Following the junior women’s team that placed 12th at the World Championship, the men’s junior handball national team of Montenegro is now stepping onto the grand stage.

Under the guidance of coach Draško Mrvaljević, the team will commence their journey at the European Championship for players under 20 in Slovenia on Wednesday.

Montenegro will compete in Group A, with North Macedonia as their first opponent in Celje, followed by matches against Austria and Croatia.

The championship features 24 of the top national teams from Europe, divided into six groups.

“This marks the first European championship for under-20 players where 24 national teams will participate, expanding from the previous 16. This indicates that the competition has intensified and that more teams are competing with high ambitions. The cohort of players born in 2004 and later represents our country in the senior competitions to come. This is a chance for them to demonstrate their skills and show the coaching staff how reliable they can be in the future while also presenting themselves to the European handball audience, which will aid in their career development,” stated Mrvaljević.

The coaching staff encountered several challenges during their preparations.

“In friendly matches against Israel and Slovenia, we faced injuries with Filip Božović and Semir Feka. Earlier, after the Mediterranean Championship, Mojaš Nikolić had to withdraw for similar reasons. The complications continued when one of our key players, Igor Mrvaljević, got injured in the final training session before heading to Slovenia, and we are currently awaiting medical updates on his shoulder. We only have one pivot available, but we must strive with the team we have. Croatia stands out as the favorite in our group, while Austria and North Macedonia also possess exceptional talent, indicating that we will face stiff competition in all of our matches,” Mrvaljević commented.

The coaching team alongside Mrvaljević includes Filip Popović and Miloš Vulićević, with goalkeeper coach Nikola Matović and physiotherapist Danilo Boljević rounding out the staff.

The 17-player roster includes – goalkeepers: Lazar Sredanović, Dejan Čolović, Balša Ćirović;

left wings: Darko Đurković, Andrija Radovanović;

right wings: Aleksa Knežević, Todor Bulatović;

pivots: Petar Kovačević;

backs: Milorad Bakić, Andrija Jokić, Milan Nišavić, Andrej Dobrković, Igor Mrvaljević, Stefan Bajić, Đorđe Šljukić, Filip Gazdić, Jakov Ćorović.

MATCH SCHEDULE – July 10, 2024:

Montenegro vs. North Macedonia (12:00)

July 11, 2024:

Austria vs. Montenegro (16:40)

July 13, 2024:

Croatia vs. Montenegro (16:40)

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