Slovenia enters the two-leg World Championship playoff against Montenegro as the favorite, but the long-time coach of the "Lions" Zoran Roganović believes in our team and the support from the stands of "Morača", where numerous greats of world handball have fallen.
Known as an "infectious" optimist, Roganović in an interview for Meridiansport Didier Dinar's men's team is expected to reach the semi-finals of the last Olympic Games.
"I am always an optimist, and that was the case when I was the national team coach. I believe in the players and I hope that they will transfer that energy to the field. That is why I hope that this time the boys will play their best games and qualify for the World Cup. I expect the men's team to compete with their rivals and we will see what it will bring in the end," said Roganović at the beginning of the interview for Meridiansports.
A packed stadium in Podgorica could be a wind at the "Lions'" back.
"The atmosphere in "Morača" is a great asset for Montenegro. We know what kind of superpowers we have when our hall is full and the fans give an extra boost to the whole team. We also remember how we made up for the deficit against Greece in the play-offs for the World Cup. The Federation did everything to ensure that the team had the best possible atmosphere for the match. The game, so to speak, was advertised on time and there is no doubt that Slovenia will have a full stadium."
Montenegro will try to gain an advantage before the second leg, which is scheduled to take place in Koper.
"When it comes to the margin that would bring us security before the second leg, it's five goals or more. Of course, no win guarantees anything, but plus five would be a result that would bring optimism ahead of the game in Slovenia."
The rival is of extremely high quality, as evidenced by the results in major competitions.
"Uroš Zorman is doing a great job with Slovenia. He is a quality expert and his mark is visible in the national team's play. They are stronger than last winter at the European Championship and there is no doubt that our team is facing a serious challenge."
And Montenegro will also be of higher quality, compared to the last continental championship.
"The national team is stronger than at the European Championship for goalkeepers Nebojša Simić and Nikola Matović. We know how much Simo means to this team, he is our best player. He is fueled by the support from the stands, especially in "Morača". That is why I expect him to be a leader in defense, and Branko Vujović to be our leading player when it comes to attack."
Zoran Roganović is having a great season at Malmo, leading the team to the playoff finals where they will face Kristianstad.
“Malmo are having a great season, we really have to be satisfied. We will play in the final against Kristianstad. It is a shame because we missed out on home field advantage in the final series by one goal. However, we won all the sympathy of the local public, we scored the most goals, we played the most beautiful handball. Malmo has five Swedish national team players for the first time, we have three in the B selection and the same number in the youth team.”
Our expert was voted the best coach in Sweden, while his son Nikola is the player of the season in this Scandinavian country.
"I'm happy about the award for best coach. It means that I'm working well with my coaching staff and players. A possible title would be the icing on the cake of a successful season," concluded Zoran Roganović.
Montenegro and Slovenia will play today at 18 pm at the "M:tel Morača Hall", the second leg is in three days in Koper.
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