HNK Hajduk Split played a SuperSport Cup match against NK Vardarac at the new V Arena stadium on Tuesday. The match kicked off at 16:30 and was broadcast on Max Sport 1 and HDTV on the MAXtv platform.
The V Arena is a modern sports complex opened in August 2025 in Vardarac, a settlement in the Municipality of Bilje in Osijek-Baranja County. According to the 2021 census, Vardarac has 504 inhabitants. The stadium features a covered stand with approximately 500 seats and includes club facilities, a gym, changing rooms for children and adults, referee and media rooms, a VAR room, an anti-doping control room, parking, and catering facilities. The entire project is valued at over 7.3 million euros and was jointly financed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Government of Hungary, each contributing roughly half of the funds.
NK Vardarac's path to facing Hajduk has been long and successful. The club won the Osijek-Baranja County Cup in the 2022/23 season. In the Inter-County League Osijek-Vinkovci, they finished fifth in 2022/23, were runners-up in 2023/24, and clinched the championship title in the 2024/25 season with an impressive 83 points from 30 matches, recording 27 wins, 2 draws, and just one loss. In their first season in the Third NL East, they secured survival by finishing in 11th place. In June 2025, they won the Osijek-Baranja County Cup again, defeating Radnički Dalj 6:0 in the final. Ahead of the match with Hajduk, after three rounds in the Third NL East, Vardarac was third in the table, behind Tomislav from Donji Andrijevci and Tomislav from Cerne.
Vardarac's head coach is Marko Dinjar, a former Osijek midfielder. Dinjar told Glas Slavonije that he tried to maintain a calm atmosphere ahead of the big match. "Pokušavao sam je držati mirnom i maknuti dečke od euforije." Dinjar said. He also highlighted the special feeling among his players. "Naravno da je i kod igrača poseban osjećaj, ipak stiže Hajduk, dolaze TV kamere..."
Hajduk enters this cup match in excellent domestic league form. As of September 9, 2026, the club tops the HNL table with 13 points from six games played. Their record is 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, with a recent form of WWWWD. The Whites have scored 15 goals and conceded only 5, giving them a +10 goal difference. This form provides additional confidence for the team ahead of their trip to Vardarac.
Following the SuperSport Cup fixture, Hajduk's focus will quickly return to the HNL. As early as Saturday, September 12, 2026, they face an important home match against NK Slaven Belupo at Poljud. Slaven Belupo is currently 8th in the table, so this will be an opportunity for Hajduk to extend their run of good results. The full schedule of upcoming matches can be followed on our fixtures page. This season's squad lineup and detailed player statistics are available on the squad and stats pages.
