This Wednesday, the Aiglons arrived in Belgrade. In a spectacular setting, they got ready for their clash with Partizan (kick-off on Thursday at 9pm).

This Wednesday, the Aiglons arrived in Belgrade. In a spectacular setting, they got ready for their clash with Partizan (kick-off on Thursday at 9pm).

Serbian flags hung from all the lamp posts on the road from the airport to the Aiglons' base camp. A grey sky, a summer heat (about thirty degrees), a schedule calibrated to the minute. Welcome to Belgrade, a capital city steeped in history and football.

When you arrive at the Partizan stadium, the place catches you off guard. It has a false air of the Ray - in its final version - with staircases leading to the dressing room (to extend the comparison), trophies brandished as a welcome, and tunnels adorned with portraits of the club's legends. Yes, the Gym has headed east, where nothing is quite the same, where nothing is completely common. At 6.20pm, Lucien Favre and Khephren Thuram presented themselves to the press in an old basketball court converted into a press room.

The Gym coach and the U-21 international - who celebrated his 100th match in red and black at Ajaccio - introduced the match. They gave their opinion on the opponent, the atmosphere and the experience gained during the first game in the competition, against Cologne. “I think the Cologne game helped us, especially in the second half," explained the coach. “We saw that we could play and put others under pressure. We created a lot of chances, it was not bad and it was very important for me to see that. On Thursday, we want to get a good result.”

After their exchanges with the media, Lucien Favre, Khephren Thuram and the Aiglons proceeded to the last training session before kick-off. They will be on the field for a warm-up tomorrow morning to make the final adjustments before the big match.

---