The rejuvenated team is ready for its third SEHA season
Meet the team: Young hopes eager to win SEHA - Gazprom League trophy
Last season, HC Partizan from Belgrade made a comeback in the SEHA - Gazprom League after seven years of absence. Partizan first joined the league in the 2013/14 season when they almost reached the SEHA Final 4, missing the chance for only four points against Slovak Tatran Presov. It took them seven years to get back into the competition. Although the last season wasn’t their greatest in SEHA, considering they ended competition before the quarter-finals, they kept the title of runners-up in the Serbian national league - behind their competitor Vojvodina from the opposite group. Nevertheless, this is the club of big tradition reaching three European semi-finals – the EHF Cup Winner’s in 1999, 2002 and the EHF Challenge Cup in 2011. Their last title, a triple crown (Serbian Championship, Serbian Cup and Serbian Super Cup) dates back to 2013.
This season, the “Black&white” team will have another chance to show their skills on the court in the Arkus national league, and the SEHA - Gazprom League. In the middle of the last season, Nenad Maksic resigned from his coaching duties, but some of the familiar names also left the club from Belgrade. Capitan Nemanja Zivkovic, left wing Aleksa Maksic, right backs Nikola Ivanovic and Aleksandar Stojanovic, left back Luka Dragovic, centre backs Uros Mitrovic, Djordje Pisaric and Nenad Mandic, as well as goalkeeper Andrej Colovic, found their places in another clubs. The rejuvenated team is ready for its third SEHA season. The former assistant coach, Dario Krzelj took the leading role in the team.
With new members, the final roster is ready for Partizan’s third SEHA - Gazprom League season, which is looking very promising in a balanced combination of experienced players and those that still have to prove themselves. In order to keep the net safe, Andrej Trnavac, Ivan Mihajlov and Acim Belosevic will take care of the Partizan’s goal. On the left wing, there is Aleksandar Prastalo with support from newcomers Aleksa Guduric and Djordje Petrovic who already had a chance to show their skills in the EHF European Cup. On the right side, there will be fantastic Uros Kojadinovic who is striking in the national championship for “Black&white”. He gave nothing less in the EHF European Cup where he scored 26 goals, so we are looking forward seeing his talent in the new SEHA - Gazprom League season. On the right wing, there will be Nemanja Jovic who left “Crvena zvezda” to put on the black-and-white jersey, and Luka Lazic, from “HC Radnicki 1958 Sid” who joined the club recently.
Left back position is again reserved for Nikola Zecevic, who joined the club last season and showed his potential in front of amazing fans in legendary “Banjica” hall, where he played a good match in what was his SEHA debut, finishing it with 100% shot performance. So far he also scored 28 goals in this season’s EHF European Cup. Another player with great potential on the left is Stefan Petric. The energy on the left back will be reinforced with 20 years old Pavle Cvijetic, another ex-Obilic player. Right back position in this SEHA season will be brand new, as on the lists are Mirko Bacanovic who came from “Obilic” and Luka Milinkovic, who shifted from Partizan’s young team. Though he recently joined the club, Bacanovic already played European matches and showed some good work on the court. One of the most prominent players from last season Ivan Micic stayed in his usual line player position. Micic is also one of the youngest players in the club, and this is his second season in the regional league. Alongside on the line, there is Martin Varga who also has experience in the SEHA League and European Cup. This season Partisan’s playmakers are Veljko Popovic, Andrija Veskovic and Luka Isakovic. For Veskovic and Isakovic this will be their first time playing in the SEHA - Gazprom League and a great opportunity to show what they can do to organize the game and help Partizan on their way to the SEHA Final 4.
Partizan will play in SEHA – Gazprom League Group B alongside Vardar 1961 and Tatran Presov.