The main part of the work on the road to Scandinavia and the European Championship, which will be organized by Denmark, Norway and Sweden, was done by the Montenegrin handball players in November with two victories - March is reserved for spectacle, derbies and the decision on first place.
The "Lions" started preparations for two big matches against Hungary today in the "Verde" hall - the first in the M:tel hall "Morača" on Wednesday (18pm) and the second four days later in Tatabanja.
"We want to continue as seriously as possible after a good start - the players are motivated and I hope the stadium will be full in the first match," said Didije Dinar, the coach of the "Lions".
What is always a problem before such important matches is the preparations, especially for the first one, as the "lions" have only two days to prepare for a team that was recently eliminated from the World Cup semi-finals by Marin Šipić's goal in the last second of the match.
"EHF weeks are always specific and we almost never have time to prepare in detail. We have talked and we will try to be as prepared as possible," added Dinar.
It is well known how the French legend played defense, but will the "Lions" defense be the recipe for the Hungarians?
"It's certainly easier to win when the defense is good, but that doesn't mean we don't need to play a good offense," Dinar said clearly.
It's a long way from the 2024 European Championship.
Our handball players played their last match against Hungary in Munich last year, when they missed a great chance for the favorites to "take away" a point at the EHF Euro. How much different should we expect from our opponent now?
"I believe that we should always analyze the opponent as they are at the moment a new match is played, so we will prepare as much as possible for what we have recently seen from Hungary," said Dinar.
The "Lions" are returning for these matches with left winger Filip Vujović, center back Miloš Božović (who is questionable due to injury) and pivot Admir Pelidija, and Dinar can once again count on Stefan Čavor, who was injured in November.
"None of the players got the call by chance," the French expert was short and clear.
Is there less pressure and is it easier to play two derbies with four points already won?
"Hungarians are a handball nation and are certainly favorites in these two matches. But that doesn't mean we will give up at any moment, we will fight and do our best to do as well as possible."
Perhaps the best defender of all time will work for the first time in the Montenegrin national team with Čavor and Božović, who arrived at that Spanish club as great talents while he was wearing the Ciudad Real jersey.
"The handball world is generally small - Čavor and Božović came as very talented players and it is an honor and pleasure for me to be their coach," concluded Dinar.
Pelidija: I play handball because of the national team
Admir Pelidija, with his great performances for the Gvardija Opole team in the strong Polish league, deserved to be part of our national team again.
"There is nothing better than being part of the national team, for me it is the most important thing in my career, that is why I play this sport. I am very happy to be in the national team again," the pivot from Pljevlja is clear.
In a rival in March he says.
"We have two tough matches against a superpower like Hungary, but I hope we can come up with a positive result, especially in the first match in a full 'Morača'. We have very little time to prepare, but we believe we can crush the Hungarians in front of our fans. I hope that after that match we will be one step closer to the European Championship."
Polish media singled out our center forward as one of the best in the league.
"Playing in Poland has boosted my confidence and I hope that I will be able to carry my good form into the national team jersey. I hope that I will fit into the coach's system and be able to contribute to a positive result against Hungary," concluded Pelidija.
French with Dinar
The Lions' training session was visited by girls and boys from Montenegro who are learning French.
Of course, because of coach Didier Dinar, who greeted them in the stands of the "Verde" hall.
The conversation with the French legend was an ideal opportunity to check how much they had learned so far when it came to this foreign language.
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