With three rounds remaining until the end of the season, Rabotnihcki holds the pole position in the First League and also awaits the Macedonian Cup final against Metalurg.
We caught up today with Borche Manevski, Rabotnichki’s leading goalscorer, to talk about the final three matches in the League and also the Cup final against Metalurg.
Rabotnichki has won the First League title on three occasions, while they have lifted the Macedonian Cup trophy twice. In the 2007-08 season, they managed to win both trophies and this season they have a great of accomplishing that feat again.
MF: Three rounds to go, you find yourself in first place on the table and also await the Cup final against Metalurg. Can Rabotnichki win the double?
BM: We can do it. We have quality, are motivated and stand a good chance. The derby against Vardar tomorrow will be an important step towards the title and a nice way in proving our ambitions.
Rabotnichki has not qualified for a European competition the past two seasons, but despite that they still have the highest coefficient from all the Macedonian clubs. With a little luck, they can make a surprise, as they did several years ago when they reached the play-off round of the Europa League qualifications where they lost to Italian Serie A side Lazio. Rabotnichki has a good mix of several experienced players such as Manevski, Bazhe Ilijoski, Stephan Vujcic and Bazhe Todorovski along with talented youngsters such as Kire Markoski and Tauljant Sulejmanov.
MF: You have experience playing in both the domestic championship and abroad. Do you have clear plans about your next steps after the end of this season?
BM: At the moment, I am only focused on the current season. For all future plans, I will only consider once this season ends.
MF: The match against Vardar will surely be a big challenge for Rabotnichki. How do you like your chances of notching the win?
BM: We are preparing for this match like we do with any other game. We know the importance. We have played well recently and tomorrow we will try to use every chance that will come our way.
The championship race is still wide open. Rabotnichki has a 4 point advantage over Vardar which can be increased to an unreachable 7 points with a win or narrowed down to 1 point with a loss. There are three rounds to be played and besides Rabotnichki and Vardar, other teams like Horizont Turnovo and Metalurg are very much in the race to become champions as well. Pelister, meanwhile, has seen its form drop, but they are still competing for a spot that will lead to the Europa League qualifications. In any case, three interesting rounds await us as the season winds down.