Pihler and Nukić name NK Maribor as Slovenian title favorites on Pod prečko

Source reporting: 20 October 2026. Added to ScoreTransfer on the publication date shown above.

Aleks Pihler and Mustafa Nukić discussed the current form of NK Maribor on the show Pod prečko. The former players agreed that the club is now the primary favorite for the national title.

The shift in status emerged due to the poor start by Celje and an ongoing crisis at Olimpija. These issues at rival clubs have allowed Maribor to establish itself as the leading contender.

Zlatko Zahović and Darko Milanič returned to the club after several years away. Their presence marks a significant change in the club's leadership and technical setup.

Aleks Pihler stated that the current vision at the club resembles the one from ten years ago. He highlighted the team's compact defensive structure, which he associated with Darko Milanič.

Pihler described the current squad as disciplined. He pointed to strong individual performances from Cipot and Tshipamba as key factors in their recent success.

Despite the positive results, Pihler noted a lack of goals from the strikers. He emphasized that the consistent results justify not criticizing this specific aspect of their play.

Mustafa Nukić suggested a path to the championship for the team. He proposed that Maribor could draw big matches and win smaller ones to secure the title.