Leading up to the Serbian Cup Final Four: The best of our water polo, no favorite

The final tournament of the Serbian Cup will, like last year, be held in Šabac. The trophy is being defended by Novi Beograd, and alongside the Serbian and regional champions, Radnički, Crvena zvezda, and debutants Novobeogradski vukovi will participate.

The tournament is scheduled for November 29th and 30th.

On the first day, in the first semifinal, Radnički and Novi Beograd will meet (16:00), followed by Novobeogradski vukovi and Zvezda (18:30). The final will be on Saturday, November 30th at 20:15.

On the occasion of the Final Four, a press conference was held today at the Water Polo Federation of Serbia, where representatives of the participating clubs spoke.

Novi Beograd-Radnički

The derby is undoubtedly the match between Novi Beograd and Radnički, participants of this season’s Champions League. Novobeogradski vukovi will continue playing in the strongest European competition in the second half of the season, having qualified for the quarterfinal stage, while Radnički will have a chance in the Euro Cup.

Novi Beograd is undefeated this season. They have played 14 matches in three competitions and have recorded as many victories. Speaking about the form of his team and expectations for the Final Four, Novi Beograd's coach, Živko Gocić, said:

"The tournament represents the best in our water polo. I expect full stands, an atmosphere befitting such a tournament. We are preparing for Radnički, but I don't consider either team a favorite. We are playing against a team with many gold medal winners, a coach, the coach of an Olympic champion, so threats would sound silly.

We have respect but we also have our chances. We have been playing well this season, not consistently, but results-wise we are correct. I hope we can repeat that against Radnički and reach the final with our best display. 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 and October, but nothing is decided. It's still the beginning, 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 Vasović, director of the Kragujevac club, spoke on behalf of Radnički, congratulating all teams that qualified for the Final Four and continued:

This is the best that Serbia has to offer. Novi Beograd and Radnički are very busy. There are so many games that sometimes it feels like we don't even know where or when we are playing. I am sure that the winner of the second pair will not be at a disadvantage in the final. The calendar is dense. This is a tough tournament.

Our match is a derby, but there is no favorite. Novi Beograd beat us 20 days ago, completely deservedly, it should have been more convincing. Now we are going to the semifinals and the entire tournament with the highest ambitions. Let there be a sports 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."

NBG Vukovi – Crvena zvezda

By reaching the Final Four with victories over Stari grad and Partizan, Novobeogradski vukovi have caused a bit of a surprise. They have the youngest squad among the participants in the final tournament, but also the coach with the longest tenure of all the coaches who will lead their teams in Šabac – Nenad Vasilovski. He emphasized that his club does not give up:

"I am glad that we made it to the top four in the Serbian Cup. This means a lot to 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 the goal to participate in the Cup Final Four at the beginning of the season, but so far, we have played well in this competition. We gave our maximum then and deservedly are here. We will also give our best now, fight, and see what happens."

Aleksandar Filipović, the coach of Crvena zvezda, who led the red and whites to two Serbian Cup trophies, also congratulated all the participants and commented:

We have made quite a few changes to the squad compared to the past four years. We have not reached our maximum yet, we are playing with fluctuations. I believe we will give our best now. I hope for the final and after that, we will see what happens. The Cup is a specific competition. Motivation and greater desire often decide, and the team spirit emerges. It is true that we are not favorites, but the ambitions are there."