Successful dress rehearsal for Buducnost in January

Three wins and one draw for Buducnost in January's Regional league matches, which serves as a preparation for the Women's EHF Champions League Main round.

In the final test, in Podgorica, Buducnost defeated Macedonian side Vardar, also playing in the main round, by 32:28 (15:11), and jumped into first place in the league. Top scorers for Budućnost were Dragana Cvijic and Radmila Petrovic with six goals, while Marija Shteriova was Vardar’s best player with eight goals.

However, Buducnost’s coach Dragan Adzic was not totally satisfied, not because of the ups and downs during the game, but due to the fact that the opponent did not play with all their best players.

"I expected Vardar to give their maximum and use the best team for a strong preparation for the main round. They didn’t do so, but I respect that," Dragan Adzic said.

“But, this situation has affected my players, as they were prepared to play against the best team of Vardar. In one part of the second half, when Dembele, Pineau and Khmyrova were off the court for Vardar, we played like we should.

"I'm sorry for this test, because it was supposed to be a step forward in preparation for the upcoming event. Unfortunately, we didn’d get a lot from this game. Matches with Krim and even Podravka proved to be a better tests for us,” Adzic added.

Besides Vardar, Buducnost in the Regional league teams defeated Croatian teams Podravka Vegeta (24:17) and Lokomotiva Zagreb (27:24), while in Ljubljana, the Montenegrin champions drew with Krim (19:19), a rival in Main Round, alongside Györi Audi ETO KC and Larvik.

"I am satisfied how we trained in January, I think we are slowly returning to the level of play that we had against the FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria in the last group game or with FC Midtjylland at home.

"I think Buducnost can play with all three opponents in the main round, although we are in a group that represents the cream of handball. But, it’s a challenge for all of us. I look forward to the matches against the strongest teams, because it is the only measure for us, we are training for that,” Adzic continued.

It the first main round game Buducnost face an away trip to the current champions, Györi Audi ETO KC. Adzic, however, points out that the game in Hungary in not the main focus at the moment.

"Generally we will be more engaged to prepare home games with Larvik and Krim. Györi Audi ETO KC are a phenomenal team, they play great and are first favorites to win the trophy again. We focus on the games with Krim and Larvik, as we see major shances in those games," Adzic concluded.