Years of life: 03.09.1992.

Citizenship: Serbia.

Career:player: 2010/13OFC 2013/17 Red Star(all Serbia); 2017/18 Spartak.

Role: right defender.

growth: 185.

the weight: 77.

room: 3.

national team: Serbian national team player 2 matches - 0 goals. On November 13, 2015, at the age of 23, he made his debut for the Serbian national team, coming on as a substitute in a friendly match against the Czech Republic, which ended in the defeat of the Serbs (1:4).

nickname:

Achievements:

Serbian Champion: 2013/14, 2015/16.

Russian Super Cup Winner: 2017

Biography:

OFC

Marko started playing football in the children's team of the Belgrade OFK. On July 22, 2010, at the age of 17, he made his debut in the first team, coming on as a substitute in the Europa League qualification match against Torpedo Zhodzina. On August 14, he played his first game in the Serbian Super League. Petkovic quickly became a player in the main team of the Belgrade club and spent 67 matches in 3 seasons.

"Red Star"

With his game, Marko attracted the attention of Red Star Star. In the summer of 2013, the defender was transferred to the Stars camp. The transition cost 200 thousand euros. Petkovic's first match for Crvena Zvezda came in the game of the 6th round against Vozdovac. According to the results of the 2013/14 season, Red Star Zvezda managed to win the league title, Marko took part in 17 matches of that season.

In October 2014, he received a cruciate ligament rupture, because of which he missed almost half a year, returning to the field only in March 2015, in that season Petkovic played only 13 matches in the Serbian championship. In the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, he was the main player of Red Star Zvezda, having played 33 and 35 league games, respectively. In the 2016/17 season, he scored his first goals for Crvena Zvezda, scoring once in 4 matches in the second half of the season (Petkovic's club won all these matches).

"Spartak Moscow

On June 30, 2017, he passed a medical examination and, as a free agent, signed a contract with Spartak Moscow for a period of 2 years with the option of extending for another season. According to the mozzartsport.com portal, Marco's salary will be 700 thousand euros per season, the contract also provides for bonuses for matches played and successful results. of the year in the away match of the 2nd round of the Russian Championship against Ufa (0:0). On January 8, 2019, the club terminated the contract by agreement of the parties.

MARKO PETKOVICH ARRIVED TO SPARTAK

After a medical examination in Rome, the Red Star defender signed a contract with our club.

On Saturday at 13:30, twenty-four-year-old Marko Petkovic arrived in Villach, at the Warmbaderhof Hotel, where our team is based at the summer foreign training camp. Today, the Serbian defender has come a very long way - from Rome, where the football player recently underwent a medical examination, flew to Munich, from there he again reached Ljubljana by plane, and covered the distance between the capital of Slovenia and the resort city in southern Austria by car.

Petkovich was met at the hotel CEO"Spartak" Sergey Rodionov, technical director of our club Yukhan Geraskin and Main coach Team Massimo Carrera.

- Welcome to Spartak! Sergei Yurievich said. - I wish you successful performance in the new team.

- Glad to meet you! Marco Massimo Carrera greeted him with a smile, shaking hands with the Serbian player.

“It was a difficult road, and of course I got a little tired of it,” Marco admitted to us before he received the key to his room. “But I'm glad I finally made it to my destination. Spartak is a great club! As great in Russia as Red Star in Serbia. It is no coincidence that the fans of these clubs have long been connected not even by friendly, but by fraternal relations. I was convinced of this once again when last spring Spartak played a friendly match with Red Star in Belgrade, which turned into a real holiday for both the players and the fans. By the way, that day on the coaching bridge of our team was Miodrag Bozovic, who had worked in Russia for a relatively long time. He talked a lot about Russian football, and when it came to Spartak, he used epithets in superlatives. play in such legendary club- a huge honor. And when such an opportunity arises, of course, I want to use it.

Marko Petkovic had such a chance when he received an invitation from the leadership of our club. And, in his own words, he accepted it with pleasure. Otherwise, Marko would not have arrived at the location of our team today and, more importantly, would not have put his autograph on the contract next to the signature of Sergei Rodionov. It happened at 14:30 CET.

- What feelings do you experience now, after signing the contract?

- Firstly, I am very proud, and secondly, it is very big step forward in my career. And it's also great that I came to Spartak from Red Star. It was from this Serbian club that Nemanja Vidic moved to Spartak thirteen years ago. And I was told that he also signed a contract in early July. Vidic's career in the Spartak T-shirt has developed happily. But I do not dare to draw an analogy and think ahead. Because Vidić is a legend in European football. And I'm only half way through. But I'm first Serbian football player, who joined the ranks of Spartak after Nemanja. And this, too, I will not hide, is a great honor for me!

01.07.2017.

Who it

How to play

Strengths

Weak sides

Outcome

Since childhood - red and white. What you need to know about Spartak newcomer Marko Petkovic

We talk about a 24-year-old right-back who can score like Messi, but forget about defense. Marko Petkovic signed a two-year agreement with Spartak at the training camp of Russian champions in Austria.

Let's start with the main thing - Spartak really acquired talented football player with crazy potential. At the same time, it is quite mature, having passed through the tests, which, however, revealed and weak sides Spartak rookie.

CAPTAIN OF THE SERBIAN YOUTH

Petkovic is 24 years old. He - two-time champion Serbia as part of Crvena Zvezda, where he moved from OFK in 2013. From the age of 18 he was called up to the youth, then the youth team of Serbia. He was the captain of the team that kicked Spain out of the 2015 European Championship. He has matches national team, but not enough, in the adult national team, a career has not yet worked out, and here's why.

TORN CROSSES AT 22

After the transfer to Crvena Zvezda, there was talk in Serbia that Petkovic was about to become a big star. But in his first full season at the new club, the defender tore his cruciate ligaments of the knee. At 22, he was out of the game for almost 6 months.

DOES NOT COME WITH THE PRESSURE

His return to duty was difficult. First of all - psychologically.

“He took a very long time to get in shape,” Daryan Nedelikovich, a journalist from the influential MOZZART Sport portal, told me. was ready. Criticism is not something that spurs him on, but vice versa."

The next season, 2015/16, went to a slow return to the former game form and faith in yourself. In the championship match against the Radnički club, the partners gave Petkovic a penalty kick. He missed.

SHARPENED FOR ATTACK

As the footballer's acquaintances say, this is a defender with the soul of an attacker, it is vital for him to participate in attacks and score at least sometimes, he is imprisoned for constant connections.

"Sometimes Petkovic can forget about defense, although he always manages to play one-on-one," says Nedelikovich. then this is the Italian coach. Marco has the skills, and he grasps all the instructions quickly. "

Last season, the second half of which was successful for Petkovic, he scored such an amazing goal.

DEPENDS ON FLANG PARTNER

For Petkovic it is very important who he plays with on the flank. In Red Star it was Alexander Katai, who went to Alaves. Petkovic was very comfortable with him, the connection worked perfectly. One of the key factors for the successful adaptation of a beginner is to find a common language with Promes and Samedov.

MOTOR

Nature rewarded Petkovich with excellent data. Fast, powerful, tenacious. "Double heart" and allows him to constantly run forward. Former head coach of the Serbian national team Radovan Curcic said that he would call Petkovic even in unsuccessful periods - if only because he had rarely met such an explosive, physically strong and hardy football player.

KNOWS WHAT IS LOYALTY

For dessert, a story that will undoubtedly endear Petkovic to Spartak fans. In 2013, OFK management first agreed to transfer the defender to Partizan. The transition was announced on all resources related to the club. But the transfer was vetoed by Petkovic himself, who has supported Crvena Zvezda since childhood. He could not go to the sworn rival. Playing for Zvezda and wearing red and white colors was his dream.

P.S. PETKOVICH-2

By the way, that Petkovic, who played in Spartak in 2004 and scored a cool goal for Saturn, is also a graduate of OFK. But he and Marco are not related. Dusan is from Belgrade and Marko is from Vojvodina.

Reincarnation of Ivanovich. Who is the newcomer of Spartak Marko Petkovic

Refusal to move to Partizan, love of attacks, unusual running and other things you need to know about the Spartak recruit.

Who it

It’s worth mentioning right away that Marko has nothing to do with Dusan Petkovic, who played in Spartak in 2004. In addition to their surnames, they are united only by performances for the Serbian OFK, where both began their careers. In the same place, the young defender was looked after by scouts of Partizan in 2013. The clubs quickly agreed among themselves, even announcements of the transition appeared on sports resources. But Petkovic himself blocked the negotiations, citing the fact that since childhood he has been a fan of Crvena Zvezda.

Soon he found himself in the team he dreamed of playing for, tried on the red and white colors that accompany him for most of his career, quickly made his way to the base, fell in love with the fans and ... at 22 he tore his cruciate ligaments. Having missed six months, Petkovic returned to the base, but could not return to his former level. Constant mistakes in defense gradually nullified fan love, and Marco had to prove everything anew.

The following season, Petkovic barely returned former form and staked out a place on the right flank of the defense. True, despite great experience performances in the youth team, in the first he is far from being a base player. At 24, he has only two first-team appearances to his name. And then comradely.
Nevertheless, Petkovic's potential is really high. He has good physical data, quickly grasps everything and does not hide that he wants to repeat the path of Nemanja Vidic in Spartak.

How to play

However, the first thing that suggests itself is an analogy with another Serbian legionnaire of our championship - Branislav Ivanovic in early years. Fortunately, both their position and anthropometric data are similar. However, in his game there are several nuances that are worth paying attention to.

Strengths

Petkovic is not a classic modern nimble high-speed lateral. Marco does not have high speed, therefore he prefers to read the episode, predict where the opponent is going to make the pass, or impose a tough fight immediately after the attacking player has received the ball. He does not throw himself at more nimble and faster players, keeps his distance, and only when he is convinced that he is backed up by a defender or a central defender, does he enter into combat. With the selection, by the way, everything is in order with Petkovich - due to dedication and the ability to read the episode, he most often comes out victorious in duels with forwards. Endurance is also in order - Marco can easily run all 90 minutes from front to front and not even out of breath. Former head coach of the Serbian national team Radovan Curcic said that he had never met such a hardy and physically strong player.

Moreover, Marco, if necessary, can also play the role of a central defender - both in positional defense and in insurance. A powerful texture and a high height for a cornerback (186 cm) help him shoot riding passes and impose a fight on overall forwards.

However, Petkovic looks even more interesting in attack. He is just as stubborn as he is in defense, has a good passing skills at short and medium distances, can cut the ball well from the flank into the penalty area. In addition, Miodrag Bozovic made good use of Marko's passing skills, playing a combination in which he performed a false fullback - he moved to the center and gave a pass to the flank of the attacking player. Petkovic also interacts well with partners - it is a pleasure to play wall and rush along the flank for him.

Weak sides

Marco's main problem is low starting speed. He accelerates well, gaining momentum at a distance, but when jerking a sharp edge, he often misses it or fouls it. Most effective reception, which was used by Crvena Zvezda's rivals on its flank - a banal throw behind the back on a fast player. Here Marco really has something to work on.

As well as over concentration. In an attempt to insure partners in the center of defense, he sometimes exposes his zone. In matches against most opponents in the Serbian championship, where Zvezda operates from a position of strength, this is not punished so often. But in the match against Spartak, Petkovic's tactical mistake led to a goal.

Problems with speed make themselves felt when playing in the attack. Petkovic has a poor technical arsenal - most often he removes the ball under him or throws it on his move, puts the body and wins back with a partner. He has a very unusual mincing running technique that sometimes confuses the opponent. But on high level this is unlikely to help him regularly. Also, Marco cannot boast of a powerful delivered blow. He prefers crosses and crosses from the flank, and he does not succeed in hitting on goal.

Outcome

Like all young players, Petkovic has certain disadvantages that he still has to work on. But Marko's potential is visible, and if he can progress further and prove that he can grow in a championship that is an order of magnitude stronger than the Serbian Superliga, then he can really have a great future. So far, he is far from a top-level player. But under competent guidance, it may well become one.

What is known about the new defender of Spartak

Spartak completed the search for a right-back by signing a contract with 24-year-old Serbian Marko Petkovic. "Match TV" about the player who will defend the championship of the club.

At the end of the championship season, the owner of Spartak, Leonid Fedun, made it clear that his club was planning a targeted strengthening as part of the summer transfer window. By the standards Russian Premier League, the red-whites look solid in all lines, but in the context of the upcoming struggle in three tournaments, including the Champions League, a number of positions needed to be updated.

The right-back is one of them. Until recently, it was not clear whether Spartak would use the option to buy Georgy Tigiev from Anji and whether they would continue cooperation with Andrey Yeshchenko. Thomas Focket from Gent, Martin Montoya from Valencia, Emil Salomonsson from Gothenburg - transfer rumors sent many performers to Tarasovka. But the choice of management and Massimo Carrera eventually settled on the representative of the Serbian sister club "Red Star" Marko Petkovic, who liked Italian coach in the March friendly red-white match in Belgrade.

Who is Petkovic?

OFK Belgrade graduate Petkovic has been called up to national teams of all ages since 2010. In the youth team, he reached the status of captain, in 2013 he moved to Crvena Zvezda, with which he immediately won the league title (again in the 2015/2016 season). Petkovic was followed by several well-known European clubs, he was about to move to a new level. But at the age of 22, trouble happened - a rupture of the cruciate ligaments. half a year on physical recovery, another year to overcome the psychological barrier after returning to the field. Only in the course of the past season did Petkovic approach his former standards, plowing the right sideline from and to without fatigue and fear.

In the spring, Fiorentina and Olympiakos showed interest in Petkovic's candidacy, later the Serbian edition of Sports Journal reported on negotiations with Crotone, but in the end he moved to Spartak.

How does Petkovic play?

From just one of Marco's performance statistics last season, it is clear that this defender is no stranger to joining attacks: 4 goals and 3 assists. Petkovic is a pronounced attacking defender, who often finds it easier to beat one or two opponents than to vigilantly monitor his opponents at his own penalty area throughout the meeting. High speed, good dribbling, enviable endurance and performance are the main trump cards of a football player.

Worse with canopies and passes (accuracy of 40 and 77 percent, respectively). As mentioned above, not everything is fine in terms of defense either - Petkovic does not always have time to return in time, often creeping in tackles of varying degrees of success. But he has impressive physical data for his position, height - 185 cm, weight - around 77 kg, which do not affect mobility in any way, but help in martial arts.

Petkovic in Spartak

- Firstly, I am very proud, and secondly, this is a very big step forward in my career, - the official website of Spartak quotes Petkovich's on-duty words. - And it's also great that I came to Spartak from Red Star. It was from this Serbian club that Nemanja Vidic moved to Spartak thirteen years ago. And I was told that he also signed a contract in early July.

Noting that he still has no right to compare himself with the "legend of European football", Petkovic also added that he was the first Serb to join the ranks of Spartak after Vidić. Arriving at the location of the team, Petkovic got off the ship to the ball, to the second sparring of Carrera's wards during the offseason. While as a spectator. The red-whites defeated the Serbian Vozdovac with a score of 3:2 in a duel in which a wall-to-wall fight almost happened.

Vozdovac - Spartak. 2:3. Goals and fight

But the main thing for Petkovich was to observe the actions of competitors in position, Tigiev and Yeshchenko. It is curious that Carrera released both at the start at once, with the first playing, where it should be, on the right, and the second located on the opposite flank. In the episode with the first goal of the Serbs, Yeshchenko made a mistake, got yellow card in the second half, while Tigiev held the meeting efficiently and smoothly. This round was left for Georgy, but soon Petkovic will have to make a move.

AT this moment, taking into account the difference in class between the Serbian and Russian championships, it cannot be argued that Petkovic will be the first after Vidic, not only on paper, but even ahead of Tigiev and Yeshchenko in the formation starting lineup. But the competition on the right edge will definitely increase, Carrera will have more tactical options, and Quincy Promes and Alexander Samedov will have a partner who is ready to make a quick run at any moment.

Announcement photo: Getty Images

After a medical examination in Rome, Red Star defender Marko Petkovic signed a contract with our club.

On Saturday at 13:30, twenty-four-year-old Marko Petkovic arrived in Villach, at the Warmbaderhof Hotel, where our team is based at the summer foreign training camp. Today, the Serbian defender has come a very long way - from Rome, where the football player recently underwent a medical examination, flew to Munich, from there he again reached Ljubljana by plane, and covered the distance between the capital of Slovenia and the resort city in southern Austria by car.

At the hotel, Petkovic was met by Spartak's general director Sergey Rodionov, our club's technical director Juhan Geraskin and the team's head coach Massimo Carrera.

Welcome to Spartak! - said Sergei Yurievich. - I wish you successful performance in the new team.

Glad to meet you! - Marco Massimo Carrera greeted with a smile, shaking hands with the Serbian player.

The road turned out to be difficult, and I, of course, got a little tired of it, - Marco admitted to us before he received the key to his room. But I'm glad I finally made it to my destination. Spartak is a great club! As great in Russia as Red Star in Serbia. It is no coincidence that the fans of these clubs have long been connected not even by friendly, but by fraternal relations. I was convinced of this once again when last spring Spartak played a friendly match with Red Star in Belgrade, which turned into a real holiday for both the players and the fans. By the way, that day on the coaching bridge of our team was Miodrag Bozovic, who had worked in Russia for a relatively long time. He talked a lot about Russian football, and when it came to Spartak, he used epithets in superlatives. It is a great honor to play in such a legendary club. And when such an opportunity arises, of course, I want to use it.

Marko Petkovic had such a chance when he received an invitation from the leadership of our club. And, in his own words, he accepted it with pleasure. Otherwise, Marko would not have arrived today at the location of our team, and more importantly, would not have put his autograph on the contract next to the signature of Sergei Rodionov. It happened at 14:30 CET.

- What feelings do you experience now, after signing the contract?

- Firstly, I am very proud, and secondly, this is a very big step forward in my career. And it's also great that I came to Spartak from Red Star. It was from this Serbian club that Nemanja Vidic moved to Spartak thirteen years ago. Moreover, I was told that he also signed a contract in early July. Vidic's career in the Spartak T-shirt has developed happily. But I do not dare to draw an analogy and think ahead. Because Vidić is a legend in European football. And I'm only half way through. But I am the first Serbian football player who joined the ranks of Spartak after Nemanja. And this, too, I will not hide, is a great honor for me!

At the training camp of Russian champions in Austria.

Saturday. Villach. Marko PETKOVIC (center), Spartak's head coach Massimo CARRERA (left) and general director of the red-and-whites Sergei RODIONOV. Photo of FC "Spartak"

Let's start with the main thing - Spartak acquired a really talented player with crazy potential. At the same time, he is quite mature, having passed through tests, which, however, also revealed the weaknesses of the Spartak newcomer.

CAPTAIN OF THE SERBIAN YOUTH

Petkovic is 24 years old. He is a two-time Serbian champion with Crvena Zvezda, where he moved from OFK in 2013. From the age of 18 he was called up to the youth, then the youth team of Serbia. He was the captain of the team that kicked Spain out of the 2015 European Championship. He also has matches for the national team, but not enough, his career in the adult team has not yet worked out, and here's why.

TORN CROSSES AT 22

MOTOR

Nature rewarded Petkovich with excellent data. Fast, powerful, tenacious. "Double heart" and allows him to constantly run forward. Former head coach Radovan Curcic said that he would call Petkovic even in bad times, if only because he rarely met such an explosive, physically strong and hardy football player.

Marko PETKOVIC (center). Photo of FC "Crvena Zvezda"

KNOWS WHAT IS LOYALTY

For dessert, a story that will undoubtedly endear Petkovic to Spartak fans. In 2013, the management first agreed on the transfer of a defender to. The transition was announced on all resources related to the club. But the transfer was vetoed by Petkovic himself, who has supported Crvena Zvezda since childhood. He could not go to the sworn rival. Playing for Zvezda and wearing red and white colors was his dream.

P. S. PETKOVICH-2

DUBAI /UAE/, 22 January. /Corr. TASS Maxim Allanazarov/. Serbian defender Marko Petkovic, acquired by Spartak Moscow before the start of the season, realizes that he has not yet been able to show himself to fans of the team and experts from the best side. The football player told TASS that he can count on correcting the situation after the winter break.

Petkovic moved to Spartak before the start of the current season from the Serbian Red Star, signing a two-year contract with the red-whites with the possibility of an extension for another one. Massimo Carrera, for whom the summer off-season was the first full-fledged as head coach of the team, did not hide the fact that the Serbian was acquired with his approval. However, the right winger, in which the Serbian media noted primarily his ability to work, as well as the ability and desire to connect to attacks, played irregularly in the "autumn" part (8 matches in all tournaments, 7 in the first team). Fans red-white more than once, the Serbian defender was accused of conceded goals.

"I understand journalists and fans who want everything to be good, so that no one makes mistakes, but this is impossible," Petkovic said. “From the point of view of psychology, I have no problems,” he assured. “Of course, like everyone else, sometimes bad thoughts creep into my head, I get upset too, but this only gives me an incentive to work harder and become better. I think that All the best is yet to come."

"Of course, the coach (the head coach of the team Massimo Carrera - TASS note) analyzes my mistakes, but not only mine, but the whole team, this is very important," the TASS interlocutor emphasized. "We need to make sure that the mistakes we make are not not repeated. Nobody hates to make mistakes, but I think that a new day will come and there will be an opportunity to fix everything. I prefer to think positively and not dwell on failures. "

Why was it so difficult at first

Spartak became the first club for 25-year-old Petkovic outside of Serbia. The graduate of the Belgrade OFK made his debut for the main team of the club at the age of 17, attracted attention in three years (67 matches, 1 goal) and in 2013 signed a contract with Red Star. As part of one of the two leaders of Serbian football, along with Partizan, Petkovic became the main player (98 matches in 4 years, 4 goals), which was not prevented by six months of recovery from a knee cruciate ligament injury in 2014; twice - in November 2015 and in September 2016 - the defender took part in friendly matches of the Serbian national team.

“I had offers from Italy and Spain, but when the agent told me that I had the opportunity to go to Spartak, I didn’t think for a long time,” Petkovic recalled. “I heard a lot about the club, I played with several guys in Serbia, who used to play in Russia. Everyone in Serbia follows Spartak and the Russian championship and considers it very strong."

The interlocutor of TASS admitted that in the first months he had a very difficult time. "But it's okay when you go into this big club. The main thing is to work, and then the result will come," he added.

Adaptation was aggravated by not the best results of the reigning champion of the country at the start of the season (3 wins and 14 points in the first 11 rounds). "In the first month, our results were not rosy, and not everything went the way we wanted, but soon we were able to rectify the situation and now we continue to fight for the championship," he explained.

The Serb did not have full satisfaction from the performance in the Champions League - the red-whites took third place in group stage with 6 points against English Liverpool (12), Spanish Sevilla (6) and Slovenian Maribor (3). "We played well and had the opportunity to go further, but, unfortunately, we failed to do this. The main mistake was the fact that we failed to beat Maribor twice (1-1 away and at home - TASS note) - this is much worse than the defeat in Liverpool (0-7) If we beat the Slovenian team twice, we would be among the sixteen the strongest teams Europe".

The reasons for the failures in matches with the Slovenian club, according to the Serb, should be asked from everyone in the team. "Sometimes you control the game, you attack a lot, but at the end something goes wrong and the team can't earn three points. In the Moscow match, we attacked a lot," sat "at the opponent's goal, but we didn't have enough luck. On the road We also conceded an unnecessary goal in the game, which prevented us from winning," he added.

Take a cue from Vidic and Ivanovic

Petkovich lives not far from the base of the Red and Whites in Tarasovka near Moscow, and his compatriots help him adapt in Moscow, although they are not in the team. “There is a very large Serbian diaspora in the capital of Russia, so you don’t get bored,” the TASS interlocutor explained. “Plus, I have Serb friends who play basketball and water polo in Moscow, I communicate mostly with them. When I first arrived in " Spartak, "the guys helped me a lot."

The football player did not have time to attend basketball and water polo matches, but not only they, but also hockey are in the plans. “We don’t have hockey in Serbia, but in Russia it is very popular. I like to watch games on TV, as far as possible I try not to miss Spartak hockey matches,” he said.

The head coach of the Tula Arsenal, Miodrag Bozovic, also helps, under whose leadership Petkovic worked at Red Star in 2015-2017 and became the winner of the national championship. “We don’t see each other very often, but he always helps me, gives me advice. Miodrag says that you always need to work, work and work again, then everything will be fine,” the TASS interlocutor said.

As an example, Petkovic takes his compatriots with extensive experience playing in Russia - the former Lokomotiv defender Branislav Ivanovich, who now plays for Zenit, and the former Spartak captain Nemanja Vidic. “I like the game of Branislav Ivanovic, who is a legendary football player for our country, we often communicate with him in the national team, he always has something to learn. that I still have time to do it," the defender shared.

Despite the fact that the defender began to quickly understand those around him because of the relationship between the Serbian and Russian languages, he continues to study with a tutor. "I study with a teacher in order to begin to understand teammates as much as possible as soon as possible. Of course, our languages ​​are similar, but additional lessons and teachers' explanations contribute to speedy progress. I want to understand the culture, traditions and life of Russia as much as possible, and for this you first need to learn language," he said.

Petkovic told why he does not use social networks: “I don’t like to flaunt my life. Why do this? I’m fine with those who have social media but I don't plan on getting them myself.

Pyanovich constantly asks about Spartak

Now Petkovic and the team are preparing for the "spring" part of the season in Dubai, and, according to him, he feels completely comfortable. "I think I've finally adapted to the team," he said.

“I have no problems at Spartak, it is a very large club even by European standards. In addition, in Serbia everyone treats Russia very well, we are fraternal peoples, and I don’t feel any discomfort being here. I repeat, in Moscow I like everything, and I only think about how to become better," he added.

Vacation Petkovic spent with his family in Serbia. "Of course, during the holidays I managed to miss the team and football. By the way, on vacation we met with [ former player Spartak] Mikhailo Pyanovich, who constantly asks me about Spartak and talks about the times when he played in Moscow," he shared.

Preparation for the second part of the season "Spartak" began on 9 January. The first game after the break - with the Spanish "Athletics" in the 1 / 16 finals of the Europa League - will be held on February 15 in Moscow, the return - on February 22 in Spain. On February 28, the red-whites will meet with the Samara "Wings of the Soviets" in the quarterfinals of the Russian Cup. The match of the 21st round of the national championship, in which Spartak will play with Lokomotiv, is scheduled for March 4.