Tonight’s encounter with the Lithuanian side is a fine occasion to remember just what has happened at the club since we last met the side from Marijampolė.
In the summer of 2018 we met FK Sūduva in the Second Qualifying Round after a 2-0 aggregate win over Spartaks Jūrmala.
In the 357 days between our meetings, quite a lot has happened in Belgrade. Victories over Spartak Trnava and Red Bull Salzburg gave us historic UEFA Champions League group stage qualification which was awaited by the fans for over two decades.
Four points won may not seem like a huge success, but considering where the club has been just a couple of seasons previously, a point in the opening tie against Napoli and the glorious home victory over Liverpool, the eventual winners of the competition, gave us a lot of pride and joy.
Along with the European campaign, Vladan Milojević’s team kept plugging away in the domestic competitions, breaking the record for the longest streak of matches unbeaten in the Superliga on the way. Defeat at the hands of Čukarički ended an eye-catching run of 57 matches in which our team hadn’t been defeated.
Still, it proved to be a minor setback as the red and whites retained the Superliga crown after holding the top spot over all 37 matchdays.
In total we played 54 matches in the period between two Sūduva ties and we won 34 of them while suffering only six defeats.
We’re hoping for another successful season!