The "Reds" will be weakened in the outside line, as Dragana Živković, Jovana Savković and Sofija Živaljević are missing due to injuries.
Montenegro enters the second qualifying "window" in third place in the group, after defeats to Ukraine and Bulgaria and a victory over Azerbaijan, so a possible triumph would be extremely important in the fight to advance.
"This is a challenge for us, because we are not the strongest team. But we have to put that behind us and try to make up for the six-point deficit from the first match," said coach Jelena Škerović, who emphasized that the focus will be on a better attack against the zone, considering that Ukraine played such a defense for a long time in the first match.
Captain Bojana Kovačević, who managed to join the Israeli national team after some problems, has a similar opinion.
"We have little time to prepare and a smaller roster than before, but it's a chance for other players to step up. We know how important a win is for us and we want to celebrate," said Kovačević.
There will be no shortage of motives, as Marija Leković points out.
"It's true that we are weakened, but that doesn't affect our desire. We will try to correct the things that weren't good in the first match," she said.
Ksenija Šćepanović emphasizes that the task is difficult, but not impossible.
"We are missing three important players, it will certainly be more difficult, but we are here to fight and try to cause a surprise," said Šćepanović.
The match in Riga starts at 6 p.m., and Montenegro will then face two more matches in Bar – against Azerbaijan on March 14 and Bulgaria three days later.
