Dva mjeseca nakon razočaravajućeg nastupa na EHF Euro 2026, gdje je naš nacionalni tim eliminisan već u grupnoj fazi uz tri poraza (Slovenija, Farska Ostrva i Švajcarska) i gol-razliku minus 31, izabranici Didijea Dinara imaju priliku za popravni i novi početak.
The duel in Finland comes as the first test of character and the answer to the question of how much the team has learned from the January failure.
U odnosu na Evropsko prvenstvo, Crna Gora će biti jača za golmanski tandem Nebojša Simić – Nikola Matović, koji su se oporavili od teških povreda, a tu je i Aleksandar Bakić. S druge strane, selektor ne može da računa na Vuka Borozana, Stevana Vujovića, Miloša Božovića i Arsenija Dragaševića, dok je dugogodišnji kapiten Mirko Radović završio reprezentativnu karijeru.
The "Lions" have a positive experience against Finland – two matches, two wins in previous Euro qualifiers. However, there is no relaxation in the Montenegrin camp.
"We have the role of favorites in those two duels... So we have to take these two matches as seriously as possible and show a different picture than the European Championship," said our reliable goalkeeper, Nebojša Simić.
The goalkeeper of the German Melzungen also reflected on his poor performance at the previous Euros.
"It wasn't good... It will take time and patience for the new guys to arrive and everything to integrate. I hope that the European Championship was just the first step and that things will get better in the next games," the "Minister of Defense" emphasized.
Simić also warns about the importance of the first match, and reminds us of the two-match tie with Italy in the World Cup play-offs when our team was considered a strong favorite, but was eliminated.
"We honestly don't have any room to adjust. We're playing tomorrow and it's a serious game. We felt last time against Italy at one point, when the game was starting to go wrong, that we could lose by ten goals. We managed to come back, make it six, and then try at home against them, but it's very unfavorable when you start losing away. The audience factor, and then you have that second game in which you have to watch the goal difference... That's why we have to show our true colors right away and play the game at a high level in Finland," Simić emphasized.
Aleksandar Bakić, who also missed the European Championship due to health reasons, has a similar opinion.
"All of that was hard for me... but now the feeling is phenomenal, like every time I come to the national team," says Bakić.
The Croatian Nekse defender does not shy away from expectations.
"We shouldn't shy away from the role of favorites. We need to take a look at them because I don't know what kind of squad they have. We have rejuvenated the team a lot, some new guys are now available to coach Dinar. Honestly, I expect a win in both matches."
Slovenia awaits the winner of this two-legged tie, but the focus is currently solely on Finland.
"After that result from the European Championship, the focus is on these first two matches. First, let's justify our role as favorites, and then let's think further," concluded Bakić.
