The end of the thrilling and unpredictable regular season in the Premier VRL League is fast approaching. The matches for the penultimate, 13th round are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Tuesday, clubs whose long-standing rivalry dates back decades will meet in Kotor. Primorac will welcome Jadran in the “Boka Bay Derby”. Currently, the two teams are in second and third place, respectively. However, the home team, Primorac, has a slight advantage, having defeated Jadran 15-14 in their previous matchup in Herceg Novi. If Primorac secures three points in tomorrow’s game, it will mathematically guarantee a spot in the Final Four, regardless of the outcomes of other matches. On the other hand, Jadran needs a 2-goal triumph to be placed better than Primorac in the standings and take care of all worries about qualifications for the F4 and relieve before the 14th round.
The best Montenegrin clubs are returning to the regional scene after the challenge in the European Cup. Primorac defeated Jug by a single goal in the first match of the round of 16, which was postponed several times. Three days later, Jadran ended its European campaign for this season, having lost in the return match against Panathinaikos in a penalty shootout.
Photo by Vuk Ilic
Primorac and Jadran will face off for the third time this season. Apart from the VRL league, they also met in the final of the Montenegrin Cup, and Jadran won 13:12. Based on the performances the teams have shown so far this season, the lineups, and the current standings, another unpredictable match between two similarly skilled clubs is in sight. The stakes are high. Even when the matches between Primorac and Jadran lack significant competitive importance, the eternal derby of Montenegrin water polo remains a major motivation for all players.
Crvena Zvezda will host Radnicki on Tuesday in the first match of the 13th round. The Kragujevac-based team does not have a result imperative, considering that Radnicki is the only one to have secured a spot in the Final Four for now, and also the top position in the table. In any case, Radnicki will not easily give up points to Crvena zvezda, for which a possible surprise and triumph would mean a lot in the fight for the best possible starting position before the play-offs of the Serbian Championship.
Two matches are on the programme on Wednesday.
The Sabac vs. Novi Beograd game is scheduled for 20:30. This match is important for qualifying for the final tournament. However, Novi Beograd announced in a press release that it has withdrawn from the league.
Partizan will play against Buducnost at the Banjica pool in Belgrade. Both clubs have long been out of the race for the Final Four. The Black and Whites have been buoyed by increasingly better performances in the second half of the season, especially by victories over Sabac and Crvena Zvezda. They want to get revenge on Buducnost for the defeat in Podgorica, and if they succeed, they would probably secure sixth place in the Premier League and fourth place before the play-offs of the Serbian Championship. The team from Podgorica does not want to end the league at the bottom of the table either, and the match in Belgrade is practically its last chance to avoid eighth place.
Premier VRL League, Round 13
Tuesday, March 10
Crvena Zvezda – Radnicki at 16:30
Primorac – Jadran m:tel u 18:00
Wednesday, March 11
Partizan – Buducnost One at 19:00
Sabac Elixir – Novi Beograd Tehnomanija u 20.30
- Radnicki 12 – 31
- Jadran m:tel 12 – 25
- Primorac 12 – 25
- Novi Beograd Tehnomanija 12 – 23
- Sabac Elixir 12 – 22
- Crvena Zvezda 12 – 9
- Partizan 12 – 6
- Buducnost One 12 – 3
Visit the Premier League’s page on Total Waterpolo Arena for the live scores, schedule and standings.
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
