After starting the season with an away loss in Slovakia against Tatran Presov, Vardar 1961 will have a chance to secure the first SEHA – Gazprom League points of the season on Wednesday welcoming Serbian Partizan. This will be their third SEHA matchup ever as the two teams met twice during the 2013/2014 season with the 'Red&Blacks' reaching two victories.

Coach Vlado Nedanovski is dealing with a lot of problems going into the second part of the season as the refreshed roster clearly needs more time to get in sync and start proving its real potential. Partizan's last SEHA – Gazprom League win dates all the way back to 2013 and it is clear new coach Dario Krzelj and his guys will be aiming to take advantage of Vardar's poor form at the beginning of the second part of the season and reach what would surely be huge points for them and their confidence going into the new SEHA – Gazprom League season.

Will Partizan manage to make sure the 'Red&Blacks' start the season with 0-2 or will the five-time champions find a way to showcase their full potential and get back on the winning tracks in SEHA – Gazprom League? The match is scheduled for Wednesday (18.00 CET) so make sure to tune in and see for yourself!

Vlado Nedanovski, Vardar 1961 coach:
We are still working hard to make the team work together. Some of the players joined the team only recently arriving from the WCh and we'll obviously need time to get things to work. I feel like we'll have the real picture after our second duel versus Tatran. When it comes to Partizan, we are going to play a young team full of potential which is playing modern, fast-flowing handball. We won't have much time to prepare for what they have to offer but we have to make sure we give our absolute best to use the time that we have and eventually deliver our best outing on Wednesday.

Stojance Stoilov, Vardar 1961 player:
I really hope our fans will be there to support us. There are certain moments when the team really needs them and I feel like this is one of those moments. Partizan has a young team. We have the favorite role going into this one but we'll have to prove it out there. As the coach said, we'll definitely need time to get everything to click and work well. February is always tough, and the schedule is extremely packed but we have to show team spirit and deliver the best possible performance.

Dario Krzelj, Partizan coach:
It is always challenging to play against teams from the region, so we are looking forward to our match in Skopje. In every match, we will be expected to play at a high level, particularly at home. Vardar 1961 is a well-known name in the world of handball, a team with a great history. I expect a quality match and hope that my players will show character, be focused, and take the win.

Nikola Zecevic, Partizan player:
We have prepared well for this match and we will try to take points from Skopje. We have respect for Vardar, the Macedonian champion. It’s a team with quality individuals, but we believe that our team spirit and youth will be our trump cards. We hope to play in front of a full hall because we know that people in North Macedonia are big handball fans. If we win, it will be a great overture to the second half season in ARKUS League.

Photo credit: kolektiff images