NK Varaždin revealed their starting lineup for Friday night's SuperSport HNL home match against NK Rudeš. The game kicked off at 21:00 at the Gradski stadion in Varaždin, with the lineup report published by Sportnet.
What were the starting lineups?
NK Varaždin coach Nikola Šafarić made no changes from the side that secured three wins in the first four rounds. Silić started in goal, with a back four of Maglica, Mladenovski, Tepšić, and Sikošek. Canjuga and Marina occupied the midfield, while the attacking quartet consisted of Latković, Mamić, Tavares, and Mamut. This consistent selection had brought the team early success.
For the visitors, Rudeš manager Alen Peternac reinstated Ante Sušak to the starting eleven after the player served a one-match suspension for a red card received against Dinamo Zagreb. Rogić was in goal, protected by Unušić, Celjak, Stolnik, and Sušak. The midfield trio was Đorić, Xavi, and Skoko, with Ilečić, Saho, and Poldrugač leading the attack. Kristijan Lovrić was on the bench, while Junior Fernandes was not in the matchday squad.
Who made their debut for Rudeš?
The major talking point in the visitors' lineup was the first official appearance for Cherno Saho. The Gambian striker had joined Rudeš from Rijeka just days before this match. He had made his debut for Rijeka on February 9th in a 0-1 loss to Istra 1961. His inclusion was intended to add a new threat to the Rudeš attack against a well-organized Varaždin defense. Peternac was hoping Saho could provide the spark needed in a difficult away fixture.
What was the context of the match?
The match played on August 29th presented an opportunity for Varaždin to continue their excellent start to the season. Šafarić's men entered the fixture with three wins from their opening matches, having defeated Hajduk, Slaven Belupo, and Rijeka. Rudeš, on the other hand, was searching for points in a tough away game. The Sportnet report noted that Varaždin was objectively the higher-quality side on paper.
NK Varaždin's next challenge is a home fixture against Istra 1961, scheduled for September 4th. The full schedule of upcoming matches can be found on our fixtures page. The current league standings are also available for review on our standings page. The team returns to action on Wednesday, allowing for a very short turnaround between these two games. All player statistics can be tracked on our stats page. The match against Istra will be another test of the club's ambitions in this phase of the season.
