After 11 consecutive seasons in which they reached at least the quarterfinals of the Champions League, the Buducnost Bemax handball players did not make it to the top eight teams on the Old Continent in the last two.
The biggest Montenegrin club was in a difficult situation, debts were a threat to survival, but the situation normalized, so the goal is to return to the place that Budućnost deserves. For starters, at least the quarterfinals of an elite competition.
That's why seven reinforcements were brought in, the most famous of which is the name of the Olympic, world and European champion with France, Kalidijata Nijakata. The stocky left-back missed almost all of last season due to knee surgery, but should be fully fit for the start of the new season.
- I feel good after the operation, I hope to be able to train with the team next week. I believe that I will prepare well and in the right shape to meet the start of the season - said the 28-year-old from Obervillier at the start of the Podgorica club's preparations.
7 new players were brought by Budućnost - Tanja Ivanović (ex Ašanin) and Anastasija Marsenić returned, and Frenchwoman Kalidijata Nijakate, Hungarian Noemi Hafra, German Anne-Katrin Gigerich and Turkish Neslihan Čališkan and Bejza Karačam arrived.
The handball player, who will try to win a place in the French team for the Olympic Games in Paris with the editions of Buducnost, is satisfied with how her teammates received her.
- The girls are very kind, they welcomed me nicely. There is a good atmosphere, that we all want to fight for the goal. Buducnost has always been a fighting team, it was also seen last season, even though it didn't have the best players. I believe that this season we will have a little more shots from the outside, and we have to keep that fighting spirit. We all have ambitions, as does the club, I hope we will play well and reach our goals, and we want to go as far as possible.
Nijakate talked about coming to Buducnost with Đurđina Jauković, with whom she became close when they played together for Brest.
- Of course we always talked about the Future. This is her club, she is from here and she always told me nice things about everyone from Budućnost, the coaching staff... I can't wait to see for myself - concluded Nijakate.
The "Blues" will train in Podgorica until Friday, then spend eight days in Igalo, and in August they will play tournaments in Ljubljana, Metz and Koprivnica. By the way, Crimea will probably arrive in Podgorica at the end of August or the beginning of September, right before the start of the Champions League.
- There are a lot of new faces, it's a big challenge for this season. Five or six players left, as many came. They are mostly defenders, so the concept of the game in attack will have to start from scratch. I sincerely hope that the girls will be able to familiarize themselves with the actions through the preparatory period and that through all the tournaments we will reach the desired form by the start of the Champions League - said Bojana Popović.
The future has a stronger lineup than last year, but the problem is that Nijakate and Noemi Hafra are returning after difficult operations and long breaks.
- The most important thing is to be healthy. Nijakate and Hafra moon will not be able to enter duels, so we will not have what we want from the start. They are important links in the game we are planning, I sincerely hope that at least after those four weeks they will be able to work with the team as much as possible. A period of adaptation is also needed, especially for girls from abroad. But, first of all, they should be healthy and we should insert them into the system and get along with the club.
The good thing is that 14 rounds are played in the Champions League, and six of the eight teams advance to the knockout stage.
- It is important that the team feels good from the start and enters the first matches with confidence. The point is that we grow through the Champions League, I hope that we will be at full strength when everything starts and that there will be no drop-outs in the long term in this preparation period. Tournaments in Ljubljana, Metz and Koprivnica are waiting for us, which is why we will be on the road a lot, and because of the new players, we started preparations earlier than our rivals - concluded Popović.
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