Partizan Belgrade can clich their first title in three years with a victory on Saturday over Hajduk Kula and a loss or draw for Zvezda (Red Star) who host OFK Beograd. If Partizan stumble, then we could see a really thrilling final week of matches.
The race for a possible UEFA Cup and/or Intertoto Spot is really heating up as only two sides cannot reach that plateau. Removing Bezanija who are relegated, Banat with 28 points can only hope to avoid direct relegation with their remaining matches at 3rd placed Vojvodina on Saturday followed by a home match against 4th placed Borac. With Borac in 4th place and trying to get a potential first ever spot in Europe, that match will be extremely tough. Borac's match on Saturday is at home against Smederevo (who are in 9th place with 33 points). Smederevo is also trying to avoid relegation and being tied with OFK in 10th place on points (but with a superior goal difference), they know a win would secure them 1st division football next year.
Here is a review of all the matches on Saturday:
Bezanija v Napredak
Bezanija will probably not put too much of an effort in this match. Napredak looked like they would return to the 2nd division, but with some strong recent form know that a win here will secure them a 2nd season in the top flight. Napredak are also still in the hunt for a potential spot in Europe, so 3 points here will be necessary. Napredak's last match of the seaon is a home match against Partizan and will probably hope that the league title is taken care of this weekend so that Partizan field a lesser side.
Cukaricki v Mladost Lucani
Cukaricki are currently in 6th place with 37 points with Mladost only two points behind with 35. Both sides know that a victory will keep them safe but a draw here could be problematic depending on the result. If Cukaricki win and Napredak lose, the would be in the driver's seat for a potential UEFA spot.
Partizan v Kula
This is clearly a must win for Partizan. Considering that Zvezda are right behind them, they know a win will put them one step closer to winning the league. Zvezda have the better goal difference, so if by any weird fluke the two teams finish tied on points at the end of the season, Zvezda would pip them for the title. Kula are currently in 7th place with 36 points, so if they could steal a point should be enough to keep them in the first division. If they lose, they could be in the relegation playoff spot.
Vojvodina v Banat
Vojvodina have nothing to play for, with them comfortably in 3rd place, this will be more or less a match to give their players some practice and to get the attention of the rest of Europe for the Summer transfer market. Banat would need to win this and their last match (against Borac Cacak) and a lot of other help to avoid relegation. If they've already given up, then this match will do nothing to affect the standings.
Borac v Smederevo
Borac would love nothing more than to win this match and to clinch at least a UEFA Intertoto Cup spot. This club has never reached a UEFA Club competition and this would be a real boost for the club (as we already know the first match a Serbian Club will face in the tournament will be another club from Greece). A win, along with a Napredak loss on Saturday will give them this, so expect Borac to go all out in this match. Smederevo on the other hand are trying to avoid finishing in 10th place and the Relegation playoff. They have been extremely inconsistent this season (mind you, so have all the clubs in Serbia), so this too is a must-win for them. They do have the better goal difference over OFK, so even if they do lose on Saturday, OFK have to play Zvezda (below), so they still might be in control of their destiny.
Zvezda v OFK
You have to feel for OFK. Many people had hoped that they would compete with Vojvodina for a UEFA Cup spot, but have been really been poor this season. They recently hired former Zvezda and Champions Cup winning coach Ljupko Petrovic to help them out. They played Partizan on Wednesday, lead after only two minutes, but gave up three goals before half-time and lost the match. Now they must play Zvezda in a must win for both sides. If Zvezda lose, they give up the title to Partizan. IF OFK lose, then unless Smederevo also lost, will be forced to play in the Relegation Playoff. Even a draw here might not be enough to help these sides. Most of Serbia will be watching this match and it should be quite a contest.
This has been an incredible season and the last two matches are proof of that. I'll give my impressions of Saturday's matches after they finish and we should see even more clarity of what the future holds for the 12 clubs of the Serbian SuperLiga.