When the name Spartak is mentioned for basketball players, Buducnost Volija should set off all possible alarm bells.
The team from Subotica is anything but an easy rival for Andrej Žakelj's team, as they are a team that has defeated the "blues" twice in the "M:tel Morača Hall" in the last two seasons - since they have been participating in the ABA League.
Thus, this season, Buducnost suffered one of its two defeats in the regional competition against Spartak, along with the one against Red Star in Belgrade.
Spartak won 97:93 in the first round, in October last year, in our capital, while in the 2024/25 season in the same hall it was 75:78 (November 2024).
The third match between them also brought excitement, but Buducnost "got away" and triumphed 86:82 even though they were in a double-digit deficit.
Now it's match number four - for Buducnost, the match in Dudova Šuma (Saturday at 5:30 PM) comes after the victory over Kemnica in the Eurocup and before the clash with Ulm in Germany, which is also very important.
"The match against Chemnitz took a lot of our strength, but that must not be an excuse. We need to be maximally prepared and, above all, physically respond to their aggressive and tough game. From the first moment, we want to impose our rhythm, to play aggressive defense with clearly defined tasks. Spartak is a quality team, with good individuals, well-managed, and we are certainly in for a demanding match," said Žakelj.
Spartak has a record of seven wins and seven losses after 14 rounds.
"This is one of the teams fighting for a play-off spot. Spartak will certainly be extremely motivated, because a lot depends on the outcome of this match. It's up to us to try to "avenge" the defeat in Podgorica, and more importantly, if we win, we have a great chance of finishing first in the group," emphasized center Zoran Nikolić, adding:
"Subotica is a team with strong and high-quality players who like to play in the low post and around the rim, but also with very good shooters. We will have to control their game and prevent open shots."
Spartak's coach is Vlade Jovanović, former head coach of Buducnost.
"The future is a team that, in basketball jargon, has a "Euroleague size", filled at all positions, plays very intensively, has an aggressive defense and a lot of running. One of the more demanding tasks awaits us," said Jovanović.
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