A thrilling match is set to take place as water polo teams from Montenegro and Italy prepare to face off.

The “Sharks” and “Setebelo” will compete tonight at 20:15 at the Sava swimming pool in Zagreb, marking their first encounter in major competitions at this venue.

Their initial match in such events occurred in 2010 during the European Championship, where Italy narrowly claimed victory with a score of 11:10.

In total, these two teams have clashed 12 times in major competitions (European Championships, World Championships, and Olympics), with Italy currently ahead in the series at 7 wins to 4, plus one draw.

Notably, Montenegro has triumphed twice in quarter-finals of the European Championships against this formidable opponent, earning medals on both occasions.

Eight years ago at the Belgrade Arena, Montenegro secured a 10:7 win in the semi-finals, spearheaded by Nikola Janović, eventually claiming a silver medal. This was the first tournament where Vladimir Gojković served as head coach.

Four years later, the two teams faced off again in the quarter-finals of the European Championship at the “Danube Arena” in Budapest, with Montenegro winning 10:8 and moving closer to a bronze medal.

In previous continental championships, Montenegro and Italy met in Budapest in 2014 (with a group stage draw and Italy winning the bronze match) and in 2022 in Split, where Italy triumphed 13:8 in the group stage.

Montenegro also recorded two major competition victories at the World Championships, one of which was particularly noteworthy.

In Barcelona in 2013, the “Sharks” under coach Ranko Perović dominated their match, winning 10:8, a score that was flattering to Italy.

Moreover, Montenegro also secured a win at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, albeit for a fifth-place finish (5:4).

The most recent encounter between these two teams occurred last summer in Fukuoka, where “Setebelo” emerged victorious in a playoff match for fifth to eighth place.

In addition to these matchups, Montenegro has faced Italy three times at the Olympic Games, yet they remain winless in this competition against their rival — in Rio, “Setebelo” won in the group (6:5) and in the bronze medal match (12:10), while in Tokyo, they edged out Montenegro in the seventh place match.

When considering matches outside of the three major competitions, Montenegro leads with a score of 20:19.

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