Towards the Youth Champions League

Zvezda has licensed 40 players for the biggest junior club competition in the world, and footballers born in 2005, 2006 and 2007 will participate, along with one born in 2004 - Nemanja Vidojević. At the same time, along with the most experienced, all eyes will be on the first team members - Kosta Nedeljković, Jovan Šljivić and Jovan Mijatović who, depending on their obligations in the senior team matches, will have the opportunity to help their friends from the youth team. There are also high expectations from sixteen-year-old Andrija Maksimović, who is already making a difference in the Grafičar seniors, but also from Aleksej Vukičević, who is also dually registered. Milijaš will be in trouble because the team has talents like Mateja Bubnja, Andrej Petrović, Veljko Vukojević, Veljko Milosavljević and others who wear the red and white jersey in the Serbian Youth League from round to round.

The best result was achieved by the generation of 2002, which, led by Slavoljub Đorđević, entered the round of 16 of the Youth Champions League, which is still the only team of ours that managed to winter in this competition. In his debut participation, Bratislava Živković's team failed to pass the group stage, and Marko Neđić also twice failed to reach the European spring through the champion's path.

Now, despite the fact that the group is difficult, he is optimistic that he can surpass the result set by the former stopper of our team as a coach.

The loudest rival in the group stage is Manchester City, a team that, in addition to the senior team, has also established complete junior dominance in England, and in the last three years they have won the championship for players under the age of 18. The competition system in England is such that the teams are divided into North and South divisions, and the winners of which play a big game to determine the national champion. And the third final in a row was successfully realized by Manchester City's juniors and with a 2:1 triumph over West Ham (goals by Justin Oboavodu), they conquered England again. Oboavodu is a winger born in 2006 and plays for the under-21 team, but he will most likely run on the field against our team. A threat to our team will be represented by Joel Ndala, as well as Alfie Harrison, that is, Jaden Heskey, the son of the former center forward of the England national team. A year behind us in the Youth Champions League, they ended in the round of 16.

One of the biggest breeding grounds for talent in European football is certainly RB Leipzig, so it is to be expected that they have a strong junior base. However, in the season behind us, they only finished in seventh place in the northern division, which Hertha won sovereignly. However, the Bundesliga for juniors is divided into four divisions, so in the end the trophy went to Mainz. Certainly more was expected from them in the Youth Champions League, as they finished the competition as third place in the group stage. Leipzig has someone to threaten, given that Tino Kaufman and Yannick Eduardo are great in attack, while Simon Chirac and captain Elias Lenz protect their backs.

In the season after us, Young Boys managed to spend the winter in the Youth Champions League, after first eliminating Domžale, and then Swedish AIK after a better performance of penalties. However, in February 2023, RB Salzburg ruled against them and stopped them, although it seems that Zvezda is waiting for another serious rival in the junior competition. However, in the season behind us, the title just eluded them, so Basel, with four more points, won the Swiss Elite League, as they call the junior championship there. The biggest threat to our goal should be Janis Luti, as well as Malik Dema, along with Jashar Dema.

September 19 at 4 p.m. - Manchester City - Red Star

October 4 at 4 p.m. - Crvena zvezda - Young Boys

October 25 at 15:30 - RB Leipzig - Crvena zvezda

November 7 at 4 p.m. - Crvena zvezda - RB Leipzig

November 28 at 2:30 p.m. - Young Boys - Crvena zvezda

December 13 at 2 p.m. - Red Star - Manchester City