Montenegro heads to the European Championship equipped with its finest players, as announced by coach Suzana Lazović, who revealed the squad that will represent the nation in the tournament held in Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland.

Coach Lazović has named 18 players, who will commence preparations on Monday for their eighth appearance in the European championships. Montenegro enters the tournament as the bronze medal holder from the previous championship, which occurred in Slovenia and North Macedonia.

The Handball Association of Montenegro has indicated that compared to their last competitive match, which was the April qualifier against Slovenia for the Paris Olympic Games, the new head coach Lazović will have a significantly larger rotation available to her.

Returning from injury are Marta Batinović, Đurđina Jauković, Milena Raičević, Đurđina Malović, Katarina Džaferović, Ivana Godeč, and Jelena Vukčević, while pivot player Andrijana Tatar will be making her debut on such a prestigious stage.

The pivot from Romanian Baja Mare stood out to the new coach following a test match against Croatia.

“She deserves special recognition because she upheld our agreement in both aspects. If I hadn’t seen her potential for the national team, she wouldn’t be here. I’m pleased she lived up to expectations and demonstrated through her eagerness and attitude that she has rightfully earned her place in the national team,” Lazović stated at the time.

RSCG mentioned that Montenegro is expected to have a much stronger lineup at the EHF Euro 2024, which kicks off on November 28, particularly in the defensive areas compared to the April Olympic qualifiers.

Under coach Lazović, Montenegro has only had one friendly match to date, which resulted in a loss away to Croatia at the end of October.

Prior to their opening match of the Continental Championship in Debrecen against Serbia on November 29, Milena Raičević and her teammates will face off against Slovenia to gauge their readiness.

The opponents in the group stage at EHF Euro 2024 include Romania and the Czech Republic, with the top two teams advancing to the main round.

COMPOSITION FOR EHF EURO

Goalkeepers: Marina Rajčić, Marta Batinović, and Armel Atingre.

Wings: Ivona Pavićević, Dijana Mugoša, and Nina Bulatović.

Pivot players: Tatjana Brnović, Ivana Godeč, and Andrijana Tatar.

Back players: Đurđina Jauković, Jelena Radivojević, Milena Raičević, Itana Grbić, Matea Pletikosić, Đurđina Malović, Katarina Džaferović, Tanja Ivanović, and Jelena Vukčević.

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