The derby of Matchday 13 will be played in Struga, where the „Reds and Blacks“ travel with the clear ambition of defending first place and repeating their success from the first phase. Ahead of this clash, Almir Kryeziu highlighted the importance of this derby, proper physical and psychological preparation, as well as the clear objective of the Reds and Blacks to achieve a positive result.
„Such derby clashes are something special for every footballer – we all live for matches like these! The motivation comes naturally when the first- and second-placed teams meet directly on the pitch,“ Kryeziu said.
The teams that have offered by far the highest level of football quality so far in the championship will face each other. Shkëndija enter the match with the authority of league leaders, but the current hosts are in tremendous form and will not back down in front of their home crowd.
„I believe the spectators will enjoy top-class football. We are the leaders, but Struga have been playing phenomenally lately. We have already beaten them once this season, but they have found an excellent rhythm and I expect an extremely difficult match. This is a clash between the teams that have shown the most, and we must give 200% of ourselves to justify the derby of the round label,“ added the fleet-footed forward.
The mathematics and tradition are smiling on the team from Tetovo. Shkëndija are unbeaten in their last 7 clashes against Struga (3 wins, including the dramatic penalty shootout victory in the Cup after a 2:2 draw, as well as 4 draws).
The Struga-Shkëndija match will be played on Saturday at 12:00 in Struga, with referee Stojanche Trpchevski in charge.
