Bosna not going to Zagreb to surrender
Croatian goalkeeper Sandro Uvodić was the best player of Bosna Sarajevo when Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb dropped a point in Sarajevo. The ex-Zagreb player talks about the next match and the options for Bosna in Group D.
ehfCL.com: Croatia Zagreb are flying high after the important victory in the last round and your next match will be against Nenad Kljaić's team. What are your feelings about your ex-team from this perspective?
Sandro Uvodić: The victory against Flensburg meant a lot to Zagreb, since they compensated for the bad result in the first game, and gained an important advantage in case they finish on the same number of points as Flensburg.
This year, Croatia Zagreb have a fine mixture of youth and experience which coach Kljaić has blended very well.
ehfCL.com: In the first round, your team managed to take a point against Croatia Zagreb in Sarajevo. What's the plan for the match in Zagreb?
Sandro Uvodić: Zagreb lost a point in Sarajevo because they underestimated us. On the other hand, we won that point with our fighting spirit, discipline and collective play.
We go to Zagreb to play best we can, and it's certain we'll not surrender in advance.
ehfCL.com: You previously played for Croatia Zagreb so you know the players well. Which players are the most dangerous?
Sandro Uvodić: When I was playing for Zagreb I played with Horvat, Vukić, Kopljar and Štrlek, but I also know the other players who've come in from other clubs.
There are many dangerous players in the Zagreb team but Balić is 'danger No1', for sure. There are no words to describe him.
ehfCL.com: Bosna is in last position in Group D with only one point, is there still a chance to win fourth position?
Sandro Uvodić: Well, we're a young and comparatively inexperienced team with an average age of just 24. Our biggest problems so far have been our 'ups and downs'.
In Russia, for example, in the 40th minute we had a four-goal advantage, but we lost the match by a margin of 5 goals. In Romania we lost the match in the final seconds.
The most important matches for us come in the second part of the VELUX EHF Champions League, when we play St. Petersburg and Constanta in Sarajevo.
If we achieve victories in these two games we'll take fourth position. For sure we'll do everything in our power to achieve this.
ehfCL.com: To do that Bosna need you at your best. How do you feel?
Sandro Uvodić: I'm healthy and I feel great. I am not worried about my actual form but I know that I can do better.
For us goalkeepers, the most important thing is to keep at a consistently high level. I work hard in training, and coach Smajlagić gives me lots of playing time, so I have all the conditions I need to produce good work and also to improve.
TEXT:
Ivan Ambroš