Everything is ready for the start of the World Water Polo Championship, and Montenegrin water polo players will also be part of it, as they will be making their 10th appearance at the global championships in Singapore.
Behind the "Sharks" is the preparatory period in which they participated in the prestigious tournament in Budapest, where they convincingly lost to Hungary and Spain, and defeated Serbia in an exciting match at the "Alfred Hajoš" swimming pool.
Our water polo players arrived in Singapore a few days ago, trained with the host team and Spain, and will open the World Championship on Saturday - their rival is Greece, a team that finished fifth at the World Championships in Doha last year.
- Greece is a well-known opponent and I think we can emerge from this match as winners. It will be important to stop the opponent's attack with one more player, because Greece has shown its power in this segment in recent years - said defender Aljoša Mačić.
The "Hellenians" are traditionally an unpleasant rival for Montenegro, who have lost in their last six duels.
- I think that with team play and team spirit we can fight for first place in the group - Mačić emphasized.
In addition to Greece, the other rivals in the group are Croatia and China. Dejan Savić's team plays against the "barracudas" on Monday, and closes the group stage with a duel with the Chinese on Wednesday.
- The match with Croatia in Podgorica during the World Cup showed oscillations, like any other. What is important is that serious progress has been seen in aggression and desire. One ball and one pass are not considered in sports, but in any case, Croatia deserves respect. It is the vice-champion of Europe and the Olympic Games, it has been together for a long time and has already done certain things that its players perform with their eyes closed, you could say that they live like in the Matrix. Of course, we respect them like any other national team, but we are not afraid of anyone - Savić emphasized.
The Serbian expert, who took over the national team from Vladimir Gojković at the end of last year, believes in the youngest players, Balša Vučković and Strahinja Gojković.
- They recognize and know how to play water polo. They just need to fit into the team, the atmosphere and my specific requirements, which are not too extensive and too difficult. There are certainly more young players on the wider list who deserve to be part of the senior national team of Montenegro in the future - said Savić.
Montenegro hasn't been in the semi-finals of a major competition since January 2020 - can that change now?
- The goal is for Montenegro to remain at the very top of world and European water polo. I am not afraid, I know that I have a huge responsibility. Personally, with my name, surname and character, I must always "chase" the highest podium. I can freely say that our goals are medals. How we will get there, there are signs on the road and by the way, but the ultimate goal is the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. All other competitions are steps, or rather preparations for it. The result should be expected and we should hope for it, and from my side it is not to promise, but to do it - Savić concluded recently in an interview for Meridiansports.
Our national team will be represented in Singapore by goalkeepers Petar Tešanović and Lazar Andrić, as well as Vasilije Radović, Miroslav Perković, Dušan Matković, Aljoša Macić, Đuro Radović, Jovan Vujović, Balša Vučković, Dušan Banićević, Savo Ćetković, Dimitrije Obradović, Strahinja Gojković, Dmitrij Holod and Filip Gardašević.
The group winner will advance to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, while the second and third-placed teams will play in the round of 16 against the teams that finish second and third in Group C (composed of the United States, Brazil, Canada, Singapore).
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