Careful ambitions
For the 17th time the team from the Montenegrin capital Podgorica is participating in the EHF Women’s Champions League.
Among the favourites for the title
After reaching the semi-finals (against later-on winners Larvik) last season, Buducnost want to be among the contenders for reaching the title again.
One year after their biggest transfer coup ever, when world star and five times EHF Champions League winner Bojana Popovic joined the club, Buducnost improved their squad again to continue the traditionally highly successful story of women’s handball in Podgorica.
Important new signings
Buducnost signed the powerful Serbian pivot Dragana Cvijic from Krim and Maja Savic who has won the EHF Champions League several times with Slagelse, coming from the Danish three times CL champion Viborg HK.
Also from Denmark Dijana Jovetic arrived in Montenegro. And for the first time ever a Western European player joined the club: German national team goalkeeper Clara Woltering.
She was transferred from Bayer Leverkusen to replace Sanela Knezovic, who is now playing for Oltchim Valcea in Romania, the same club Marija Jovanovic signed for.
Coach and president hope for success
For coach Dragan Adzic – also national team coach of Montenegro – the objectives are clear: To be among the top teams as long as possible, "as it’s priceless for our small country and our handball sports to have such an international success."
Despite those changes in his team, club president Predrag Boskovic is confident, as the important back court axis – led by Popovic - has remained the same.
"We hope that the new players will adapt to our team quickly," Boskovic says.
"Our ambitions are high again, as we have a very good team, but in sports you never know what will happen, even as you aim as high as possible," Boskovic mentions the objectives for the upcoming season.
Careful Popovic
Bojana Popovic underlines those ambitions, but is careful not to set the goals too high.
"I do not promise anything in order to avoid the mistakes from last season. We will play bravely, we will do our best, we will try to achieve more than previous season and we will see how far we come.
We will do our best to every match, but there are many possible eventualities that we can not influence, above all the health of the players."
Hard to beat at home
Knowing that they can count on their highly faithful and frenetic spectators, the arena in Podgorica has become a fortress.
Anf that is what Buducnost want to prove against the Group Stage opponents from Midtjylland, Thüringen and a qualificant.
New marketing
As some players changed, also the position of the marketing manager was assigned newly by Lazar Vukcevic. Everything is set to go far this season.
And Buducnost know how to win titles, as they have taken four European Cups in their club history and won in total 39 national titles (championships and cups).
Three questions to coach Dragan Adzic
ehfCL.com: What are your expectations for the upcoming season of the EHF Women’s Champions League – concerning your objectives and your group opponents?
Dragan Adzic: The opponents in our group are respectable representatives of handball superpower countries and, but our placement in the group will depend only from ourselves.
I expect tough matches, but also to reach the Main Round.
ehfCL.com: What does the participation in the EHF Champions League mean to you and your club?
Dragan Adzic: For me and for my players, participation in the EHF Champions League is like a dream in which we have to prove ourselves on the best possible level.
We expect that in the new season our club will remain for very long in the top club competition, because it is priceless for our small country and handball sport.
ehfCL.com: What teams are your personal favourites for winning the title this season – and why?
Dragan Adzic: Györ have the strongest team on paper this season, and therefore everything less than winning the EHF Champions League trophy would be a straight failure for them.
Larvik are still consisting of players of the Norwegian national team, that represents the strongest in the world.
Oltchim Valcea have a stronger and more stable squad than last season.
Krim have new players and new coaching staff and are a very serious team. In addition Itxako, Dynamo and Buducnost can go for the trophy.
Club facts – Buducnost Podgorica (MNE)
Newcomers: Maja Savic (Viborg HK/DEN), Clara Woltering (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Dragana Cvijic (RK Krim/SLO), Adriana Gabriela Tacalie (CS Oltchim Valcea/ROU), Dijana Jovetic (Esbjerg HK/DEN), Ivana Bozovic (Biseri)
Left the club: Sanela Knezovic (CS Oltchim Valcea/ROU), Marija Jovanovic (CS Oltchim Valcea/ROU), Dragana Pecevska (Metalurg Skopje/MKD), Gabriella Kindl (end of career), Jovanka Radicevic (Györi Audi ETO/HUN)
Coach: Dragan Adzic, since 2010
Qualification for the 2011/2012 EHF Women’s Champions League season: Montenegrin champions
EHF Women’s Champions League records:
Participations (including 2011/2012 season): 17
Semi-finalist: 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2001/02, 2010/11
Quarter-finals: 2002/03, 2003/04
Last 16: 1995/96
Group Phase/Champions League: 1996/97, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2009/10
Other EC records:
Cup Winners Cup: Winner 1984/85, 2005/06, 2009/10
IHF Cup Winner 1986/87
Montenegrin champion: 23 times (1985,1989,1990,1992-2011)
Montenegrin Cup winner: 16 times (1984,1989, 1995-1998, 2000-2002, 2005-2011)
Further information
Find more information on Buducnost Podgorica HERE.
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TEXT:
Björn Pazen