Ahead of Slovenia's football cup final we talked to the sporting director of NK Maribor, Zlatko Zahovič. His football club is looking to win the double crown (the championship and the cup – at the beginning of the season they also won the super cup) and Zahovič is pleased with the season: "I can't find one area in which there was dissatisfaction." With Slovenia’s best goal scorer ever we also touched on Olimpija, Benfica, Jan Oblak, the Champions League, and the way the Spanish championship ended.

On Wednesday you have the Cup final. What is the team atmosphere like?
We're preparing for the match as usual. The main concern is to get those currently injured ready for the match. Mendy, Filipović and Fajić are questionable. I expect a difficult match. Our advantage is that we have already won two trophies this season, while Gorica is hungry for victories.

Although you have two trophies already, Maribor is still expected to win the Cup final...
We've been living with that pressure for some years now. It is a privilege for us. Players can't really live without it. It makes us more powerful, and as I can see, the boys enjoy being in this situation.

We can now slowly sum up the season, which is coming to an end. What was the season like for NK Maribor?
Our results exceed our financial capabilities. It's impossible to be dissatisfied. I can't find one area in which there was dissatisfaction. NK Maribor's financial investments are minimal compared to other European football clubs.

Critics say Maribor isn't progressing as much as it really could…
Let them come and work with us and then they'll see how it is. It's easy to criticize from the couch. And it's interesting that no one else has actually made it. People defend themselves by criticizing others because they're uneducated.

How do you see Jan Oblak's performance?
It's a pity for Jan that Benfica didn't beat Sevilla. He's a fantastic goalkeeper. I'm convinced that he has a great career ahead of him and that he'll become the first Slovene to win a European trophy. What is more, his future will be full of European trophies.

Will he soon leave Benfica?
I think it would be right for him to spend a few more years in Benfica and consolidate his skills. After that I think it would be difficult to hold him in the club.

Did you go see any of the El Clasico matches this season?
Every year I go watch one El Clasico match and this year I saw the one when Barcelona beat Real Madrid with 4:3 (on the 23rd of March in Madrid).

Did you root for Atletico on Saturday?
If Real can't be Spanish champion, then let it be Atletico. It was deserved, as the team was in the lead almost the entire season. They were the most consistent team which made the least mistakes. The way the season ended was fair.

Wasn't it strange though, the way the three clubs contending for the championship lost so many points ...
Atletico Madrid lost points because it had a short bench. Barcelona lost points because relations inside the team aren't the way they're supposed to be. And in Real Madrid everybody is so psyched up about being able to win their tenth European champions title. They lost concentration and are already thinking about the Champions League final in Lisbon.

What's your prediction for the Champions League final?
Real is the clear favourite, everything else would be a surprise.

So you think Atletico's coach Diego Simeone won't find the right recipe to stop the white ballet?
Well, I still think they will be competitive and that we'll see a fantastic match, however in the end I think that quality which can be bought will prevail.

What's your view on Gorica, which has a lot of Italian players?
Capital decides and capital advances. Italian capital has entered Slovenia and we have to come to terms with that and adapt to it. Of course it's not great for Slovenian players, but if they can't make it there, maybe they can make it elsewhere. It's the law of capital. The sooner you accept it, the better.

For the end, your comment about Olimpija, which thought it would become Maribor's rival, but almost had to fight against relegation in the end...
One of the club president's biggest mistakes was Sašo Udovič. He had no vision. The team will long feel the consequences of his recruiting. I feel sorry that Mile Ačimović left the club. I think he could have done a lot for the club. He and Dušan Kosić were the perfect combination and the club’s management should have listened to them. They were really close at setting up a club with the right vision.