Volleyball players in Portugal: Brave in Matosinhos, host's first rival

The men's volleyball team traveled to Matosinhos, a sailing center near Porto, with a good atmosphere, where they will continue their competition in the European League.

Ivica Jevtić's team has recovered and trained in Podgorica, after defeating Austria 3:1 in the first tournament, and is ready for the challenges that await them in north-west Portugal.

In Matosinhos, they will face the host team on June 12th at 22 pm and the Latvian team the day after at 18 pm.

After the first weekend in Schwechat, the "reds" are at half the score and are in the middle of the joint table, as is Portugal, while Latvia achieved maximum victories over Romania and Kosovo. Coach Ivica Jevtić was positive ahead of the long trip to the Iberian Peninsula and after the matches with Finland and Austria he sees progress in the team's work.

Ivan Zvicer did not travel to the tournament in Portugal due to a stomach virus. Budućnost's young point guard Luka Lojić and middle blocker Nikola Đurović, who is returning to form after an injury, also traveled with the team.

The following players are available to coach Jevtić in Portugal:

TECHNICIANS: Rastko Milenković (Budućnost) and Marko Joksimović (Budva);

PROOFREADERS: Milutin Pavićević (Maccabi Sva Rehovot, Israel), Đorđe Jovović (Kepler, Rwanda) and Luka Lojić (Budućnost);

RECEIVERS: Nemanja Peruničić (Kagitspor, Turkey), Vukašin Cimbaljević (Budva), Vasilije Milenković (Budućnost) and Vuk Stanojević (Budva);

MIDDLE BLOCKERS: Matija Ćinćur (Budva), Vukota Čelebić (Budva), Srđan Petrović (Budućnost) and Nikola Đurović (HAOK Mladost, Croatia);

LIBERA: Nikola Lakčević (Budućnost) and Andrija Joksimović (Budva).

Portugal was Montenegro's rival in the 2023 European Championship qualifiers, and the teams together from Group "D" secured participation in the tournament.

The connection with Latvia is special – it is the team against which the Montenegrin men's volleyball team played its first two official matches in history, in September 2007 in the European qualifiers for the Beijing Olympic Games, and won both. Ivica Jevtić also made his debut as Montenegro's coach in the match against Latvia in the CEV Golden European League last year.

SCHEDULE OF MATCHES:

Friday, June 12: MONTENEGRO – PORTUGAL (22pm)

Saturday, June 13: LATVIA – MONTENEGRO (18pm)

Sunday, June 14: PORTUGAL – LATVIA (17:30 p.m.)