The capital's derby will also be the first confrontation between two coaches, Romanian Florin Bratu of Partizan and Croatian Dean Klafurić of Tirana. Two coaches with different philosophies and schools, but who come into this challenge with a common reality: only one victory each in the first five weeks.
A big derby, a first match and two coaches looking for a turnaround. Florin Bratu's Partizan and Dean Klafurić's Tirana meet for the first time with their respective coaches on the bench, in a challenge where the pressure is as great as the importance of points. Bratu comes to this derby with only one win in the first five matches and with conflicts with senators in the locker room. A record that does not meet the expectations of a team like Partizan and that makes the derby an important test for the Romanian coach. Defeat in the derby has blown up the benches before and Bratu is more than clear that time is running out.
On the other hand, Klafurić has not done much either, he has also stopped at only one victory in five weeks. But the Croatian's situation has another nuance. His Tirana has managed to avoid defeat in the last three consecutive matches, giving signals of a gradual stabilization. Two different football schools facing each other. Bratu, with the experience of Romanian football and a team that seeks to return to the rhythm of victories. Klafurić, the Croatian coach who seeks to build a more stable and competitive Tirana. In a complicated reality for both teams at the beginning of the season, the derby is not simply a match for prestige, it is the opportunity to change the course of his team. Bratu or Klafurić? The Romanian or the Croatian? The first derby between them comes at a moment when both need a victory more than ever.
The delicate situation that has been recurring for years
Partizani and Tirana will face off in the first big derby of the capital on Sunday, in not very comfortable positions. The two emblematic clubs have in fact been challenged more often in difficulties than for major objectives in recent years, losing the grandeur of the most anticipated clash of the season.
The capital derby, for a little more than two seasons, has lost its usual grandeur, because two teams far from their historical charm have been placed opposite each other, who did not think about big goals, and in the worst case, to avoid survival. Of course, in this prism, even the fans themselves have not been enthusiastic about watching the performance of Partizan Tirana, who come to this first seasonal match in the Abyssnet Superiore as an unimpressive team. With only one victory in the first five matches of the championship, both teams are looking to turn their season around, in the match that they can do best.
The Reds are one of the most broken defenses in the Abyssnet Superiore, with 10 goals allowed in 5 matches, of which they have won only one on the away match against Vllaznia. It is certainly not the start that the Romanian coach was hoping for, who is not enthusiastic in the offensive aspect, with only 7 goals scored. Tirana, on the other hand, has only scored points, 5 against Partizan's 4, but scores a little more, 8, and allows a little less, 9. Not figures worthy of the status of the white and blue, but Klafuric hopes to extend the unbeaten streak that has lasted 3 matches. However, when Partizan and Tirana face each other at Air Albania, at 18.30, in addition to victory, the two coaches also want to see an identity of the teams, to hope for a different season from the one that has started.
