Written by Stefan Penev
Levski will have one of their toughest tests of the season when they host Slavia on Friday. At first glance, such a statement sounds rather far-fetched. But the facts of recent history prove it. The Whites have been playing quite successfully at Gerena recently, winning 4 of their previous 5 championship matches there, all 2:1. And their coach in each of these matches was their current leader Zlatomnr Zagorcic. The coach himself is in a series of 4 consecutive victories over the blues in their home. A look at the statistics shows that he and Stoicho Stoev hit Gerena's Levski the most. However, Stoev's four victories are not consecutive. In between, he also had a goalless draw with Montana (in the spring of 2013), which is also a huge success, but still not a victory.
Since the spring of 2020, the only match in which Slavia did not win at Gerena was on March 21, 2021. Levski then won 1:0 with a goal from Nigel Roberta. In this particular match, however, the coach of the whites was not Zagorcic, but Alexander Tarkhanov. Otherwise, the series of the current coach of the whites began on March 1, 2020. His first success at the home of the blues with 2:1 came with goals from Ivaylo Dimitrov-Kossama, and among them was the already mentioned Nigel Roberta. Then came the playoffs of that season, when Slavia won with the same result, but with a twist. Stanislav Ivanov put Levski ahead, and after the break goals from Ivaylo Dimitrov and Filip Krastev set the final score. The referee of the match was the famous Frenchman Clément Turpin.
In July 2021, in the first round of the season, Slavia again made a U-turn on Gerena. Marin Petkov opened early, and Emil Vniachki equalized before the break. In the second half, the reserve Kaloyan Krastev brought success to Slavia. On November 12 last year came the fourth consecutive 2:1 for Zagorcic's Slavia. And again after a turn. The Blues took the lead through Ivelin Popov in the 20th minute, and in the 54th he failed to decide everything from a penalty. His shot from the penalty spot was saved by Svetoslav Vutsov. Goals from Emil Vniachki and Erol Dost followed and another success for Slavia. This time Levski was coached by Stanimir Stoilov.
If he wins on Friday, Zlatomnr Zagorcic will record his fifth success at Gerena, more than any other coach in history. Slavia has a total of 7 victories in the home of the blues, with only Ludogorets having more./ “Match Telegraph
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