The group stage of the European Championship presents a tough challenge, with the objective being to advance to the main phase — these were the initial reactions of Montenegrin handball players Đurđina Jauković and Ivana Godeč following today’s EHF Euro draw.

The “Lavice” will be competing in Group B in the forthcoming continental championship, alongside Romania, Serbia, and the Czech Republic. Two teams will qualify for the next stage.

Montenegro will kick off the tournament with a match against Serbia on November 29, followed by a game against Romania two days later, and then facing the Czech Republic on December 1.

“We’ve ended up in a tough group with no real underdogs. We are familiar with all three teams since we’ve played against them over the last two years. Recently, we faced Serbia twice in the qualifiers for this championship, and we played against the Czech Republic in the match for seventh place at the last World Championship. Our encounter with Romania at the previous European Championship was memorable, where we won in Skopje and secured a spot in the semi-finals, ultimately bringing home a medal,” shared Đurđina Jauković after the draw.

The player from Nikšić is currently recovering from an injury that resulted in her missing the previous Olympic qualifying tournament in Ulm.

“It will be a challenge, but we will take it one step at a time. Our immediate goal is to qualify for the main round and accumulate as many points as possible, after which we will plan our strategy going forward,” stated Jauković.

The group that Montenegro will enter in the main phase will intersect with groups A (comprising Sweden, Hungary, North Macedonia, and Turkey) and C (which includes France, Spain, Poland, and Portugal).

“We have perhaps received the toughest group, where every team is well-known to us and there is no clear favorite or underdog. It’s beneficial that we are so familiar with all the opponents since this experience will be invaluable for our match preparations. We recently played against Serbia in the qualifiers, faced the Czech Republic at the last World Cup, and the victory against Romania in Skopje is still fresh in our minds — that win was crucial in advancing us to the semi-finals of the EHF Euro 2022. With Romania missing Neag now, that undoubtedly alters the dynamics, as her presence was significant to their team and to the pivot, Pinte,” remarked Ivana Godeč.

If the “lionesses” are at full strength, the task will be considerably easier.

“Nonetheless, we must focus on our performance; it’s crucial for us to be complete. With Đurđina Jauković returning, I’m confident that things will be much smoother, especially after we noticed her absence in the Olympic qualification tournament. Our initial aim is to reach the main round while maximizing our points, as we learned from our experience at the last EHF Euro 2022 how vital it is to achieve significant results,” concluded the Budućnost handball player.

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