In June 2012, the “Morače” arena hosted the impressive Sweden, marking the Montenegrin handball players’ first experience at the World Championship. Now, ten years later, the “lions” have reopened their chance for World Cup glory through Greece and face their easiest opponent yet in the playoffs—Italy.

The preparations for “World Cup 2025,” to be held in Croatia, Denmark, and Norway, commenced today. The “lions” in Podgorica are gearing up for their matches against the “Azures,” scheduled for Thursday at 20:00 in Konversan and Sunday at 17:30 in Podgorica.

Vlad Šola’s squad enters the matches as clear favorites, yet past encounters serve as a reminder to stay vigilant.

“I am confident we will be completely motivated,” said Šola. “The Italians have nothing to lose—they’re playing against a renowned team that performed well at the European Championship.”

The Montenegrin coach anticipates that the two-match playoff will be easier for the adversary.

“Yes, because they’re free of the burden of expectations. Anything they achieve is a bonus. They can afford to make mistakes, whereas we cannot,” the Croatian expert asserted.

Missing Čepić, Branko Vujović Undergoing Tests

Šola’s first training session needed to be conducted without several key players: Vuk Borozan, Miloš Vujović, Stefan Čavor, Branko Vujović, and Radojica Čepić, who will miss the playoff due to injury.

“The overall situation is good. Branko Vujović is scheduled for an examination tomorrow after suffering a knee injury, so we will see what the issue entails. Čepić informed us a week ago that he wouldn’t be able to join, as he just removed his brace,” explained Šola.

The absence of the Montenegrin defender will be felt on both ends.

“I had hoped he could begin training at least ten days earlier to support us in defense. However, it is what it is; we will have a handicap on the ‘four’ in defense, and we will need to find a workaround,” emphasized Šola.

A European Championship Path to the World Cup

The “Lions” positioned themselves for an easier playoff opponent through remarkable performances at the recent European Championship.

“The Euro was a while ago; this week is the most crucial of the year. However, if we want to draw from the European Championship, we must replicate that quality in our game to advance,” the coach clarified.

He shared his thoughts on Italy’s strengths:

“Italy plays ‘one on one,’ somewhat akin to Iceland, but not quite at the same level. They are capable of solid defense and have an excellent goalkeeper who performs well on good days. I expect them to employ deep defense against us, as they utilized against teams with strong shooters, notably using a 3-3 or deep 5-1 zone,” explained Šola.

What’s the strategy to counteract such gameplay?

“We will prepare different strategies to counter that zone to prevent them from surprising us. The backs have solid synergy with the pivots; most of their attacks rely on that connection, and we must remain vigilant. They are strong in contact, attempting ‘one-on-one’ play for the full 60 minutes, and they excel in transitions,” he concluded.

We Are Stronger, It’s Time to Prove It

Nonetheless, the coach doesn’t shy away from his status as the favorite.

“When competing against stronger teams, the Italians are very engaged and motivated, displaying considerable quality. Obviously, we are rated as the superior team and possess better quality, but we must demonstrate that on the field come Thursday and Sunday,” stated the Croatian expert.

Italy advanced to the playoffs and their matchup with Montenegro following a victory over Belgium, a team that participated in the last World Cup.

“I watched those games, but am unsure at what level they played. Some of their performances against Italy were underwhelming, possibly due to players departing. I was more focused on Italy’s matches against Poland in the last qualifiers, where they excelled, as well as their encounter with France, where they attempted to catch them off-guard with deep zones rather than shooting from nine meters. They have some strategies, and we need to find solutions to counter their surprises,” Šola concluded.

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