FC Maribor starts the spring part of the championship – which it's entering with three points ahead of Olimpija – on Sunday at 3 p.m. with a home match against Aluminij. According to the original plan, the match should have been on Saturday but was postponed on the next day due to snow. The matches between Rudar - Domžale and Krško - Gorica will not be played until April.

Last autumn, Zahovič said that Maribor will be the champion if Olimpija was less than six points ahead before winter. How does he comment the situation now? "At that time, I made this statement because I wanted to motivate players and warn them against Olimpija, which had very continuous results. I wanted to make sure they would not only think about the Champions League, but also about the home championship. That's what we did, our players have overtaken Olimpija. The competitors must now chase us, and we must keep the continuity, "said the sports director of the "Purple" in a conversation for the online television of the club, commenting on topical issues.

As in the last few years, the players of FB Maribor have done most of the preparations in Belek, Turkey. "The results were not exactly what we expected, but I was not afraid. The results were the consequence of top-class work, the players were tired," Zahovič commented in his own style.

In contrast to Maribor, Olimpija will also compete for the Slovenian Football Cup. In the semi-finals in April, Olimpija will play two matches against Celje, which will also be its first competitor this Sunday at 4.55 p.m.