Tonight, Montenegro opens the qualification tournament for the Olympic Games with a match against the Netherlands, the biggest outsider in the group.
This is also the tournament that will determine the coming summer - either everything will be ready for London, or a miracle will happen, so Montenegrin water polo players will watch the competition on small screens...
Therefore, the stake is huge, the pressure is so great, because most of the players in Ranko Perović's team will probably not be in the national team until Rio de Janeiro 2016.
However, Montenegro in Edmonton must not be afraid of anything or anyone, the European Championship in Eindhoven showed that the "sharks" are a water polo force, so in Canada they are expected to close the circle and easily win one of the first four places and a visa to London .
Montenegrin water polo players have almost two weeks of preparation behind them, both in Montenegro and in America, and now it's time for the games, what the players want...
"We need to use the recipe from Eindhoven. I have no doubt that we are the best team in this tournament, that everything depends on us and I believe that we will prove it in the pool, regardless of who our opponent is," said captain Nikola Janović.
After the Dutch, there are two probably decisive matches for the first place in the group with Germany and Greece. Are you already thinking about those games?
"Those are certainly the two most difficult matches in the group, but we don't need to think about the Germans and the Greeks now. Let's go step by step, game by game, because each one will be a story in itself. The most important thing is that we do the best we can we know, and then I don't expect any problems. We ask ourselves, that is, our quality is the one that will decide," said the older of the Janović brothers.
Do you know what form the other national teams are in?
"I think they have an advantage over us in that regard, because we are the only national team that has 10 players who do not play in domestic clubs, but are "spread" across Europe, and we are together for a little more than 10 days. Also, big a number of our opponents understood the European Championship in Eindhoven as preparation for this qualification tournament, which was not the case with us... However, we are one of the best teams in the world, in terms of quality, we certainly do not belong here, but I am sure that we will defend the rating we have and to go to the Olympic Games. We certainly deserve that," Janović pointed out.
Which match do you think will be crucial in the group?
"In my opinion, it is the match with Germany in the second round. It will probably offer a clearer picture of the situation in the group. Our goal is to be among the top two teams and then have an easier opponent in the quarterfinals. Otherwise, it could be it happens that we play with, for example, Spain in the quarter-finals, and that would not be desirable," concluded the member of Dubrovnik Jug.
Petrović: The key is self-belief
Montenegrin water polo players know that the opponent in the quarter-finals depends on the situation in the group, so they aim for first place in order to have the easiest opponent in the semi-final match.
"Our group is very strong. With the exception of Spain, they are all favorites in this tournament. We know that any mistake could cost us dearly, so the key is to believe in ourselves and to show seriousness from the first game against the Netherlands, to let that be our main feature. Simply, there are no weak teams, they all know how to play water polo, and it's up to us to prevent them from surprising us," said "Shark" defender Antonio Petrović.
Schedule
1. april
MONTENEGRO - Netherlands 20.30
3. april
MONTENEGRO - Germany 02.20
3. april
Greece - MONTENEGRO 23.40
5. april
MONTENEGRO - Macedonia 1.00:XNUMX a.m
5. april
MONTENEGRO - Romania 23.40
The quarter-final duels are scheduled for April 6.
Bonus video:
