga having won each of their opening five matches.

Tottenham are, by contrast, in search of a win after picking up just a single point from their last two league fixtures. 

Spurs can expect a testing match from their Serbian hosts but will be hoping to kick-start their European campaign with a victory. 

Star Striker Petar Skuletic Is Suspended

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Partizan reached the group stage of the Europa League after a 5-3 aggregate win over Azerbaijani side Neftci. Petar Skuletic scored twice in the second leg to secure passage but was then sent off in the 94th minute following an ugly clash with Neftci's Brazilian midfielder Caue. In fact, Neftci were reduced to eight men by the end of a hard-fought qualification playoff. As a result of his red card, Skuletic will miss the match against Spurs. 

Skuletic is a Serbian youth international who has enjoyed a prolific start to his Partizan career after joining from Vojvodina in January. He has scored 16 goals in 24 appearances for the club, including five so far in Europe. 

A tall striker who operates through the middle and in wide areas, his absence weakens Partizan's attack significantly.  

Thirty-one-year-old Danko Lazovic will likely start centrally for Partizan. He has also been a successful new addition to the Serbian side's attack. Lazovic began his career with Partizan in 2000. He returned to the club in January on a free transfer from Rostov (where he was briefly a team-mate of David Bentley) and has since scored 11 goals.

17-Year-Old Attacking Midfielder Danilo Pantic Is Their Rising Star

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Danilo Pantic is one of the rising stars of Serbian and European football. According to the Guardian, he has already signed a pre-contract agreement with Juventus. 

Though he has regularly played in the middle in the Serbian Liga, Pantic will likely start from the left flank and come inside on his right foot. Possessing dangerous pace, he will provide a real test for whoever lines up as Spurs' right-back on Thursday. 

Pantic scored in Partizan's most recent match, a 4-2 victory over FK Cukaricki. 

They Possess One of Europe's Finest Youth Academies

Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press

Attacking midfielder Andrija Zivkovic captained Partizan at the age of 17 years, seven months and 18 days in March this year. That made him their youngest ever captain.

He reached that milestone five months after his debut for Serbia, which also made him their youngest ever international. 

Zivkovic is small but powerful. He explodes away from defenders in possession and possesses a powerful shot. He forms an attacking triumvirate with Pantic and Nikola Ninkovic. At 19, Ninkovic is the senior member of Partizan's brilliant attacking trio. He had been Partizan's youngest ever captain before Zivkovic. 

Sportski Zurnal (h/t Sky Sports) reported Ninkovic was previously a Tottenham target in 2012, but Partizan managed to hold on to their prized asset. 

All three of their young stars are graduates of the Partizan youth academy. According to Swiss research centre CIES, it is the second most prolific football factory in Europe. Only Ajax has trained more of Europe's top footballers. 

On Thursday, Spurs will get to see some of Serbia's brightest young talents. 

They Played in the 1966 European Cup Final

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While they must make do with the Europa League these days, Partizan Belgrade were once regular participants in the European Cup. In 1966, as Real Madrid won their sixth European Cup at Heysel, their opposition was Partizan. 

Their goalscorer in a 2-1 defeat was Velibor Vasovic. The artful sweeper gave the Serbian club the lead but Los Blancos won the day. It was Vasovic's final game for Partizan before moving to Ajax, where he won the 1970-71 European Cup final against Panathinaikos. 

Having infamously played for both Partizan and their fierce rivals Red Star Belgrade, Vasovic also managed both clubs. 

Eric Djemba-Djemba Played There in 2013

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Celebrated Manchester United flop Eric Djemba-Djemba is currently without a club, having been released by St Mirren at the end of last season. 

The Cameroonian made 12 starts and a further four appearances from the substitutes' bench in a single season with Partizan in 2013. 

Unfortunately, he was supplanted by Nikola Drincic and was ultimately released. 

Drincic has made three starts for Partizan so far this season and is a likely starter against Tottenham.