Buducnost Podgorica vs Dečić - First League

All eyes turn to the home ground on August 8, 2026 as Buducnost Podgorica welcome Dečić in a First League encounter that promises tension, intrigue and no shortage of subplot. That coronation came from City's £116m summer signing Elliot Anderson - and has been hotly debated in the build-up to the Manchester derby Super Sunday showdown at Old Trafford, which you can watch live on Sky Sports.

Both camps will view the First League meeting at the home ground as an opportunity to put a marker down, regardless of where they currently stand. The hosts have been steady if unspectacular, WDLLW in their last five reflecting a win rate of 44.44%. On their travels the visitors have been workmanlike, DDL in their last five and a win rate of 44.44% to show for it. Where Buducnost Podgorica have leaned on defensive discipline, Dečić have often taken the initiative going forward, and that stylistic difference should shape the contest. The Ghana winger, signed on loan from Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise on transfer deadline day, drilled in an angled shot on the run, via the inside of the far post, for his first Derby goal.

Pressing intensity will define the contest. Buducnost Podgorica will seek to win the ball high up the pitch and suffocate Dečić's build-up, while the visitors will aim to play through the pressure and exploit the spaces it leaves behind. It isn't clear yet that this will definitely be a winger, with Maresca and sporting director Hugo Viana flexible over their attack.

Individual moments of quality could tip the balance. Both sides possess players capable of producing something out of nothing, and a single flash of brilliance may be all that separates them. The wide areas will be a key battleground, with full-backs and wingers on either side capable of swinging the contest one way or the other. The defender has established himself as a promising prospect in Europe and is already turning plenty of heads.

Predicting an outright winner is no easy task given how little separates the two sides on paper. With the sides so closely matched, a 1-1 stalemate looks the most likely way this one ends. More than just three points is on the line at the home ground — this is a fixture that could shape the narrative of both clubs' seasons. Harry Kane is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or.