Saturday is the day for the 114th Štajerska league derby: Celje hopes for a record, while Maribor, with a win, would primarily help Olimpija

Published on 9. March 2024 9. March 2024

Photo: Žan Pak

After the cup celebration, the focus of the Slovenian football public returns to the spotlight with the Prva liga Telemach, featuring the upcoming 25th round with two crucial derbies. On Saturday, the Styrian rivals Celje and Maribor clash, while on Sunday, Olimpija will visit Mura, a fixture that always attracts a good crowd in Prekmurje. The double-header on Saturday will kick off in Ljubljana, with the match between Bravo and Aluminij starting at 3:00 PM. The Styrian derby will follow two and a half hours later, at 5:30 PM.

Bravo and Aluminij will play their 15th league encounter, and interestingly, the two clubs are statistically very evenly matched. Bravo has won 5 times, Aluminij 4 times, and 5 matches ended in a draw. The goal difference? 15:13 in favor of Aluminij, visiting the ŽAK stadium for the eighth time, having lost only twice. However, it’s worth noting that Aluminij lost in their last two visits. Bravo is in better form this season with 37 points, 13 more than their current opponent. Also, they remain unbeaten in their last four home matches. Meanwhile, the club from Kidričevo has won twice in their last three away games.

Celje, leading the league table, and Maribor, trailing by 14 points, will play their 114th Styrian derby. Overall, Maribor has been considerably more successful, registering 57 victories. Celje has triumphed only 25 times. The success ratio is also in favor of Maribor in the city of Celje, where they have won 24 times and lost 14 times. The total goal difference is 214:124 in favor of Maribor, and interestingly, the next goal in Celje will be the 100th milestone in away matches. Despite the positive statistics, it’s worth emphasizing that Maribor has not won in their last three matches in Celje, with their last victory dating back to December 4, 2021. Celje won the last two home matches against Maribor with a goal difference of 5:1.

Celje Aiming to Make Amends

“We are in a period with a tough schedule. If we play as we train and follow the coach’s instructions, it will certainly be easier. We were not right against Olimpija, and against Maribor, we want to make amends. We train for such matches; derbies are special. Everyone watches them, and there will be a lot of supporters. Players enjoy such games,” said Romanian midfielder for Celje, Marco Dulca, ahead of the Styrian derby, adding: “I hope for as many spectators as possible; we want support. The atmosphere makes the game better. Fans are our additional support.” It’s not impossible that Celje will record the highest attendance in history of participating in the Prva liga Telemach.

Thoughts from the Maribor camp, where the exit from the cup brought much disappointment, were summarized by experienced midfielder Blaž Vrhovec ahead of the away match. “We all hoped for a cup triumph, unfortunately, it didn’t happen. We had to switch focus to the next game, which will be even tougher than Wednesday’s. The standings show that we face a clash with the best team in the league, and only with the right team performance can we be successful. Beating the current leaders is an additional motivation to confirm what we are doing. Almost everything has been positive in the spring part, and in such moments, character is shaped. We want to squeeze out a few more percentage points of strength, and I believe it will pay off,” emphasized Blaž Vrhovec.

Read also

Celje will be without suspended Damjan Vuklišević, while Maribor will once again have to cope without Martin Milec, who has suffered another injury, facing a considerable time on the sidelines. The availability of the first goalkeeper, Ažbe Jug, remains uncertain, but he was fortunate in his misfortune, as a detailed knee examination revealed that the ligaments remained intact.

This text was automatically translated using AI.

Author: editorial Football Planet