Final Tournament of the Serbian Water Polo Cup Announced for Water Polo Players
On Friday and Saturday, the final tournament of the Serbian Water Polo Cup for water polo players will be held in Sabac. On this occasion, a press conference was held today at the House of Water Polo, where representatives of Crvena Zvezda, Novi Beograd, Radnicki, and Novi Beogradski Vukovi spoke.
In the semifinals on November 29th, starting at 4:00 pm, Radnicki will face Novi Beograd, while at 6:30 pm, Crvena Zvezda and Vukovi will compete. The final match will take place the next day at 8:15 pm, and all matches will be broadcasted by RTS.
The match between Novi Beograd and Radnicki is the final before the final since they are the two most quality teams in Serbia and participants in the Champions League. Novi Beograd is defending the title won last year in Sabac and based on the results and play of this season, coach Zivko Gocic's team is considered a slight favorite, although Radnicki, on paper, has a more experienced and perhaps a more quality team. In the second semifinal, Zvezda, as a regular participant in the final tournament, will host the newcomers to the Fajnal-Four, the young Vukovi team.
Zivko Gocic, the coach of Novi Beograd, said:
- The tournament represents the best of our water polo. I expect full stands and an atmosphere befitting such a tournament. We are preparing for Radnicki, but I don't consider anyone a favorite. We are playing against a team with a large number of gold medalists, a coach, the coach of an Olympic champion, so any threats would sound silly. We have respect but we also have our chances. We have been playing well this season, not consistently, but we are doing well in terms of results. I hope we can repeat that against Radnicki and reach the final by showing our maximum. We will try to implement our ideas and achieve the desired result. The team has grown since the beginning of the season. We are better than in September, October, but nothing is set. It is still early, and whether we have grown for the trophy remains to be seen. I wouldn't favor a winner regardless of who plays in the final.
Jugoslav Vasovic, representing Radnicki, said:
- Congratulations to all participants of the tournament. This is the best Serbia has to offer. Novi Beograd and Radnicki are overloaded. There are so many matches that sometimes we don't even know where or when we are playing. I am sure that the winner of the second pair will not be in a subordinate position. The calendar is tight. This is a tough tournament. Our match is a derby but there is no favorite. Novi Beograd defeated us 20 days ago, completely deservedly, it should have been more convincing. Now we are going into the semifinals and the entire tournament with the highest ambitions. Let there be a sporting atmosphere in the stands and in the pool. We were eliminated from the Champions League. We didn't play well. I have a million excuses but there is no nervousness, we move on.
As usual, Crvena Zvezda is a participant in the final tournament. On the other hand, Vukovi are a surprise, debutants in matches for the trophy.
Nenad Vasilovski, the coach of Vukovi, emphasized:
- I am glad that we made it to the top four in the Serbian Cup. We know what that means for us. Against Crvena Zvezda, we want to give our maximum; we will see the final outcome. It is certain that we are not entering with a white flag. We did not set this as a goal from the start, but we played well in the cup matches. We gave our maximum at that time and deservedly we are here. We will also give our all now, we will fight, and see what happens.
Aleksandar Filipovic, on behalf of Crvena Zvezda, commented:
- Congratulations to all participants. We have made significant changes to the team compared to the past four years. We have not yet found our maximum, we play with fluctuations. I believe that now we will give our maximum. I hope for the final, and then we will see what happens. The Cup is a specific competition. Motivation and greater desire often decide, the team spirit comes to the surface. It is true we are not favorites, but the ambitions are there.
