Three rounds before the end, in the vast majority of national football championships in the world, matches can be divided into those that have and those that do not have any result and competitive significance.
However, this is not the case with the Meridianbet 1st Montenegrin Football League ahead of today's extraordinary 34th round. In each of the five matches, the game means something to at least one of the two teams. The benefits of a championship with ten teams...
Buducnost has long since won the title, but is playing for a record: it wants to equal the series of consecutive matches without defeat. Its rival, Jezero, is struggling to survive.
Second-placed Petrovac, along with Buducnost, is perhaps the only team that "can neither go up nor down", having secured second place and a place in Europe (if it gets a license), but its rival Bokelj SBBet has not yet secured survival without a play-off.
Sutjeska wants to maintain third place and, possibly, jump into the Conference League qualifiers if one of its rivals, Buducnost or Pertrovac, does not get a license, while today's opponent Nikšić, last in the table Otrant-Olimpik, is fighting for its bare first league life.
Dečić is attacking third place, held by Sutjeska, and its rival, Jedinstvo, despite a great series, has not yet secured survival without a playoff.
Neither is Arsenal, who welcome Mornar in Tivat - the Barani have fallen into the play-off zone with a series of desperate results and are looking to pull out in the last three rounds.
It is expected, therefore, that everything will be explosive in today's five matches of the 34th round, which, according to tradition, are played at the same time (17.30:XNUMX PM) due to regularity.
Leader Buducnost is on a terrible winning streak against teams from the seaside, not even the mathematical confirmation of the title "bothered" them (5:0 against Arsenal, 4:0 against Bokelj, 3:0 against Mornar, 1:0 against Otranto), and today they will try to continue the streak against the team from the north - Jezera.
The Plav team have beaten Ivan Brnović's team twice this season, once in the fall and against Gorica (1:1), and now they will try to get perhaps crucial points.
Not under Gorica, because the match is being played at the "DG Arena" due to the reconstruction of the turf of our largest stadium.
Buducnost, on the other hand, wants to tie the 20th match without defeat. They also want 22, in the remaining two rounds, which would equal their own record - the team they led in 2022. Mladen Milinković.
- We have another tough game ahead of us, the opponent is unpleasant, and they will certainly have a great motivation because they need every point until the end. We respect their wish, after all, they have already managed to thwart us twice this season, but we know what Buducnost's goal is from Sunday to Sunday - says the Buducnost defender Petar Vuković, who played for Jezero.
He "bought" a ticket to return to the ranks of the new champion through Plavljani.
- Jezero is an organized team with good individuals, I played there for a long time, I know what kind of character those guys have and I am aware that we are playing against a fighting team that has a strong team spirit. That is their strongest asset - Vuković is clear.
- I'm overjoyed that we won the title, we're all satisfied, but we don't want to stop there, because every weekend is a new challenge. I'm satisfied with the performance I had during the season, also with the minutes I got in a healthy and strong competition, which further motivates me to work even harder and with better quality - said the 23-year-old left back.
Pairs of the 34th round
PETROVAC - BOKELJ (17.30)
Referee: Miloš Bošković (Podgorica)
ARSENAL - MARINAR (17.30)
Referee: Miloš Savović (Podgorica)
SUTJESKA - OTRANT (17.30)
Referee: Nikola Dabanović (Podgorica)
THE FUTURE - LAKE (17.30)
Referee: Savo Vujović (Cetinje)
DEČIĆ - JEDINSTVO (17.30:XNUMX p.m.)
Referee: Lazar Čađenović (Podgorica)
Bonus video:
