There are only three rounds left in the Premier League regular season, and the race for places in the Final Four is still wide open.
Five teams still have a realistic chance of qualifying for the final tournament. It is almost certain that the current leader, Radnicki, will reach the finals, as it has accumulated 28 points so far—eight more than fifth-placed Novi Beograd, with which it has a better head-to-head record.
Just one point in the remaining three rounds is enough for the Kragujevac team to secure its spot in the Final Four. It will have its first opportunity to secure its ticket for F4 on Saturday at home in one of the 12th-round derbies.
Buoyed by a 15:10 away victory over Barcelona in the first match of the Euro Cup Round of 16, Radnicki hosts Primorac, the second-placed team in the standings (Saturday, 20:00). The Kotor-based team is also a participant in the round of 16 of the Euro Cup, but its first match against Jug has been postponed.
Radnicki will face Primorac with an even stronger squad than the one that played in Spain, as the most experienced players, Andrija Prlainovic and Dusko Pijetlovic, who did not travel to Catalonia due to a tight schedule, return for the Premier League derby. Of course, Radnicki, which defeated Primorac 13:7 in the first part of the season, is not aiming for just one, but all three points. With a win, it would secure not only a ticket to the Final Four, but also first place before the final tournament.
On the other hand, Primorac’s performances so far still give the visiting team reason for optimism, despite the host being the favorite. Away points would be worth their weight in gold. Primorac is currently second with 25 points, but is the only of the five F4 candidates that will not play a single match against teams ranked below fifth place until the end of the league. In the 13th round, Primorac will welcome Jadran in the “Boka Bay derby”, and in the last round, it will play against Novi Beograd in Belgrade.
Besides the match in Kragujevac, the clubs participating in the round of 16 of the European Cup will also face off in Herceg Novi. On Sunday, Jadran will welcome Sabac. The two teams currently share third and fourth place, with 22 points each. This week, both teams faced defeats in their Euro Cup matches, but they returned home with different emotions. Jadran lost a closely contested match against Panathinaikos in Athens (10:11), leaving it with a strong chance to advance to the quarterfinals. In contrast, Sabac suffered a heavy defeat to Sabadell (3:11) and continued to play with ups and downs in the second half of the season. Sabac defeated Jadran at home less than three months ago (12:10). If the Serbs give their best, this match is sure to be an exciting derby.
Fifth-placed Novi Beograd will play against Buducnost in Podgorica. Anything but a triumph for the visitors would be sensational, and after the match in Podgorica, Novi Beograd water polo players will be waiting for news from Herceg Novi and a result that would return them to the top half of the table. They are currently two points behind Jadran and Sabac.
In Belgrade, Partizan and Crvena Zvezda will meet in an “Eternal Derby”, and the match will be useful for them in improving their form before the start of the Serbian Championship.
Premier VRL League, Round 12
Saturday, February 28
Buducnost One – Novi Beograd Tehnomanija at 16:30
Partizan – Crvena Zvezda 19:00
Radnicki – Primorac at 20:00
Sunday, March 1
Jadran m:tel – Sabac Elixir at 19:00
- Radnicki 11 – 28
- Primorac 11 – 25
- Sabac Elixir 11 – 22
- Jadran m:tel 11 – 22
- Novi Beograd Tehnomanija 11 – 20
- Crvena Zvezda 11 – 9
- Partizan 11 – 3
- Buducnost One 11 – 3
Visit the Premier League’s page on Total Waterpolo Arena for the live scores, schedule and standings.
You’ll find the First League’s schedule and results on First League’s page on Total Water Polo Arena
More articles about VRL Premier and First Leagues
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: total-waterpolo.com
