Belgrade giants resume title race

After a break of two months the Serbo-Montenegrin Championship restarts this weekend with each club having 13 games to decide their fate.

Pressure on
With seven teams relegated from the top flight this season, the pressure is greater than ever as the First Division prepares to be cut from 16 clubs to 12. Three teams will be promoted from the Second Division – two from Serbia and one from Montenegro.

Belgrade tussle
FK Crvena Zvezda will resume the championship with a three-point advantage at the top over Belgrade rivals FK Partizan. The defending champions do not have history in their favour having never triumphed at the end of the season after failing to finish the first half as the 'autumn champions'.

Squads strengthened
Both title contenders have reinforced over the winter break. Crvena Zvezda have concentrated on domestic acquisitions with Dušan Andjelković and Dušan Djokić arriving from FK Voždovac, Nenad Milijaš from FK Zemun and Goran Adamović from BSK Borca. Meanwhile, Partizan have looked abroad, bringing Danko Lazović and Zvonimir Vukić home from Feyenoord and Portsmouth FC respectively. However, both players will have to wait for their debut, with Vukić ruled out for two months with a broken foot and Lazović two weeks with a muscle strain.

Pivotal match
The Belgrade derby, a potential title decider, takes place on 1 April when Partizan play host to Crvena Zvezda. The home side will be desperate to win as their city rivals were victorious in the teams' first meeting of the season, and if two clubs end level on points the matches between them will be the decisive factor.

Surprise package
The league's pre-Christmas surprise package was third-placed FK Voždovac, but a repeat performance could be difficult after the sale of Andjelković and Djokić to Crvena Zvezda. Midfielder Ivan Jovanović has also left, moving to Shanghai FC in China. FK Zeta, OFK Beograd and FK Vojvodina also retain hopes of European qualification although OFK have lost defensive duo Branislav Ivanović and Duško Tošić.

Obilić change
Anybody below sixth place will be nervously looking over their shoulders at the expanded relegation zone, while bottom-placed FK Obilić are now under Nebojša Vuèićević after he replaced Dušan Jevrić as coach.