Dragana Pecevska out for a month

Budućnost has had a fantastic start into this EHF Champions League season, with victories against Dinamo Volgograd, title defenders Viborg HK and IK Sävehof.

These results give the Montenegrins not only a current first place in their Group A, but it also gives them great chances to go through to the Main Round.

Unfortunately, Budućnost are forced to play the remaining three Group Phase games without their left wing Dragana Pecevska. She suffered muscle injury in her right leg during a training session in Sweden before the game against IK Sävehof.

Medical checks in Skopje have proved a torn muscle, so the doctors recommended three to four weeks of resting plus a 15 day rehabilitation.

This means that the Macedonian player will be out until December, and miss all three remaining matches. This includes not only the games against Dinamo and Sävehof but also the crucial match against Viborg on 7 November, which could decide over the top spot in Group A.

"We lost Pecevska for the rest of the Group Phase of the EHF Champions League, but we hope that she will be back after the EHF EURO 2010 in December. That part of the season is very important to us, and it is necessary that she will be back then to help us. If it was destiny to happen, it is better it happened now," said Budućnost coach Dragan Adžić.

Last season Pecevska was said to not have shown her best, as she feared complications arising after a meniscus surgery she had to undergo on the same, right foot.

But this season she has been playing in a stunning form. Especially her performance in Denmark against Viborg was outstanding. She not only scored four goals, but in defence she completely eliminated one of the best right wings in the world, Christine Varzaru, who only managed to score two goals.

"Her absence is a big handicap for us, since she is one of our most experienced players. Her substitute Maida Mehmedović has great potential, which she has demonstrated in her generation. But in the EHF Champions League we will miss the experience, the stability and the quality of Pecevska. Hopefully, we will still manage to replace her when I to try with other players on the left wing," Dragan Adžić added.

The EHF Women's Champions League top game of Group A, ŽRK Budućnost (MNE) vs. Viborg HK (DEN) on Sunday 7 November 2010 at 19:30 hrs (local time), will be broadcast live on our free-of-charge web stream on ehfTV.com.