The matches of the penultimate round of the Meridianbet 1st Montenegrin football league are on the program today, and next Saturday the curtain will be lowered on the autumn part.
The eighteenth round brings a duel between the leaders and the current champion, teams that fought for the title in the previous two seasons. This fall, that is not the case - Budućnost has a unique opportunity to escape third-placed Dečić Admiralbet by as many as 16 points in the standings.
That will happen if he beats him under Gorica (14 p.m.).
- We only take care of ourselves, as always, we go match by match. We are absolutely ready for the derby, we hope for a nice atmosphere and as many fans as possible - said coach of Budućnost Ivan Brnović.
The future, therefore, is distracted and awaits the match with the biggest rival for the title, at least that's how it should have been before the start of the season. The point advantage saved the "blue" from the usual pressure.
Dečić, however, was "relieved". In view of the point deficit, few - or no one - in Tuzi is thinking about the title, but it is far from lacking competitive motives.
- We are in a good series, we made it to the semi-finals of the Cup, which was the most important thing for us when it comes to the end of the autumn part of the season. We still have a real chance to attack the trophy in the second part, and that's the only one we don't have - says Dečić midfielder, recent young national team member Andrej Bajović.
And the championship...
- We don't look at the table, Buducnost made a big difference, our only goal is to play well, to collect points, to win. We'll see how far that takes us. The same is the case today, there is no need to waste words on the rival, Buducnost has a lot of quality rivals, the difference it has made speaks volumes. However, we come with the intention of playing a good match and I'm sure we have a chance - Bajović added.
Therefore, Dečić is probably no longer a rival of Buducnost for the title, or to rephrase - today he has the last chance to reduce the difference to 10 points with a possible victory.
Who is the main rival of the "blues", is there one? Petrovac lost nine points behind in the match between them on Wednesday, and today they play an important match - for Europe.
The rival is Mornar (13 p.m., Mitar-Mićo Goliš stadium), which is sixth in the standings, with eight points less than Petrovčani, but still has European ambitions. Zdravko Dragićević's team still has a chance to get involved, as they are visiting Gorica next Saturday, but rather it is the chance of Buducnost to solve everything today against Dečić and in six days against Petrovac.
- Dečić, now we can say that, is our old rival. Their form is definitely on the upswing, they made it to the semi-finals of the Cup, won two championships, and it is certain that they come to Gorica with great self-confidence. I hope for a good field, rain has been announced, which can affect the quality of the grass surface, therefore the game - added Ivan Brnović, who is not counting on the injured attackers Pavlović and Bojović.
Arsenal welcomes Jezero in Tivat (13 p.m.) and has a chance to definitely join the race for Europe with a win. Bokelj was in the same position three rounds ago, so he stopped a bit, but he has a chance again if Otrant wins in Kotor (also 13 p.m.).
At the same time, Sutjeska and Jedinstvo Franca play in Nikšić, which tied for three defeats. A great chance for Milija Savović's team to break through in the end of the autumn season and escape from the danger zone after the victory over Jezera in the last round
Pairs of the 18th round
PETROVAC - SAILOR (13 p.m.)
Referee: Nikola Vođević (Nikšić)
BOKELJ - OTRANT (13)
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (Podgorica)
ARSENAL - LAKE (13)
Referee: Dejan Marković (Bar)
SUTJESKA - UNITY (13)
Referee: Ivan Šarac (Cetinje)
THE FUTURE - DEČIĆ (14 p.m.)
Referee: Savo Vujović (Cetinje)
Table
1. THE FUTURE 17 12 3 2 34:9 39
2. PETROVAC 17 9 3 5 21:16 30
3. DEČIĆ 17 6 8 3 17:13 26
4. ARSENAL 17 6 6 5 20:18 24
5. BOKELJ 17 7 3 7 17:19 24
6. SAILOR 17 6 4 7 19:22 22
7. SUTJESKA 17 5 5 7 15:17 20
8. UNITY 17 6 2 9 19:29 20
9. OTRANT 17 3 5 9 14:23 14
10. LAKE 17 2 7 8 10:20 13
Pairs of the 19th round (Saturday, December 7): Budućnost - Petrovac, Sutjeska - Dečić AdmiralBet, Arsenal - Jedinstvo Franca, Bokelj - SBBet - Jezero, Mornar - Otrant-Olympic.
Bonus video:
