For things to "click" again like that winter in Hungary

Nine major competitions are behind the Montenegrin handball team, there have been great victories, there have been disappointments, but never has the euphoria over the "lions" shaken our country as much as in January 2022.

During that winter in Debrecen and Budapest, our national team defeated teams such as Slovenia and Croatia, and in the end, it finished the European Championship in 11th place, which is its best placing in history.

Miloš Božović was part of the Montenegrin team after suffering a positive coronavirus test, and now, as one of the more experienced among the "lions", he is embarking on new challenges - another EHF Euro is on the program in January.

"We had a great success then, we will work on making things 'click' again like that winter in Hungary," said Božović.

The "Lions" gathered in Podgorica on Monday, and the new EHF week officially marked the start of preparations for the European Championship, which will be played in Denmark, Norway and Sweden in January. On Friday (5:30 p.m.) and Saturday (6 p.m.), they will also face test matches against Belgium in the "Verde" hall.

"We are taking this EHF week seriously, and we need to use training and the upcoming matches to work out the variations we have in mind to try in the championship. It is good that the first match in the championship will be on January 16th, we will have more time than usual to prepare," explained Božović.

A group at the European Championship? One where we can win and lose to everyone

Didier Dinar's team will play the preliminary round of the Euros in Oslo, where they will face Slovenia, the Faroe Islands and Switzerland. If the "Lions" are among the top two teams, they will advance to the main round and move to Malmo.

"The group is such that we can beat anyone, but also lose to anyone. The focus is on us and how we will enter the matches mentally and tactically. The matches with Belgium can help us on that path," believes Božović.

Although injured goalkeepers Nebojša Simić and Nikola Matović will be missing, it seems that Montenegro now has a team that could advance to the next round.

"After all these years, we cannot turn a blind eye to the role of favorites in some matches or pretend not to know what is happening. The primary goal is to get through the group, we will talk about other things later," Božović made it clear.

Milorad Bakić: Satisfied and overjoyed to be part of the team

In the position where Božović plays (left back), Montenegro also has the talented Milorad Bakić, a handball player who made his debut for the senior national team in March 2024.

"First of all, I would like to thank the coach for the invitation and for seeing my potential. I am very satisfied and overjoyed to be here. I had an unfortunate injury, but everything ended well," said Bakić.

The guy from Andrijevica and brother of the "Lions" left winger Aleksandar Bakić believes that the rival during the EHF week is not a team that should be underestimated.

"We watched Belgium against Italy when they were our potential opponents in the World Cup play-offs. Even though they are friendly matches, we have to go in with maximum concentration," says Swedish Eskilstuna defender Guif.

When it comes to the upcoming European Championship, he emphasized that anything is possible.

"We're going for all three wins, to show that we can play with anyone and to get the best possible result," concluded Bakić.