The first weekend of August brings the continuation of the first round of the SuperSport HNL, a historic UFC Fight Night in Belgrade, and appearances by Croatia's young handball teams at the world and European championships.
The sports weekend at the start of August offers so much content that fans will barely keep up. While the remaining matches of the first round of the SuperSport HNL are being played, all eyes in the region will be on Belgrade, where the UFC is hosting an event in Serbia for the first time. In addition to football and the martial arts spectacle, Croatia's young handball selections continue their battles at European and world tournaments, and there are also numerous interesting international football matches, as reported by Net.hr.
After Dinamo defeated Slaven Belupo 2:0 in the season opener, the SuperSport HNL brings four matches of the first round this weekend. Saturday kicks off with Istra 1961 vs. Lokomotiva at Aldo Drosina at 6:30 PM, where both teams aim to secure their first points of the season. At 9 PM, Gorica hosts Osijek.
Osijek arrives in Velika Gorica with many uncertainties but high ambitions. Head coach Federico Bessone expressed satisfaction with what he saw in preparations during a press conference. "I am happy and satisfied with the squad I have at my disposal. I am pleased with everything the boys have shown so far. These are very quality players who have managed to adapt to some of my demands, which was evident in the friendly matches," Bessone told SiB.
He emphasized that he wants to see two phases of the game: "Actually, I want to see two Osijeks in one: first, the one with the ball in possession, showing personality when we have the ball at our feet (...) Second, what the team has lacked recently, to have personality even when we are not in possession." The Osijek coach also touched on last season's inefficiency, stating that he believes in a completely different scenario and that it does not worry him at all. Tickets for away fans are available online at a price of 15 euros.
The biggest sports event of the weekend takes place on Saturday at the Belgrade Arena, where the UFC arrives in Serbia for the first time. This historic event will bring together many well-known names from the region, and with a sold-out Arena, the atmosphere could be among the best of the year. The main card is led by fighters from the region, including Aleksandar Rakić, Duško Todorović, Miloš Janičić, Borislav Nikolić, Nina Milošević, Jovan Lek, and Marina Spasić. The UFC Fight Night can be watched on UFC Fight Pass and Paramount+, starting at 7 PM, according to Net.hr.
Alongside club sports, the weekend also brings important appearances by Croatia's youth national teams. The Croatian women's under-18 handball team plays against France on Saturday at 12:50 PM at the World Championship in Romania. After a big win over Fiji, an important match follows for the rest of the tournament. On the same day, the Croatian men's under-18 handball team continues its journey at the European Championship in Serbia. They will face the Czech Republic, with the match starting at 4:50 PM and broadcast on Voya.
In addition to domestic football, there are also interesting international clashes on the schedule. On Saturday, U. Craiova meets Petrolul (8:30 PM), Porto faces Torreense (9:15 PM), and Celje takes on Maribor (8:15 PM). Sunday's program features PSV vs. AZ (6:00 PM), Olimpija vs. Aluminij (8:15 PM), and the Argentine classic Newell's Old Boys vs. Boca Juniors (10:00 PM).
Sunday's HNL program begins with Varaždin vs. Hajduk at 6:30 PM. The Split side arrives in Varaždin as favorites, but the home team will try to spring a surprise in front of their own fans. The first round concludes with Rijeka vs. Rudeš at Rujevica at 9 PM, where Rijeka seeks an expected victory against the team that returned to the top tier of Croatian football.
