Can Gorenje surprise in Skopje?
Може ли Горење да издржи во Скопје?
Main question in the duel between Vardar and Gorenje scheduled for Wednesday (17.45 CET) in Jane Sandaski sports hall is whether Slovenian team can play a competitive match against favored home team and maybe even surprise 'Black-red'.
Teams have already met twice in August in Slovenia during the pre-season with Vardar reaching two wins. This will be their first SEHA Gazprom clash of the season.
Gorenje so far has two defeats in SEHA Gazprom League this season and a victory against NEXE. For Alem Toskic and Matjaz Brumen this will be a special match full of emotions as they will face the team they were members of until this summer.
Vardar on the other side has an almost perfect start with five wins in a row in SEHA League and a triumph over Kristianstad in Champions League's opening round. This match however surely won't be easy for Gonzales and his team with their minds already feeling the pressure as they will on Saturday welcome Meshkov Brest as a part of Champions League's round 2.
Raul
Gonzalez, Vardar coach:
We
are on SEHA League’s top at the moment and we have a match
against Gorenje ahead of us. We’ve already met them twice this pre-season
celebrating both times - first with a single goal difference and then with big
+13. We’re in good form and have to maintain this rhythm and show what we can
to secure three new points. I’m excited that we’ll face Gorenje with two of our
former players Brumen and Toskic in their lines. I hope fans will enjoy the
match.
Stojance
Stoilov, Vardar player:
As
my coach Raul Gonzales said we've already played two
friendlies against them last month. However we were both in preparation period
back then. We have to play for another win but this time in a competitive match
in SEHA Gazprom League. We know we're favorites and we'll have to prove it on
court.
Marko Sibila, Gorenje coach:
We are ready for the game against
Vardar in which we hope to leave best possible impression. They have so far
this season proved to be a team ready for F4, a team among the best in Europe.
We’re excited to play them as we will get a chance to compare ourselves with
them. Our players are all healthy and well prepared. The only thing we still
have to do is analyze them to be able to be a good opponent. It’s nonsense to
talk about final result in matches like this one. For us, this one is all about
gaining experience which we’ll use later in the season.
Joze Baznik, Gorenje player:
On Wednesday we will face a very
hard game in Skopje. Vardar has showed that they can be a tough opponent to
beat and I think we’ll have to give our best in order to take some points back
home. We are physically well prepared and after the last home game against NEXE
we all want to go even higher.