Bitter winter harms Budućnost

FK Budućnost's position at the top of the Montenegrin table could immediately come under threat as the inaugural league season kicks off again on Saturday.

Budućnost upset
Three points clear at the summit going into the winter break, the Podgorica side are yet to lose a league game this season, but as they travel to FK Mogren in Budva they are a very different side from the one that thrived in the autumn. Three points behind in second place, FK Zeta are waiting to pounce.

Božović quits
Coach Miodrag Božović quit Budućnost midway through the winter, claiming that pressure from club directors over team performances had made his position untenable. "From the start of the season I had a sword hanging over my head," he complained. His replacement, Branislav Milačić, may argue that his position is even tougher.

New striker
The transfer of top striker Igor Burzanović to Serbian giants FK Crvena Zvezda has left a gaping hole in the Budućnost attacking line. Former Zeta forward Dražen Milić, who has joined the club from Albanian side KS Vllaznia, has been charged with replacing the man who led the club for three and a half seasons.

Midfield rock
More worrying for the new coach will be the departure of midfield rock Goran Trobok for FK Smederevo. The former Serbian international had helped Budućnost create the meanest defence in the league, and the onus may now be on 19-year-old attacking midfielder Milan Djurišić to compensate with more goals going forward.

Zeta excited
Meanwhile in Golubovci, Zeta coach Dejan Vukićević has been watching with interest. The club allowed Branislav Vukomanović to leave recently for FC Artmedia in Slovakia, but his absence may not be felt too keenly as Vukićević has ready-made replacements for the left-footed midfielder in Under-21 internationals Nenad Djurović and Darko Marković.

European slots
No side have much chance of challenging the top two for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup slots for next season, but a place in this summer's UEFA Intertoto Cup may well be on offer for the team which finishes third, meaning that FK Grbalj, led by former Budućnost coach Božović, and FK Petrovac could yet be on target to make European debuts.

Cup chances
The Montenegrin Cup will give Grbalj another chance of a European place, with the winner of their semi-final against FK Sutjeska earning a final appearance versus either Zeta or FK Rudar Pljevlja. Should Zeta win that match, it would all but guarantee the winner of the other tie a UEFA Cup place regardless of the result of the final.

Relegation worries
Sutjeska still have relegation worries as well as European dreams, but things are a little more troubling for bottom side FK Jedinstvo, who are occupying the only relegation spot in the 12-team league. The sides who finish second and third from bottom will play off against the second and third placed sides in the second division at the end of the season.