Eurocup Qualifiers (I)
After we found out the participants of this season's Champions League, now the same awaits us as far as the Eurocup, once known as the LEN Cup, is the second most important European club competition. It is second in terms of rating, although the quality of the participants is already very attractive, but it also guarantees a high level of water polo.
The draw for the qualifying groups of the Eurocup was held in our capital, on Monday, September 16. At that time, we were already familiar with a total of 8 qualification groups. Out of those eight groups, our clubs will be in 4. There are four Croatian teams in the Eurocup qualifiers - Mladost and Jug Adriatic osiguranje, which failed to enter the Champions League, and Primorje EB and Solaris based on their placement in the Croatian Championship. Of the mentioned 8 groups, companies consist of 4, and the other 4 groups of 5 teams each. These more numerous groups start the tournament a little earlier, on Thursday, September 26. Since there are two of our clubs in such groups, Mladost and Jug Adriatic osiguranje, then we will start presenting the qualification groups of Croatian clubs, precisely with Dubrovnik and Zagreb.
Group D – Mladost, ENKA, Apollon Smyrna, Sant Andreu, Cattaro
The city of Zagreb is the host of this group, and HAVK Mladost is the clear favorite. With due respect to rivals from Turkey, Montenegro, Spain and Greece.
- The rivals are not in our rank, but that does not mean that there is or can be any relaxation. We must take this tournament 100% seriously and qualify for the group stage of the Eurocup. The first rival is Cattaro from Kotor. Montenegrin school, they have some older and more experienced players. Sant Andrea from Spain, they nurture that style of water polo, but they don't have very high quality. I think our biggest rival is the Greek Apollon, with whom we have had bad experiences since last season. With the fact that they are now reinforced with some players, they have a new coach, the Montenegrin Petar Radanović - says Damir Vincek, coach of Mladost.
As for Apollon Smyrna, the aforementioned coach Radanović, former Jadran strategist from Herceg Novi, came to them this summer, then left-handed Marko Radović from Crvena zvezda and two Greeks, the very good Marios Kapotsis from Vouliagmeni and Kostas Limarakis . Georgian Nika Šušiašvili left for Kotor's Primorac.
By the way, only Ivan Buljubasic, who received a red card in the previous European match, in Kragujevac against Radničko, is not eligible to play in the first game of the Frogs in the tournament, against Cattar.
<Group F – Pays d'Aix, South Adriatic Insurance, Ludwigsburg, Panathinaikos, De Akker
This group is played in the picturesque province of Provence in France, in Aix-en-Provence. Here, too, the Croatian representative is an emphatic favorite. The people of Dubrovnik stand out with their quality, experience and name. Gospari really shouldn't have any major problems there. After all, the coach of the southpaws, Vjekoslav Kobešćak, said that very clearly.
- The Eurocup brought together several teams that, based on their tradition and current quality, deserve to play in the Champions League, where there are more weaker teams than those in the Eurocup. Mladost, Recco, Vasas, Sabadell, Vouliagmeni, BVSC are also with us... And us? We are going to France not only to place in one of the first two places that lead to further competition, but we are also going to win the first place in the group.
Coach Kobešćak could not have been clearer than this. Let us remind you that the Jugas are the defending champions in this competition. Last season, in the final of the final tournament played in Rijeka, the people of Dubrovnik defeated Primorje EB.
Our club in Aix-en-Provence will play its first match against the host, Pays d'Aix. That team was strengthened this summer for the Frenchman who returned from Barcelona, Lluc Bertrand. Montenegrin Slaven Kandić is one of the two goalkeepers. The Japanese national team member, one of their better players, Taiyo Watanabe, has been there for a year. As far as the French players are concerned, there will certainly be no unknowns for Kobešćak, who has recently been the assistant coach of the French national team. two clubs, Primorje EB and Solaris.
