2017–18 NK Maribor season
The 2017–18 season was the 58th season in the history of Nogometni klub Maribor. It began on 1 June 2017 and concluded on 31 May 2018, with competitive matches played between July and May. It was the first season since 2007–08 in which Maribor did not win a single trophy during the season as the team lost the league title to Olimpija Ljubljana due to worse head-to-head record after finishing with the same number of points (80) in 36 rounds. Olimpija also eliminated Maribor in the quarter-finals of the Slovenian Cup. However, Maribor fared better in European competitions as the team reached the group stages of the UEFA Champions League for the third time in club's history.
| 2017–18 season | |
|---|---|
| President | Drago Cotar |
| Head Coach | Darko Milanič |
| Stadium | Ljudski vrt |
| Slovenian League | Runners-up |
| Slovenian Cup | Quarter-finals |
| Champions League | Group stage |
| Top goalscorer | League: Luka Zahović (18) All: Marcos Tavares (22) |
| Highest home attendance | 12,566 vs Spartak (13 September 2017) |
| Lowest home attendance | 1,000 vs Gorica (2 December 2017)[1] |
| Average home league attendance | 3,509[2] |
32 different players represented the club in three competitions and there were 17 different goalscorers. Maribor's top goalscorer was Marcos Tavares, who scored 22 goals in 47 games.
Transfers edit
In June 2017, Maribor signed Jean-Claude Billong and Jasmin Mešanović, both on a free transfer. Mešanović signed from Bosnian team Zrinjski Mostar, who were Maribor's opponents in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Dejan Vokić, Martin Kramarič and Sunny Omoregie returned to squad after their loan spells ended.[3] On 6 August 2017, Maribor signed Martin Milec, who already played for the club between 2010 and 2014.[4] Dare Vršič, who was selected as the best player of the 2016–17 Slovenian PrvaLiga season, has re-signed with Maribor on 29 August 2017 after his previous contract with the club ran out after the 2016–17 season.[5] On the same day, Maribor signed forward Adnan Ahmetović, who was the top goalscorer of the 2016–17 Slovenian U19 League.[6] On the last day of the summer transfer window, Maribor acquired Israeli player Lior Inbrum on a season-long loan from Gent.[7] In December 2017, Maribor announced a two new signings, a Malian defender Kassim Doumbia from FH and a Bosnian goalkeeper Kenan Pirić from Zrinjski. However, Maribor and Zrinjski reached an agreement that Pirić would stay at Zrinjski until the end of the season before joining Maribor in July 2018.[8] On 12 January 2018, Maribor signed a Serbian defender Saša Ivković from Voždovac until 2021 for an undisclosed transfer fee.[9] On 25 January 2018, Maribor acquired the Slovenian under-21 international forward Jan Mlakar from Fiorentina on a free transfer.[10] On 13 February 2018, Maribor signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Romanian defensive midfielder Alexandru Crețu, who previously played for Maribor's "eternal rivals" Olimpija Ljubljana.[11]
Milivoje Novaković, who scored twelve goals in all competitions during the previous season, has retired. Defender Rodrigo Defendi and midfielder Sintayehu Sallalich have left the club after their contract ran out. On 1 August 2017, Žan Celar transferred to the Italian side Roma for a transfer fee of about €1 million.[12] In December 2017, Jean-Claude Billong moved to the Serie A team Benevento for an undisclosed transfer fee, believed to be around €2 million.[13] In January 2018, Matej Palčič left for Wisła Kraków.[14] On the last day of the winter transfer window, Marwan Kabha signed with Hapoel Be'er Sheva.[15]
| In
| Out
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| Loans in
| Loans out
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- ^ Originally announced as a season-long loan; however, Inbrum returned to Gent in January 2018.
Slovenian League edit
The 2017–18 season of the Slovenian PrvaLiga saw 10 teams play 36 matches; four against every other team, with two matches at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season the top team qualified for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League; teams in second and third qualified for the qualifying stages of the UEFA Europa League instead. The fixture list was released on 22 June 2017.[31]
July–September edit
Maribor hosted Aluminij at Ljudski vrt on the opening weekend of the season. Aleks Pihler scored the only goal of the game early in the second half.[32] In the second round, Maribor played against newly promoted Triglav Kranj. After 60 minutes, Triglav were leading 2–0; however, Maribor managed to turn the game around, scoring three goals in the last twenty minutes for a 3–2 victory.[33] One week later, Maribor defeated Rudar Velenje 1–0 for the third consecutive league victory.[34] Maribor ended July in second place with the same number of points (nine) as Olimpija Ljubljana.[35] In the first week of August, Maribor defeated Ankaran Hrvatini 5–1 away from home, topping the league for the first time in the season.[36] In the fifth round, Maribor failed to win a match for the first time in the season after a goalless draw against Domžale.[37] A 95th-minute goal by Aleks Pihler secured three points against Krško in a 3–2 victory. Head coach Darko Milanič has made several changes to the starting lineup with a purpose to rest the players for the return leg of the Champions League play-offs against Hapoel Be'er-Sheva.[38] The first derby of the season between "eternal rivals" Olimpija and Maribor, contested on 27 August 2017 at the Stožice Stadium in Ljubljana, has ended in a goalless draw.[39]
After the international break in early September, Maribor contested in another goalless draw, this time against Celje at home.[40] In the ninth round, a brace from Jasmin Mešanović secured three points against Gorica in a 3–0 victory.[41] Maribor won another game with a score of 3–2 after a comeback in the last twenty minutes, this time against Aluminij; in this match, Lior Inbrum was sent-off on his debut appearance for the club.[42] After two consecutive victories, Maribor contested in yet another goalless draw against Triglav at home.[43]
October–December edit
In October, Maribor played three league games, against Ankaran Hrvatini at home and against Rudar Velenje and Domžale away, narrowly winning all three games, scoring four goals and conceding one.[44] Three out of four team goals were scored by Mešanović.[45] In the first week of November, Maribor secured their highest win of the season after defeating Krško 5–0, with a hat-trick scored by team captain Marcos Tavares and a brace by Aleksander Rajčević.[46] In the second "Eternal derby" of the season on 17 November 2017, Maribor defeated Olimpija 1–0 at home in front of 9,000 spectators with another goal scored by Tavares, topping the league table for the first time since early August.[47] However, in the next round, Maribor suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 2–1 in the "Styrian derby" against Celje. In this match, Tavares scored his 130th goal in the Slovenian top division, tying himself with Štefan Škaper as the all-time top goalscorer in the PrvaLiga.[48] Tavares became the sole record holder when he scored a winning goal in the next round against Gorica in a 2–1 victory.[49] In the last round of the autumn part of the season, Maribor should have played against Aluminij, but the match was postponed to February 2018 due to snowy conditions.[50] Before the winter break, Maribor were top of the league with 43 points out of 18 games.
February–May edit
Maribor began the spring part of the season with a goalless draw at home against Aluminij on 25 February 2018.[51] After the match against Triglav was postponed due to snow, Maribor contested in another home draw against Rudar and dropped to second place by early March, behind their rivals Olimpija.[52][53] Maribor won their first match in the spring part of the season on 10 March after defeating Ankaran Hrvatini 3–0 with a goals by Dare Vršič, Luka Zahović, and Jasmin Mešanović, before suffering their first home defeat of the season in the next round against Domžale.[54][55] This was followed by another home defeat, this time against Krško. After the match, during the press conference, Zlatko Zahovič, a Director of Football at Maribor, made a personal attack against the journalist of the sports newspaper EkipaSN, which caused a major controversy among the media and the public.[56][57] As a result, Zahovič was suspended by the club and the Football Association of Slovenia.[58][59] In the third "Eternal derby" of the season, Maribor and Olimpija drew 1–1 in Ljubljana as Olimpija retained a ten-point lead over Maribor after 25 matches.[60] In the 26th round, Maribor ended their home ground winless drought after defeating Celje 3–2 with a hat-trick by Luka Zahović.[61] At Stanko Mlakar Stadium, Maribor equalised their highest win of the season as they defeated Triglav 5–0 in a previously postponed match.[62] In the next round, however, Maribor surpassed this record as they defeated Gorica 6–0 in Nova Gorica, extending their winning streak to three games, in which the team scored fourteen goals.[63] In the two remaining games of April, Maribor defeated Aluminij and Triglav, reducing Olimpija's lead to only one point.[64][65] Maribor began the last month of the season with another two victories, over Rudar and Ankaran, extending their winning streak to seven games,[66] before drawing 1–1 with Domžale in the 32nd round after a 91st-minute equalizer by Tavares.[67] In the next round, Maribor topped the league table for the first time since late February after defeating Krško 2–1 at Matija Gubec Stadium, while Olimpija dropped points against Ankaran.[68] In the last derby of the season on 19 May, Maribor lost 3–2 to Olimpija after Andrés Vombergar's last-minute winner in front of 12,166 spectators, again dropping to second place.[69] Maribor have won two remaining matches, 4–0 and 2–0 against Celje and Gorica, respectively, but lost the league title to Olimpija with the same number of points, but worse head-to-head record.[70][71]
Matches edit
| 22 July 2017 2 | Triglav Kranj | 2–3 | Maribor | Kranj |
| 16:50 CEST | Report | Stadium: Stanko Mlakar Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Damir Skomina |
| 29 July 2017 3 | Maribor | 1–0 | Rudar Velenje | Maribor |
| 20:20 CEST | Report |
| Stadium: Ljudski vrt Attendance: 2,200 Referee: Rade Obrenović |
| 6 August 2017 4 | Ankaran Hrvatini | 1–5 | Maribor | Dravograd |
| 16:50 CEST |
| Report | Stadium: Dravograd Sports Centre Attendance: 1,350 Referee: Roman Glažar |
| 17 September 2017 9 | Gorica | 0–3 | Maribor | Nova Gorica |
| 18:00 CEST | Report | Stadium: Sports Park Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Damir Skomina |
| 30 September 2017 11 | Maribor | 0–0 | Triglav Kranj | Maribor |
| 20:20 CEST | Report | Stadium: Ljudski vrt Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Asmir Sagrković |
| 21 October 2017 13 | Maribor | 1–0 | Ankaran Hrvatini | Maribor |
| 20:20 CEST |
| Report | Stadium: Ljudski vrt Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Vojko Goričan |
| 4 November 2017 15 | Krško | 0–5 | Maribor | Krško |
| 20:20 CET |
| Report | Stadium: Matija Gubec Stadium Attendance: 1,400 Referee: Damir Skomina |
| 10 March 2018 22 | Ankaran Hrvatini | 0–3 | Maribor | Dravograd |
| 15:00 CET |
| Report | Stadium: Dravograd Sports Centre Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Mitja Žganec |
| 7 April 2018 26 | Maribor | 3–2 | Celje | Maribor |
| 16:20 CEST |
| Report |
| Stadium: Ljudski vrt Attendance: 3,500 Referee: Dejan Balažič |
| 21 April 2018 28 | Aluminij | 0–2 | Maribor | Kidričevo |
| 16:50 CEST | Report |
| Stadium: Sports Park Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Andrej Žnidaršič |
| 28 April 2018 29 | Maribor | 2–1 | Triglav Kranj | Maribor |
| 16:50 CEST | Report | Stadium: Ljudski vrt Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Bojan Mertik |
| 5 May 2018 31 | Maribor | 5–1 | Ankaran Hrvatini | Maribor |
| 16:50 CEST | Report |
| Stadium: Ljudski vrt Attendance: 3,000 Referee: David Šmajc |
| 12 May 2018 33 | Krško | 1–2 | Maribor | Krško |
| 16:50 CEST | Report |
| Stadium: Matija Gubec Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Dejan Balažič |
| 19 May 2018 34 | Maribor | 2–3 | Olimpija Ljubljana | Maribor |
| 20:30 CEST |
| Report |
| Stadium: Ljudski vrt Attendance: 12,166 Referee: Damir Skomina |
| 23 May 2018 35 | Celje | 0–4 | Maribor | Celje |
| 16:00 CEST |
| Report | Stadium: Stadion Z'dežele Attendance: 1,900 Referee: Andrej Žnidaršič |
Colour key: Green = Maribor win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.
- Notes
Classification edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olimpija Ljubljana (C) | 36 | 23 | 11 | 2 | 61 | 17 | +44 | 80[a] | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Maribor | 36 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 76 | 28 | +48 | 80[a] | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[b] |
| 3 | Domžale | 36 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 79 | 31 | +48 | 73 | |
| 4 | Rudar Velenje | 36 | 15 | 5 | 16 | 50 | 49 | +1 | 50[c] | |
| 5 | Celje | 36 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 56 | 51 | +5 | 50[c] |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head away goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Away goals scored; 8) Fair play ranking; 9) Draw.[73]
(C) Champions
Notes:
- ^ a b Olimpija Ljubljana were ahead of Maribor on head-to-head away goals scored: Olimpija 3 goals, Maribor 1 goal.
- ^ Olimpija Ljubljana qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2017–18 Slovenian Football Cup. However, since they already qualified for European competition based on their league position, the spot awarded to them as the cup winners was passed to the fourth-placed team.
- ^ a b Rudar Velenje were ahead of Celje on head-to-head points: Rudar 9 pts, Celje 3 pts.
Results summary edit
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 36 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 76 | 28 | +48 | 80 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 26 | 16 | +10 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 50 | 12 | +38 |
Last updated: 27 May 2018.
Source: [74]
Results by round edit
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Slovenian Cup edit
Maribor entered the competition in the Round of 16, receiving a bye as one of the four Slovenian teams that competed in the UEFA competitions during the season.[76] Their opening match was a 3–0 away win against Tabor Sežana on 5 September 2017, with two goals scored by Jasmin Mešanović and one goal by Aleksander Rajčević.[77] In the quarter-finals, Maribor was eliminated 4–1 on aggregate by their "Eternal rivals" Olimpija Ljubljana, failing to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time since the 2002–03 season.[78]
| 5 September 2017 Round of 16 | Tabor Sežana | 0–3 | Maribor | Sežana |
| 16:00 CEST | Škerjanc 57' | Report | Stadium: Rajko Štolfa Stadium Attendance: 1,300 Referee: Roman Glažar |
| 11 November 2017 Quarter-finals 1st leg | Olimpija Ljubljana | 3–0 | Maribor | Ljubljana |
| 17:15 CET | Report |
| Stadium: Stožice Stadium Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Roberto Ponis |
| 29 November 2017 Quarter-finals 2nd leg | Maribor | 1–1 (1–4 agg.) | Olimpija Ljubljana | Maribor |
| 20:15 CET | Report |
| Stadium: Ljudski vrt Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Dragoslav Perić |
Colour key: Green = Maribor win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.
UEFA Champions League edit
The UEFA Champions League is a continental club football competition organised by UEFA. Founded in the 1950s as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the competition was open to champion clubs of each country and arranged as a straight knockout tournament.[79] The growth of television rights saw the format rebranded in the 1990s to include a group stage and permit multiple entrants. Maribor have qualified for the group stage in 1999–2000 and 2014–15, when they finished in fourth place in the group on both occasions.[80][81]
Qualifying rounds edit
Maribor began the European campaign in the second qualifying round. They were drawn against Zrinjski Mostar, a team they have already met in the same stage of the competition during the 2014–15 season.[82] In the first leg in Mostar, Maribor secured a 2–1 win with a goals by Luka Zahović and Marcos Tavares; Blaž Vrhovec was also sent off after receiving two yellow cards.[83] In the second leg, Zrinjski took the lead early in the game, before Mitja Viler equalised for the final score of 1–1, thus Maribor eliminated Zrinjski 3–2 on aggregate.[84] Maribor continued in the third qualifying round, where they defeated FH 2–0 on aggregate; Tavares scored both goals for Maribor.[85] In the play-off round, Maribor eliminated Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva. The first match in Israel has finished 2–1 for the home side, with Tavares scoring his four European goal of the season.[86] In the return leg in Maribor, Viler scored the only goal of the match in a 1–0 victory, sending Maribor through to the group stage of the competition for the third time in the club's history due to away goals rule.[87]
Second qualifying round edit
| 12 July 2017 | Zrinjski Mostar | 1–2 | Maribor | Stadion pod Bijelim Brijegom, Mostar |
| 19:00 CEST |
| Report | Attendance: 7,000[88] Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany) |
Colour key: Green = Maribor win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.
Third qualifying round edit
| 26 July 2017 | Maribor | 1–0 | FH | Ljudski vrt, Maribor |
| 20:20 CEST | Tavares 54' | Report | Attendance: 8,166[90] Referee: Andris Treimanis (Latvia) |
Colour key: Green = Maribor win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.
Play-off round edit
| 16 August 2017 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 2–1 | Maribor | Turner Stadium, Be'er Sheva |
| 20:45 CEST | Report | Attendance: 15,265[92] Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) |
Colour key: Green = Maribor win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.
Group stage edit
Maribor were drawn in Group E, along with Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, and Liverpool.[94] The club opened their group stage campaign with a 1–1 home draw against Spartak. Damjan Bohar scored the equalising goal late in the game.[95] In the second matchday, Maribor suffered a 3–0 defeat against Sevilla after a hat-trick by Ben Yedder.[96] In the third round, Maribor suffered their biggest home defeat in European competitions as the team lost 7–0 to Liverpool.[97] Liverpool repeated the feat in the home match at Anfield, defeating Maribor 3–0.[98] Maribor secured their second point in the fifth round in Moscow, again drawing 1–1 with Spartak, with Jasmin Mešanović scoring a last-minute goal.[99] Maribor concluded their European season with a home draw against Sevilla, finishing the competition in fourth place with three points out of six games.[100]
Group E edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 6 | +17 | 12 | Advance to knockout phase |
| 2 | Sevilla | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 9 | |
| 3 | Spartak Moscow | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 6 | Transfer to Europa League |
| 4 | Maribor | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 3 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
| 13 September 2017 1 | Maribor | 1–1 | Spartak Moscow | Maribor, Slovenia |
| 20:45 CEST |
| Report | Stadium: Ljudski vrt Attendance: 12,566[101] Referee: Deniz Aytekin (Germany) |
| 26 September 2017 2 | Sevilla | 3–0 | Maribor | Seville, Spain |
| 20:45 CEST |
| Report | Stadium: Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Attendance: 34,705[102] Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (Belarus) |
| 17 October 2017 3 | Maribor | 0–7 | Liverpool | Maribor, Slovenia |
| 20:45 CEST | Report |
| Stadium: Ljudski vrt Attendance: 12,506[103] Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary) |
| 21 November 2017 5 | Spartak Moscow | 1–1 | Maribor | Moscow, Russia |
| 18:00 CET |
| Report | Stadium: Otkrytiye Arena Attendance: 42,920[105] Referee: Willie Collum (Scotland) |
Colour key: Green = Maribor win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.
Friendlies edit
June–July edit
To prepare for the forthcoming season, Maribor played a series of friendlies across Eastern Slovenia. Their first match ended in defeat against Osijek of the Croatian First Football League; Valon Ahmedi scored the opening goal of the season for Maribor in the first half, before Osijek turned the game around in the second half for a 2–1 victory.[107] Maribor then played out a 1–1 draw against Shkëndija, with both goals of the game scored in the first ten minutes.[108] Maribor recorded their first victory of the pre-season against the Russian side Ural. The first goal was scored by newly-signed Jasmin Mešanović in the 62nd minute, while Gregor Bajde scored the second goal just one minute later for the final 2–0.[109] During the next few days, Maribor narrowly won two more games, defeating Macedonian champions Vardar and Romanian team Dinamo București, 1–0 and 2–1 respectively.[110][111] Maribor concluded their pre-season with two defeats, against Croatian first division side Inter Zaprešić and the Russian Premier League side Krasnodar. During the match against Inter, Mešanović and Ahmedi have picked up injuries and have been substituted in the first half.[112][113]
| 20 June 2017 2 | Maribor | 1–1 | Shkëndija | Odranci, Slovenia |
| 18:00 CEST | Bohar 6' | Report | Ibraimi 2017, maribor, season, 2017, season, 58th, season, history, nogometni, klub, maribor, began, june, 2017, concluded, 2018, with, competitive, matches, played, between, july, first, season, since, 2007, which, maribor, single, trophy, during, season, team, lost,. The 2017 18 season was the 58th season in the history of Nogometni klub Maribor It began on 1 June 2017 and concluded on 31 May 2018 with competitive matches played between July and May It was the first season since 2007 08 in which Maribor did not win a single trophy during the season as the team lost the league title to Olimpija Ljubljana due to worse head to head record after finishing with the same number of points 80 in 36 rounds Olimpija also eliminated Maribor in the quarter finals of the Slovenian Cup However Maribor fared better in European competitions as the team reached the group stages of the UEFA Champions League for the third time in club s history NK Maribor2017 18 seasonPresidentDrago CotarHead CoachDarko MilanicStadiumLjudski vrtSlovenian LeagueRunners upSlovenian CupQuarter finalsChampions LeagueGroup stageTop goalscorerLeague Luka Zahovic 18 All Marcos Tavares 22 Highest home attendance12 566 vs Spartak 13 September 2017 Lowest home attendance1 000 vs Gorica 2 December 2017 1 Average home league attendance3 509 2 Home coloursAway colours 2016 172018 19 32 different players represented the club in three competitions and there were 17 different goalscorers Maribor s top goalscorer was Marcos Tavares who scored 22 goals in 47 games Contents 1 Transfers 2 Slovenian League 2 1 July September 2 2 October December 2 3 February May 2 4 Matches 2 5 Classification 2 5 1 Results summary 2 5 2 Results by round 3 Slovenian Cup 4 UEFA Champions League 4 1 Qualifying rounds 4 1 1 Second qualifying round 4 1 2 Third qualifying round 4 1 3 Play off round 4 2 Group stage 4 2 1 Group E 5 Friendlies 5 1 June July 5 2 January March 6 Squad statistics 7 See also 8 ReferencesTransfers editIn June 2017 Maribor signed Jean Claude Billong and Jasmin Mesanovic both on a free transfer Mesanovic signed from Bosnian team Zrinjski Mostar who were Maribor s opponents in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League Dejan Vokic Martin Kramaric and Sunny Omoregie returned to squad after their loan spells ended 3 On 6 August 2017 Maribor signed Martin Milec who already played for the club between 2010 and 2014 4 Dare Vrsic who was selected as the best player of the 2016 17 Slovenian PrvaLiga season has re signed with Maribor on 29 August 2017 after his previous contract with the club ran out after the 2016 17 season 5 On the same day Maribor signed forward Adnan Ahmetovic who was the top goalscorer of the 2016 17 Slovenian U19 League 6 On the last day of the summer transfer window Maribor acquired Israeli player Lior Inbrum on a season long loan from Gent 7 In December 2017 Maribor announced a two new signings a Malian defender Kassim Doumbia from FH and a Bosnian goalkeeper Kenan Piric from Zrinjski However Maribor and Zrinjski reached an agreement that Piric would stay at Zrinjski until the end of the season before joining Maribor in July 2018 8 On 12 January 2018 Maribor signed a Serbian defender Sasa Ivkovic from Vozdovac until 2021 for an undisclosed transfer fee 9 On 25 January 2018 Maribor acquired the Slovenian under 21 international forward Jan Mlakar from Fiorentina on a free transfer 10 On 13 February 2018 Maribor signed a three and a half year contract with Romanian defensive midfielder Alexandru Crețu who previously played for Maribor s eternal rivals Olimpija Ljubljana 11 Milivoje Novakovic who scored twelve goals in all competitions during the previous season has retired Defender Rodrigo Defendi and midfielder Sintayehu Sallalich have left the club after their contract ran out On 1 August 2017 Zan Celar transferred to the Italian side Roma for a transfer fee of about 1 million 12 In December 2017 Jean Claude Billong moved to the Serie A team Benevento for an undisclosed transfer fee believed to be around 2 million 13 In January 2018 Matej Palcic left for Wisla Krakow 14 On the last day of the winter transfer window Marwan Kabha signed with Hapoel Be er Sheva 15 In No Position Player Transferred from Fee Date Ref3 DF Jean Claude Billong Rudar Velenje Free transfer 5 June 2017 16 27 FW Jasmin Mesanovic Zrinjski Mostar Free transfer 21 June 2017 17 22 DF Martin Milec Standard Liege Undisclosed 6 August 2017 4 FW Adnan Ahmetovic Koper Free transfer 29 August 2017 6 12 MF Dare Vrsic Free agent Free transfer 29 August 2017 5 15 DF Kassim Doumbia FH Free transfer 13 December 2017 8 31 DF Sasa Ivkovic Vozdovac Undisclosed 12 January 2018 9 29 FW Jan Mlakar Fiorentina Free transfer 25 January 2018 10 8 MF Alexandru Crețu Olimpija Ljubljana 100 000 13 February 2018 11 Out No Position Player Transferred to Fee Date RefDF Damjan Vuklisevic Rudar Velenje Free transfer 27 June 2017 18 DF Robert Pusaver Rudar Velenje Undisclosed 27 June 2017 18 11 FW Milivoje Novakovic Retired Free transfer 1 July 2017 19 8 MF Sintayehu Sallalich Free agent Free transfer 1 July 2017 20 22 MF Dare Vrsic Free agent Free transfer 1 July 2017 20 35 DF Rodrigo Defendi Aves Free transfer 12 July 2017 21 99 FW Zan Celar Roma 1 million 1 August 2017 12 3 DF Jean Claude Billong Benevento 2 million 20 December 2017 13 29 DF Matej Palcic Wisla Krakow Undisclosed 23 January 2018 14 8 MF Marwan Kabha Hapoel Be er Sheva 400 000 31 January 2018 15 72 MF Dejan Vokic Triglav Kranj Free transfer 15 February 2018 22 Loans in No Position Player Loaned from Loan commenced Loan expired Ref99 MF Lior Inbrum Gent 31 August 2017 January 2018 a 7 23 Loans out No Position Player Loaned to Loan commenced Loan expired RefFW Anel Hajric Radomlje 5 July 2017 End of season 24 FW Adnan Ahmetovic Verzej 1 September 2017 January 2018 25 18 MF Sandi Ogrinec Krsko 24 January 2018 End of season 26 44 DF Denis Sme Aluminij 25 January 2018 End of season 27 17 FW Luka Stor Aluminij 1 February 2018 End of season 28 DF Medin Bajrami Ilirija 1911 7 February 2018 End of season25 MF Ranko Moravac Fuzinar 19 February 2018 End of season 29 14 FW Sunny Omoregie Alashkert 21 February 2018 End of season 30 Originally announced as a season long loan however Inbrum returned to Gent in January 2018 Slovenian League editMain article 2017 18 Slovenian PrvaLiga The 2017 18 season of the Slovenian PrvaLiga saw 10 teams play 36 matches four against every other team with two matches at each club s stadium Three points were awarded for each win one point per draw and none for defeats At the end of the season the top team qualified for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League teams in second and third qualified for the qualifying stages of the UEFA Europa League instead The fixture list was released on 22 June 2017 31 July September edit Maribor hosted Aluminij at Ljudski vrt on the opening weekend of the season Aleks Pihler scored the only goal of the game early in the second half 32 In the second round Maribor played against newly promoted Triglav Kranj After 60 minutes Triglav were leading 2 0 however Maribor managed to turn the game around scoring three goals in the last twenty minutes for a 3 2 victory 33 One week later Maribor defeated Rudar Velenje 1 0 for the third consecutive league victory 34 Maribor ended July in second place with the same number of points nine as Olimpija Ljubljana 35 In the first week of August Maribor defeated Ankaran Hrvatini 5 1 away from home topping the league for the first time in the season 36 In the fifth round Maribor failed to win a match for the first time in the season after a goalless draw against Domzale 37 A 95th minute goal by Aleks Pihler secured three points against Krsko in a 3 2 victory Head coach Darko Milanic has made several changes to the starting lineup with a purpose to rest the players for the return leg of the Champions League play offs against Hapoel Be er Sheva 38 The first derby of the season between eternal rivals Olimpija and Maribor contested on 27 August 2017 at the Stozice Stadium in Ljubljana has ended in a goalless draw 39 After the international break in early September Maribor contested in another goalless draw this time against Celje at home 40 In the ninth round a brace from Jasmin Mesanovic secured three points against Gorica in a 3 0 victory 41 Maribor won another game with a score of 3 2 after a comeback in the last twenty minutes this time against Aluminij in this match Lior Inbrum was sent off on his debut appearance for the club 42 After two consecutive victories Maribor contested in yet another goalless draw against Triglav at home 43 October December edit In October Maribor played three league games against Ankaran Hrvatini at home and against Rudar Velenje and Domzale away narrowly winning all three games scoring four goals and conceding one 44 Three out of four team goals were scored by Mesanovic 45 In the first week of November Maribor secured their highest win of the season after defeating Krsko 5 0 with a hat trick scored by team captain Marcos Tavares and a brace by Aleksander Rajcevic 46 In the second Eternal derby of the season on 17 November 2017 Maribor defeated Olimpija 1 0 at home in front of 9 000 spectators with another goal scored by Tavares topping the league table for the first time since early August 47 However in the next round Maribor suffered their first defeat of the season losing 2 1 in the Styrian derby against Celje In this match Tavares scored his 130th goal in the Slovenian top division tying himself with Stefan Skaper as the all time top goalscorer in the PrvaLiga 48 Tavares became the sole record holder when he scored a winning goal in the next round against Gorica in a 2 1 victory 49 In the last round of the autumn part of the season Maribor should have played against Aluminij but the match was postponed to February 2018 due to snowy conditions 50 Before the winter break Maribor were top of the league with 43 points out of 18 games February May edit Maribor began the spring part of the season with a goalless draw at home against Aluminij on 25 February 2018 51 After the match against Triglav was postponed due to snow Maribor contested in another home draw against Rudar and dropped to second place by early March behind their rivals Olimpija 52 53 Maribor won their first match in the spring part of the season on 10 March after defeating Ankaran Hrvatini 3 0 with a goals by Dare Vrsic Luka Zahovic and Jasmin Mesanovic before suffering their first home defeat of the season in the next round against Domzale 54 55 This was followed by another home defeat this time against Krsko After the match during the press conference Zlatko Zahovic a Director of Football at Maribor made a personal attack against the journalist of the sports newspaper EkipaSN which caused a major controversy among the media and the public 56 57 As a result Zahovic was suspended by the club and the Football Association of Slovenia 58 59 In the third Eternal derby of the season Maribor and Olimpija drew 1 1 in Ljubljana as Olimpija retained a ten point lead over Maribor after 25 matches 60 In the 26th round Maribor ended their home ground winless drought after defeating Celje 3 2 with a hat trick by Luka Zahovic 61 At Stanko Mlakar Stadium Maribor equalised their highest win of the season as they defeated Triglav 5 0 in a previously postponed match 62 In the next round however Maribor surpassed this record as they defeated Gorica 6 0 in Nova Gorica extending their winning streak to three games in which the team scored fourteen goals 63 In the two remaining games of April Maribor defeated Aluminij and Triglav reducing Olimpija s lead to only one point 64 65 Maribor began the last month of the season with another two victories over Rudar and Ankaran extending their winning streak to seven games 66 before drawing 1 1 with Domzale in the 32nd round after a 91st minute equalizer by Tavares 67 In the next round Maribor topped the league table for the first time since late February after defeating Krsko 2 1 at Matija Gubec Stadium while Olimpija dropped points against Ankaran 68 In the last derby of the season on 19 May Maribor lost 3 2 to Olimpija after Andres Vombergar s last minute winner in front of 12 166 spectators again dropping to second place 69 Maribor have won two remaining matches 4 0 and 2 0 against Celje and Gorica respectively but lost the league title to Olimpija with the same number of points but worse head to head record 70 71 Matches edit Maribor v Aluminij 15 July 2017 1Maribor1 0AluminijMaribor20 20 CEST Pihler nbsp 50 Report Mesec nbsp 85 Jaksic nbsp 90 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 2 500Referee Dejan Balazic Triglav Kranj v Maribor 22 July 2017 2Triglav Kranj2 3MariborKranj16 50 CEST Gvardjancic nbsp 15 Bukara nbsp 50 Majcen nbsp 55 Poplatnik nbsp 60 Robnik nbsp 72 Report Mesanovic nbsp 71 Pihler nbsp 77 Bohar nbsp 86 Tavares nbsp 88 Stadium Stanko Mlakar Stadium Attendance 1 500Referee Damir Skomina Maribor v Rudar Velenje 29 July 2017 3Maribor1 0Rudar VelenjeMaribor20 20 CEST Pihler nbsp 9 Vrhovec nbsp 11 Report Tucic nbsp 34 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 2 200Referee Rade Obrenovic Ankaran Hrvatini v Maribor 6 August 2017 4Ankaran Hrvatini1 5MariborDravograd16 50 CEST Kidric nbsp 64 Badzim nbsp 77 Report Kramaric nbsp 2 Pihler nbsp 36 Hotic nbsp 56 Tavares nbsp 80 Delgado nbsp 90 o g Stadium Dravograd Sports Centre Attendance 1 350Referee Roman Glazar Maribor v Domzale 11 August 2017 5Maribor0 0DomzaleMaribor20 20 CEST Rajcevic nbsp 8 Report Husmani nbsp 56 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 4 200Referee Dragoslav Peric Maribor v Krsko 19 August 2017 6Maribor3 2KrskoMaribor20 20 CEST Bajde nbsp 17 Pihler nbsp 66 nbsp 90 5 Bohar nbsp 74 Report Ejup nbsp 10 Kovacic nbsp 63 Skrbic nbsp 81 Jakolic nbsp 84 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 2 400Referee Nejc Kajtazovic Olimpija Ljubljana v Maribor 27 August 2017 7Olimpija Ljubljana0 0MariborLjubljana20 20 CEST Oduwa nbsp 46 Canađija nbsp 90 3 Report Vrhovec nbsp 12 Kabha nbsp 54 Ahmedi nbsp 82 Mesanovic nbsp 89 Stadium Stozice Attendance 13 000Referee Damir Skomina Maribor v Celje 8 September 2017 8Maribor0 0CeljeMaribor20 20 CEST Milec nbsp 17 Kabha nbsp 82 Report Straus nbsp 45 Pisek nbsp 90 3 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 3 000Referee Matej Jug Gorica v Maribor 17 September 2017 9Gorica0 3MariborNova Gorica18 00 CEST Report Jogan nbsp 27 o g Mesanovic nbsp 43 60 Billong nbsp 65 Stadium Sports Park Attendance 1 500Referee Damir Skomina Aluminij v Maribor 22 September 2017 10Aluminij2 3MariborKidricevo20 20 CEST Tahiraj nbsp 15 Vrbanec nbsp 51 Nunic nbsp 69 Mensah nbsp 72 Jaksic nbsp 82 Report Inbrum nbsp 55 nbsp 82 Kabha nbsp 60 Ahmedi nbsp 65 Hotic nbsp 67 nbsp 89 Billong nbsp 74 Stadium Sports Park Attendance 1 500Referee Rade Obrenovic Maribor v Triglav Kranj 30 September 2017 11Maribor0 0Triglav KranjMaribor20 20 CEST Rajcevic nbsp 53 Milec nbsp 57 Report Bukara nbsp 59 Poplatnik nbsp 80 Zec nbsp 80 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 1 500Referee Asmir Sagrkovic Rudar Velenje v Maribor 13 October 2017 12Rudar Velenje1 2MariborVelenje20 20 CEST Mary nbsp 34 Vuklisevic nbsp 44 Crncic nbsp 66 Vizinger nbsp 76 Tomasevic nbsp 88 Report Mesanovic nbsp 52 nbsp 54 Bohar nbsp 82 Stadium Ob Jezeru Attendance 2 500Referee Matej Jug Maribor v Ankaran Hrvatini 21 October 2017 13Maribor1 0Ankaran HrvatiniMaribor20 20 CEST Mesanovic nbsp 40 Report Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 2 000Referee Vojko Gorican Domzale v Maribor 28 October 2017 14Domzale0 1MariborDomzale20 20 CEST Sirok nbsp 21 Vetrih nbsp 34 Balkovec nbsp 90 4 Klemencic nbsp 90 4 Report Mesanovic nbsp 58 Vrsic nbsp 77 Stadium Sports Park Attendance 1 800Referee Nejc Kajtazovic Krsko v Maribor 4 November 2017 15Krsko0 5MariborKrsko20 20 CET Balic nbsp 74 Report Tavares nbsp 5 11 49 Rajcevic nbsp 13 82 Ahmedi nbsp 85 Stadium Matija Gubec Stadium Attendance 1 400Referee Damir Skomina Maribor v Olimpija Ljubljana 17 November 2017 16Maribor1 0Olimpija LjubljanaMaribor20 20 CET Tavares nbsp 6 Vrhovec nbsp 24 Kabha nbsp 53 Viler nbsp 79 Billong nbsp 90 4 Report Bajric nbsp 29 Kapun nbsp 37 Canađija nbsp 90 1 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 9 000Referee Matej Jug Celje v Maribor 25 November 2017 17Celje2 1MariborCelje20 20 CET Dzinic nbsp 30 Pozeg Vancas nbsp 47 Susnjara nbsp 64 Sauperl nbsp 90 Jurhar nbsp 90 2 Report Vrhovec nbsp 90 3 Tavares nbsp 90 4 Stadium Stadion Z dezele Attendance 2 100Referee Dejan Balazic Maribor v Gorica 2 December 2017 18Maribor2 1GoricaMaribor20 20 CET Bohar nbsp 43 Billong nbsp 68 Tavares nbsp 88 Report Celcer nbsp 26 nbsp 65 Nwabueze nbsp 45 nbsp 49 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 1 000Referee Nejc Kajtazovic Maribor v Aluminij 25 February 2018 A 19Maribor0 0AluminijMaribor15 00 CET Milec nbsp 73 Report Kepir nbsp 22 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 1 500Referee Asmir Sagrkovic Triglav Kranj v Maribor 11 April 2018 B 20Triglav Kranj0 5MariborKranj15 00 CEST Elsner nbsp 3 Zec nbsp 11 nbsp 18 Smit nbsp 75 Report Zahovic nbsp 13 88 Ivkovic nbsp 15 Mlakar nbsp 19 pen Smit nbsp 39 o g Tavares nbsp 75 Suler nbsp 85 Stadium Stanko Mlakar Stadium Attendance 850Referee Mitja Zganec Maribor v Rudar Velenje 6 March 2018 21Maribor2 2Rudar VelenjeMaribor16 00 CET Tavares nbsp 64 Mesanovic nbsp 85 Viler nbsp 90 3 Report Vasiljevic nbsp 37 Tucic nbsp 56 Antonov nbsp 83 Radic nbsp 90 nbsp 90 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 1 200Referee Dejan Balazic Ankaran Hrvatini v Maribor 10 March 2018 22Ankaran Hrvatini0 3MariborDravograd15 00 CET Bordon nbsp 62 Report Vrsic nbsp 57 Zahovic nbsp 63 Mesanovic nbsp 74 Bajde nbsp 76 Stadium Dravograd Sports Centre Attendance 1 000Referee Mitja Zganec Maribor v Domzale 13 March 2018 23Maribor1 2DomzaleMaribor16 00 CET Ivkovic nbsp 74 Milec nbsp 78 Vrsic nbsp 89 Report Sirok nbsp 10 Vetrih nbsp 30 Bizjak nbsp 48 Dobrovoljc nbsp 72 Ibricic nbsp 90 Mulalic nbsp 90 3 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 2 000Referee Andrej Znidarsic Maribor v Krsko 17 March 2018 24Maribor0 2KrskoMaribor18 00 CET Mesanovic nbsp 23 Ivkovic nbsp 47 Viler nbsp 56 Report Volaric nbsp 32 nbsp 44 Vekic nbsp 47 nbsp 49 Mujan nbsp 81 Ejup nbsp 84 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 1 500Referee Rade Obrenovic Olimpija Ljubljana v Maribor 31 March 2018 25Olimpija Ljubljana1 1MariborLjubljana20 30 CEST Apau nbsp 69 Uremovic nbsp 73 Report Zahovic nbsp 82 nbsp 84 Stadium Stozice Attendance 12 000Referee Matej Jug Maribor v Celje 7 April 2018 26Maribor3 2CeljeMaribor16 20 CEST Zahovic nbsp 16 49 70 Report Pozeg Vancas nbsp 25 Lupeta nbsp 89 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 3 500Referee Dejan Balazic Gorica v Maribor 15 April 2018 27Gorica0 6MariborNova Gorica16 55 CEST Kavcic nbsp 74 Curk nbsp 85 Report Ivkovic nbsp 26 Mlakar nbsp 29 Hotic nbsp 30 Hodzic nbsp 37 Zahovic nbsp 38 Pihler nbsp 45 Vrhovec nbsp 78 Tavares nbsp 88 Stadium Sports Park Attendance 1 000Referee Nejc Kajtazovic Aluminij v Maribor 21 April 2018 28Aluminij0 2MariborKidricevo16 50 CEST Zeba nbsp 43 Horvat nbsp 67 Report Viler nbsp 5 Mlakar nbsp 64 Handanovic nbsp 80 Dervisevic nbsp 89 Stadium Sports Park Attendance 1 200Referee Andrej Znidarsic Maribor v Triglav Kranj 28 April 2018 29Maribor2 1Triglav KranjMaribor16 50 CEST Zahovic nbsp 31 35 Ivkovic nbsp 64 Report Poplatnik nbsp 24 nbsp 39 Bojic nbsp 70 Robnik nbsp 74 Majcen nbsp 83 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 4 000Referee Bojan Mertik Rudar Velenje v Maribor 2 May 2018 30Rudar Velenje1 3MariborVelenje16 00 CEST Antonov nbsp 34 Bijol nbsp 75 Parfitt Williams nbsp 89 Report Tavares nbsp 33 nbsp 45 59 Hotic nbsp 66 Zahovic nbsp 84 Stadium Ob Jezeru Attendance 800Referee Rade Obrenovic Maribor v Ankaran Hrvatini 5 May 2018 31Maribor5 1Ankaran HrvatiniMaribor16 50 CEST Ivkovic nbsp 7 Viler nbsp 13 Hotic nbsp 25 Zahovic nbsp 50 Suler nbsp 83 Tavares nbsp 55 90 2 Report Felipe Santos nbsp 38 Mate nbsp 50 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 3 000Referee David Smajc Domzale v Maribor 9 May 2018 32Domzale1 1MariborDomzale16 00 CEST Dobrovoljc nbsp 36 Ibricic nbsp 51 Sirok nbsp 66 Klemencic nbsp 69 Hodzic nbsp 83 Report Pihler nbsp 40 Ivkovic nbsp 80 Zahovic nbsp 84 Tavares nbsp 90 1 Stadium Sports Park Attendance 2 500Referee Matej Jug Krsko v Maribor 12 May 2018 33Krsko1 2MariborKrsko16 50 CEST Kovacic nbsp 25 Vekic nbsp 81 Balic nbsp 90 3 Report Dervisevic nbsp 81 nbsp 90 Suler nbsp 85 Zahovic nbsp 88 Stadium Matija Gubec Stadium Attendance 1 000Referee Dejan Balazic Maribor v Olimpija Ljubljana 19 May 2018 34Maribor2 3Olimpija LjubljanaMaribor20 30 CEST Zahovic nbsp 12 52 nbsp 76 Pihler nbsp 49 Viler nbsp 60 Suler nbsp 61 Handanovic nbsp 73 Report Canađija nbsp 3 nbsp 51 Stiglec nbsp 27 Andres Vombergar nbsp 63 nbsp 89 Kronaveter nbsp 74 pen Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 12 166Referee Damir Skomina Celje v Maribor 23 May 2018 35Celje0 4MariborCelje16 00 CEST Stojinovic nbsp 29 Report Ivkovic nbsp 30 Zahovic nbsp 35 60 69 nbsp 64 Viler nbsp 55 Hotic nbsp 71 Stadium Stadion Z dezele Attendance 1 900Referee Andrej Znidarsic Maribor v Gorica 27 May 2018 36Maribor2 0GoricaMaribor16 00 CEST Tavares nbsp 20 Vrsic nbsp 22 Pihler nbsp 74 Vrhovec nbsp 75 Report Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 6 500Referee Nejc Kajtazovic Colour key Green Maribor win Yellow draw Red opponents win Notes The match was originally scheduled on 10 December 2017 however it was postponed to 25 February 2018 due to snow 50 The match was originally scheduled on 3 March 2018 however it was postponed to 11 April 2018 due to snow 72 Classification edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation1 Olimpija Ljubljana C 36 23 11 2 61 17 44 80 a Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round2 Maribor 36 24 8 4 76 28 48 80 a Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round b 3 Domzale 36 22 7 7 79 31 48 734 Rudar Velenje 36 15 5 16 50 49 1 50 c 5 Celje 36 14 8 14 56 51 5 50 c Source PrvaLiga in Slovene Soccerway UEFA comRules for classification 1 Points 2 Head to head points 3 Head to head goal difference 4 Head to head away goals scored 5 Goal difference 6 Goals scored 7 Away goals scored 8 Fair play ranking 9 Draw 73 C ChampionsNotes a b Olimpija Ljubljana were ahead of Maribor on head to head away goals scored Olimpija 3 goals Maribor 1 goal Olimpija Ljubljana qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2017 18 Slovenian Football Cup However since they already qualified for European competition based on their league position the spot awarded to them as the cup winners was passed to the fourth placed team a b Rudar Velenje were ahead of Celje on head to head points Rudar 9 pts Celje 3 pts Results summary edit Overall Home Away Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD36 24 8 4 76 28 48 80 10 5 3 26 16 10 14 3 1 50 12 38Last updated 27 May 2018 Source 74 Results by round edit Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536GroundHAHAHHAHAAHAHAAHAHHAHAHHAHAAHAHAAHAHResultWWWWDWDDWWDWWWWWLWDWDWLLDWWWWWWDWLWWPosition432122222222222121112222332222221222Updated to match es played on 27 May 2018 Source 75 A Away H Home W Win D Draw L LossSlovenian Cup editMain article 2017 18 Slovenian Football Cup Maribor entered the competition in the Round of 16 receiving a bye as one of the four Slovenian teams that competed in the UEFA competitions during the season 76 Their opening match was a 3 0 away win against Tabor Sezana on 5 September 2017 with two goals scored by Jasmin Mesanovic and one goal by Aleksander Rajcevic 77 In the quarter finals Maribor was eliminated 4 1 on aggregate by their Eternal rivals Olimpija Ljubljana failing to qualify for the semi finals for the first time since the 2002 03 season 78 Tabor Sezana v Maribor 5 September 2017 Round of 16Tabor Sezana0 3MariborSezana16 00 CEST Skerjanc nbsp 57 Report Rajcevic nbsp 34 Vrhovec nbsp 36 Mesanovic nbsp 78 90 Stadium Rajko Stolfa Stadium Attendance 1 300Referee Roman Glazar Olimpija Ljubljana v Maribor 11 November 2017 Quarter finals 1st legOlimpija Ljubljana3 0MariborLjubljana17 15 CET Issah nbsp 11 nbsp 81 Kapun nbsp 35 90 3 Report Rajcevic nbsp 69 Stadium Stozice Stadium Attendance 7 000Referee Roberto Ponis Maribor v Olimpija Ljubljana 29 November 2017 Quarter finals 2nd legMaribor1 1 1 4 agg Olimpija LjubljanaMaribor20 15 CET Billong nbsp 13 Bajde nbsp 15 nbsp 46 Tavares nbsp 19 Mesanovic nbsp 59 Report Klinar nbsp 26 Ilic nbsp 37 Kronaveter nbsp 44 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 3 000Referee Dragoslav Peric Colour key Green Maribor win Yellow draw Red opponents win UEFA Champions League editMain article 2017 18 UEFA Champions League nbsp Marcos Tavares has scored four out of seven team goals in the qualifying rounds The UEFA Champions League is a continental club football competition organised by UEFA Founded in the 1950s as the European Champion Clubs Cup the competition was open to champion clubs of each country and arranged as a straight knockout tournament 79 The growth of television rights saw the format rebranded in the 1990s to include a group stage and permit multiple entrants Maribor have qualified for the group stage in 1999 2000 and 2014 15 when they finished in fourth place in the group on both occasions 80 81 Qualifying rounds edit Main article 2017 18 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play off round Maribor began the European campaign in the second qualifying round They were drawn against Zrinjski Mostar a team they have already met in the same stage of the competition during the 2014 15 season 82 In the first leg in Mostar Maribor secured a 2 1 win with a goals by Luka Zahovic and Marcos Tavares Blaz Vrhovec was also sent off after receiving two yellow cards 83 In the second leg Zrinjski took the lead early in the game before Mitja Viler equalised for the final score of 1 1 thus Maribor eliminated Zrinjski 3 2 on aggregate 84 Maribor continued in the third qualifying round where they defeated FH 2 0 on aggregate Tavares scored both goals for Maribor 85 In the play off round Maribor eliminated Israeli side Hapoel Be er Sheva The first match in Israel has finished 2 1 for the home side with Tavares scoring his four European goal of the season 86 In the return leg in Maribor Viler scored the only goal of the match in a 1 0 victory sending Maribor through to the group stage of the competition for the third time in the club s history due to away goals rule 87 Second qualifying round edit Zrinjski Mostar nbsp v nbsp Maribor 12 July 2017 2017 07 12 Zrinjski Mostar nbsp 1 2 nbsp MariborStadion pod Bijelim Brijegom Mostar19 00 CEST Mulahusejnovic nbsp 82 Todorovic nbsp 89 Stojkic nbsp 90 3 Report Suler nbsp 10 Zahovic nbsp 43 Hotic nbsp 62 Vrhovec nbsp 63 nbsp 68 Tavares nbsp 90 4 pen Attendance 7 000 88 Referee Daniel Siebert Germany Maribor nbsp v nbsp Zrinjski Mostar 19 July 2017 2017 07 19 Maribor nbsp 1 1 3 2 agg nbsp Zrinjski MostarLjudski vrt Maribor20 15 CEST Viler nbsp 27 Report Todorovic nbsp 7 Bilbija nbsp 87 Attendance 9 266 89 Referee Ola Hobber Nilsen Norway Colour key Green Maribor win Yellow draw Red opponents win Third qualifying round edit Maribor nbsp v nbsp FH 26 July 2017 2017 07 26 Maribor nbsp 1 0 nbsp FHLjudski vrt Maribor20 20 CEST Tavares nbsp 54 Report Attendance 8 166 90 Referee Andris Treimanis Latvia FH nbsp v nbsp Maribor 2 August 2017 2017 08 02 FH nbsp 0 1 0 2 agg nbsp MariborKaplakriki Hafnarfjordur20 30 CEST Doumbia nbsp 56 D Vidarsson nbsp 69 Gudnason nbsp 74 P Vidarsson nbsp 90 3 Bodvarsson nbsp 90 5 Report Viler nbsp 37 Vrhovec nbsp 50 Suler nbsp 75 Tavares nbsp 90 2 Rajcevic nbsp 90 3 Hotic nbsp 90 6 Attendance 2 563 91 Referee Peter Kraľovic Slovakia Colour key Green Maribor win Yellow draw Red opponents win Play off round edit Hapoel Be er Sheva nbsp v nbsp Maribor 16 August 2017 2017 08 16 Hapoel Be er Sheva nbsp 2 1 nbsp MariborTurner Stadium Be er Sheva20 45 CEST Nwakaeme nbsp 12 Tzedek nbsp 45 2 pen Melikson nbsp 81 Report Tavares nbsp 10 Vrhovec nbsp 45 1 Viler nbsp 77 Attendance 15 265 92 Referee Jonas Eriksson Sweden Maribor nbsp v nbsp Hapoel Be er Sheva 22 August 2017 2017 08 22 Maribor nbsp 1 0 2 2 a agg nbsp Hapoel Be er ShevaLjudski vrt Maribor20 45 CEST Viler nbsp 10 nbsp 15 Kabha nbsp 80 Report Ghadir nbsp 19 Elhamed nbsp 29 Taha nbsp 51 Bitton nbsp 73 Attendance 12 066 93 Referee Gianluca Rocchi Italy Colour key Green Maribor win Yellow draw Red opponents win Group stage edit Further information 2017 18 UEFA Champions League group stage nbsp Jasmin Mesanovic celebrating a last minute equalizer in Moscow Maribor were drawn in Group E along with Spartak Moscow Sevilla and Liverpool 94 The club opened their group stage campaign with a 1 1 home draw against Spartak Damjan Bohar scored the equalising goal late in the game 95 In the second matchday Maribor suffered a 3 0 defeat against Sevilla after a hat trick by Ben Yedder 96 In the third round Maribor suffered their biggest home defeat in European competitions as the team lost 7 0 to Liverpool 97 Liverpool repeated the feat in the home match at Anfield defeating Maribor 3 0 98 Maribor secured their second point in the fifth round in Moscow again drawing 1 1 with Spartak with Jasmin Mesanovic scoring a last minute goal 99 Maribor concluded their European season with a home draw against Sevilla finishing the competition in fourth place with three points out of six games 100 Group E edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 nbsp Liverpool 6 3 3 0 23 6 17 12 Advance to knockout phase2 nbsp Sevilla 6 2 3 1 12 12 0 93 nbsp Spartak Moscow 6 1 3 2 9 13 4 6 Transfer to Europa League4 nbsp Maribor 6 0 3 3 3 16 13 3Source UEFARules for classification Group stage tiebreakers Maribor nbsp v nbsp Spartak Moscow 13 September 2017 2017 09 13 1Maribor nbsp 1 1 nbsp Spartak MoscowMaribor Slovenia20 45 CEST Bohar nbsp 85 Report Dzhikiya nbsp 36 Samedov nbsp 59 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 12 566 101 Referee Deniz Aytekin Germany Sevilla nbsp v nbsp Maribor 26 September 2017 2017 09 26 2Sevilla nbsp 3 0 nbsp MariborSeville Spain20 45 CEST Ben Yedder nbsp 27 38 83 pen Escudero nbsp 56 Report Stadium Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Attendance 34 705 102 Referee Aleksei Kulbakov Belarus Maribor nbsp v nbsp Liverpool 17 October 2017 2017 10 17 3Maribor nbsp 0 7 nbsp LiverpoolMaribor Slovenia20 45 CEST Milec nbsp 45 Vrhovec nbsp 80 Hotic nbsp 89 Report Firmino nbsp 4 54 Coutinho nbsp 13 Salah nbsp 19 40 Oxlade Chamberlain nbsp 86 Alexander Arnold nbsp 90 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 12 506 103 Referee Viktor Kassai Hungary Liverpool nbsp v nbsp Maribor 1 November 2017 2017 11 01 4Liverpool nbsp 3 0 nbsp MariborLiverpool England20 45 CET Salah nbsp 49 Can nbsp 64 Sturridge nbsp 90 Report Bohar nbsp 22 Rajcevic nbsp 52 Stadium Anfield Attendance 47 957 104 Referee Ivan Kruzliak Slovakia Spartak Moscow nbsp v nbsp Maribor 21 November 2017 2017 11 21 5Spartak Moscow nbsp 1 1 nbsp MariborMoscow Russia18 00 CET Popov nbsp 49 Luiz Adriano nbsp 51 Kutepov nbsp 62 Ze Luis nbsp 82 Report Vrhovec nbsp 23 Mesanovic nbsp 90 2 Stadium Otkrytiye Arena Attendance 42 920 105 Referee Willie Collum Scotland Maribor nbsp v nbsp Sevilla 6 December 2017 2017 12 06 6Maribor nbsp 1 1 nbsp SevillaMaribor Slovenia20 45 CET Tavares nbsp 10 Pihler nbsp 35 Bohar nbsp 50 Milec nbsp 77 Report Ganso nbsp 75 Stadium Ljudski vrt Attendance 11 976 106 Referee Ovidiu Hațegan Romania Colour key Green Maribor win Yellow draw Red opponents win Friendlies editJune July edit To prepare for the forthcoming season Maribor played a series of friendlies across Eastern Slovenia Their first match ended in defeat against Osijek of the Croatian First Football League Valon Ahmedi scored the opening goal of the season for Maribor in the first half before Osijek turned the game around in the second half for a 2 1 victory 107 Maribor then played out a 1 1 draw against Shkendija with both goals of the game scored in the first ten minutes 108 Maribor recorded their first victory of the pre season against the Russian side Ural The first goal was scored by newly signed Jasmin Mesanovic in the 62nd minute while Gregor Bajde scored the second goal just one minute later for the final 2 0 109 During the next few days Maribor narrowly won two more games defeating Macedonian champions Vardar and Romanian team Dinamo București 1 0 and 2 1 respectively 110 111 Maribor concluded their pre season with two defeats against Croatian first division side Inter Zapresic and the Russian Premier League side Krasnodar During the match against Inter Mesanovic and Ahmedi have picked up injuries and have been substituted in the first half 112 113 Maribor nbsp v nbsp Osijek 16 June 2017 1Maribor nbsp 1 2 nbsp OsijekMaribor Slovenia19 00 CEST Ahmedi nbsp 31 Report Ejupi nbsp 60 65 Stadium Training Centre Pohorje Referee Samo Veselic Slovenia Maribor nbsp v nbsp Shkendija 20 June 2017 2Maribor nbsp 1 1 nbsp ShkendijaOdranci Slovenia18 00 CEST Bohar nbsp 6 Report Ibraimi span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games. |