From the special reporter "Vijesti"
Far from the crowds in Podgorica that accompany the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron and the EU summit in Tivat, the Montenegrin football players were welcomed by idyllic Košice.
The Slovak city with the largest old city center located near the Hungarian and Ukrainian borders will show how close or far the "falcons" are from what coach Mirko Vučinić expects from them in September when the Nations League begins.
The rival for the end of the test matches seems ideal - Slovakia, tomorrow (Friday) at 6:30 PM at the Košice Football Arena, another beautiful building from whose example we should learn.
A few days ago, the "falcons" celebrated against Bulgaria away (1:0), now they will face a team that also bears the nickname "falcons" with a much different lineup, but the goal is the same - another game that shows that they are on the right track.
- There will be changes, we will play with a very different team, there will definitely be six or seven new players - said Vučinić at a press conference.
His team in Plovdiv, after a weak period in previous qualifiers, including the previous Nations League, showed that they had not forgotten about winning.
- It's nice to celebrate, but the most important thing is not to fly high, but to be firmly on the ground. We didn't do anything even though we won away after a long time. We have to be aware of ourselves, but I also hope that we start getting used to winning. I would be satisfied with the fight, first of all - emphasized Vučinić.
I LIKE IT WHEN WE HOLD THE BALL, WHEN THE GAME STARTS FROM THE GOALKEEPER
What Vučinić particularly emphasized after the match with Bulgaria was the game that started with the goalkeeper. Can the same be expected against Slovakia, which is a more serious rival, more dangerous in pressing.
- I like it when we keep the ball in possession, when the game starts with the goalkeeper, we will try to make it that way against Slovakia. We will see how much and what we can do against a serious rival - says the legendary captain of Montenegro.
How much more difficult will it be against Slovakia compared to the match against Bulgaria?
- There are no harder or easier matches, we enter each one with the same desire and fight. We want to implement what we have been working on in training, it is imperative that we respect that - Vučinić is clear.
The June test matches were also an opportunity for players from the domestic championship to show that they can help when needed.
- I am satisfied with the players from our league. Both Andrija Ražnatović and Balša Sekulić (who won the match against Bulgaria) performed well. The same applies to everyone - mistakes can be made, but the race, the will, the desire, the fight for the Montenegrin jersey must not be absent.
Slovak journalists were interested in opinions on Nikola Krstović and Viktor Đukanović - the former moved from his home team Dunajska Streda to Serie A, and the latter now wears the jersey of that Slovak club.
- I hope Krstović will return soon because he is very important for this national team. Djukanović showed a very good game in Plovdiv. He fought for the team, served the team with running and fighting, I am more than satisfied not only with his performance, but also with the performance of the entire team - said Mirko.
MAYBE WEIS WANTED TO SOFTEN ME
Shortly before the press conference of our national team, Slovakian coach Vladimir Vajs spoke highly of Vučinić, believing that he will be as great a coach as he was as a player.
- Maybe Weiss wanted to soften me up - Vučinić joked, then continued in a serious tone.
DON'T MISS IT
- I'm sure it's nice to hear such words from a colleague, this is my beginning and I'm trying to work as hard as I can because I still have a lot to learn. Day after day I try to absorb as much knowledge as possible by analyzing training sessions and matches.
Slovakia is also practically on a new start after failing in the World Cup play-off against Kosovo, but the first match of June against Malta, which his boys won in extra time (2:1), showed that Weiss has a lot of work ahead of him.
- I watched the match between Slovakia and Malta, the result can be deceiving because they had many chances that they didn't take. It caught my eye that they were very dangerous in transition, that's how they scored the first goal, they created many chances after winning the ball - concluded Vučinić.
DUBLJANIĆ DEBUT
Balša Popović was in goal for Montenegro against Bulgaria, and Mišo Dubljanić will have the chance to show that he deserves a call-up in the match against Slovakia.
The goalkeeper of Rudar from Prijedor, who the media from Bosnia and Herzegovina has linked with a move to the big Željezničar, has been on the "Falcons" list for the first time.
Expected lineups:
Slovakia: Surovčik - Pavlek, Valjent, Šatka, Obert - Beneš, Pokorni, Duda - Suslov, Boženik, Haraslin.
Montenegro: Dubljanić – Roganović, Vujačić, Šipčić, Perović – Janković, Bulatović – Marušić, Hakšabanović, Camaj – Osmajić.
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