 Hard work ahead for Budućnost
A traditional dinner on Sunday evening and the first training session on Monday evening signaled the start of the new season for Budućnost.
This week’s preparation began without six players, who recently played at the Mediterranean Games in Mersin (Turkey).
Montenegro’s Milena Knežević, Majda Mehmedović and Radmila Miljanić (who was married few weeks ago and will use Petrović as her second name), Serbian Dragana Cvijić, Croatian Katarina Ježić and Macedonian Elena Gjeorgjijevska have been given time to recover from the championship.
“This week they will work on a special program. From Friday we will work with the complete team.
“What is most important is that the players arrive in good condition, we have enough time for preparation, as we started a few days earlier than in previous seasons, and the Champions’ League begins a few days later.
“We have time to put all of the pieces together and work the new players into our system,” Dragan Adžić told ehfCL.com.
The team will have a two-day gathering on the river Tara over the weekend, before travelling to Brzeće at Kopaonik, one of larger mountain ranges in Serbia, for physical preparation until 7 August.
Exhaustive test match schedule
A large number of games are then scheduled, with Russian side Astrakhanochka coming to visit for four test matches on 13, 14, 18 and 19 August and two games with the Italian national team following shortly on 20 and 21 August.
On 30 and 31 August, Budućnost will play an international tournament in Koprivnica, Croatia, with host Podravka, Hypo NÖ and Krim Mercator.
Dragan Adžić will lead his team into their first regional league game on 1 September against Lokomotiva in Zagreb, the first of seven games in that competition in September.
Finally, on 20 and 21 September, Budućnost will play a tournament in Ljubljana, against Hypo NÖ, Vardar and hosts Krim.
The heavy preparation campaign will come to an end with the first game in the Women’s EHF Champions League on 6 October against Polish team MKS Lublin.
“All of these matches will mean a lot to us in order to reach the desired level and to build a new system with five new players.
“The goal is clear and we want to be ready for 6 October and the game against MKS Lublin,” explained Adžić.
New faces
Budućnost underwent many team changes this summer, with five first team players leaving the club: Anđela Bulatović, Jelena Živković, Claudine Mendy, Jelena Trifunović and Katarina Bralo.
However, Adžić was quick to act and found replacements in the form of Russian Irina Nikitina, Romanian Cristina Neagu, Polish Kinga Byzdra, Dane Camilla Dalby and Marta Žderić from Croatia.
“At the test we made in mid-June, Camilla Dalby and Kinga Byzdra showed that they are, in all respects, ready to respond to our demands.
 “We were interested in Irina Nikitina even though she was a junior, we followed her and we brought her to Budućnost. We believe she will progress in Budućnost and prove to be an excellent player.
“Marta Žderić is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe at her age and I believe she will be a long term solution for that position,” said Adžić.
Due to injuries, Cristina Neagu, Biljana Pavićević and Željka Nikolić will begin preparations later, while Suzana Lazović is recovering from illness.
“In the last three years, Cristina Neagu played only a couple of months due to a severe shoulder injury, followed by knee surgery, so we have to have patience with her.
“In any case, she is a quality player who has great potential. However, we cannot count on her for the first matches in the EHF Champions League,” Adžić concluded.
TEXT: Saša Jončić / cor
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