Six Macedonian top league clubs spent their winter preparations in the popular Turkish sports resort of Antalya. Here is how they performed in the friendly matches.
photo by Crvena Zvezda: team photo of Sileks and Crvena Zvezda before their encounter.
Those 6 teams (listed by order of current standings) happen to be the top 6 on the table. By Monday, every club would have returned to Macedonia. They played a total of 30 friendlies in Turkey accumulating 7 wins, 10 draws and 13 losses.
Leaders Shkendija played 4 matches recording 1 defeat, 2 wins and a draw.
1:2 vs. Zürich
4:1 vs. Olimpik
0:0 vs. Dinamo
2:0 vs. Qəbələ

National team teammates Arijan Ademi and Ferhan Hasani captained their teams as they faced in Turkey; photo: KF Shkendija
Holders Vardar was among the most active teams playing 6 games. They celebrated 3 times, lost 2 and draw once.
0:2 vs. Pakhtakor
1:0 vs. Beroe
0:1 vs. Chornomorets
3:0 vs. Zagłębie
2:2 vs. Slovácko
1:0 vs. Dukla

Vanja Markovič, Tigran Barseghyan, Boban Grncharov and Juan Felipe in Vardar’s wall against Dukla; photo: FK Vardar
Third-placed Sileks also played 6 matches recording 3 defeats, 2 draws and only 1 win. Half of their games were against Russian teams.
0:3 vs. Orenburg
1:2 vs. Luch-Energiya
1:1 vs. Arka
3:0 vs. Neftçi
1:1 vs. Crvena Zvezda
0:1 vs. Kuban
Akademija Pandev, like Vardar and Sileks, played 6 games, but they failed to win recording 4 loses and 2 draws. Each time they played they faced an opponent from different country.
0:1 vs. Yenisey
1:4 vs. Cracovia
0:1 vs. Mladost Lučani
1:1 vs. Sumqayıt
0:3 vs. Prishtina
2:2 vs. Daejeon Citizen

Players of Akademija Pandev and Yenisey shake hands before the game; photo: FK Akademija Pandev
Rabotnichki played only 3 friendly games in Turkey, the lowest of all. Winless as well, with 2 defeats and a draw.
1:2 vs. Qəbələ
0:1 vs. Keşlə
1:1 vs. Mariupol

Moment of the game between Mariupol and Rabotnichki; photo: FK Mariupol
Shkupi had trouble scoring. In the 5 games they failed to score on 3 recording 3 draws, 1 win and 1 defeat.
0:0 vs. Qarabağ
0:0 vs. Stal
0:2 vs. Čelik
1:1 vs. Chornomorets
2:1 vs. Okzhetpes

Players of Shkupi celebrate Stephan Vujčić’s goal against Chornomorets; photo: FC Shkupi