Knežević: No one will underestimate us

More than eight and half months after last season’s Women’s EHF Champions League final, Györi Audi ETO KC and Budućnost meet again, this time in their opening Group 1 game of the Main Round.

Many things have changed since the final last May, when the Montenegrin champions won the much-coveted club competition for the first time.

Bojana Popović and Maja Savić retired from handball, while Katarina Bulatović, Ana Đokić, Sonja Barjaktarović, Ana Radović, Dijana Jovetić, and Adriana Tacalie left the club.

Budućnost coach Dragan Adžić explains to ehfCL.com how the dynamic between the two teams has changed this season, and how it is difficult to compare the two this season.

"As they practically didn’t change the team, I think Györi Audi ETO KC is stronger than in May of last year.

“Changing the coach, has added a new segment, they now pay more attention to the defence.

“On the other hand, Budućnost has turned a new page in our history; we began creating a young and quality team.

“So, it's hard to compare this year's team with the one that won the title, and also to compare our team with Györi Audi ETO this season.

“Everything is absolutely on the side of Györ, the quality and experience they had from last season’s Champions League final gives them even more security.

“In my opinion, they are first contender to win the title.”

Compared to the Group Matches, Budućnost will be stronger in the Main Round with the recovery of line player Dragana Cvijić and right back Elena Gjorgijevska, who was injured in the first game of the competition against Zvezda Zvenigorod.

Although she is not ready to play 60 minutes, Gjorgijevska will be able to help the team in some part of the game in Hungary.

However, left wing Majda Mehmedović is still not fully recovered from the injury he got at the EHF EURO 2012 in Serbia.

"Right now I feel good, I'll do my best to help the team. I am working to be as ready as possible for start of the Main Round.

“We are aware that we play against the strongest team, I consider Györi Audi ETO KC to be the favourite in our group and one of the favourites to win the Champions League.

“But, we are certainly ready to show that we can play with the best and I believe that we can cause in a surprise in Hungary,” Elena Gjorgijevska told ehfCL.com.

“In my opinion, Györi Audi ETO KC and Larvik, with Oltchim Rm. Vâlcea, are absolutely the strongest teams and contenders to win the Champions League.

“Only against the best teams we can see the right potential of our team, we can check which players can continue to be part of Budućnost in the future and to build the team who can repeat the results Budućnost has achieved last year, and to be at the very top of European handball.

“We didn’t specially prepare the game with Györi Audi ETO KC, since they are dominantly the strongest team in the group. We paid more attention to other opponents in the Group, Larvik and Randers.

“Györi Audi ETO KC is hard to beat at home, even for teams much stronger than we are at the moment. We're going there without pressure, but not to surrender,” Adžić added.

Milena Knežević, top scorer of the Group Matches with 54 goals, said that Budućnost surprised many teams in the first part of the season, and she is sure that “everyone now will be more careful when they play against Budućnost.

“We played pretty well in the first half of the Champions League, our national team of Montenegro won the title at the EURO in Serbia and everyone now will be much better prepared for the matches with us.

“One thing is certain - they will not underestimate us," Milena Knežević said to ehfCL.com,

She added that the first game in Hungary is against the strongest opponent in the group.

“Györ have basically the same team as last year, but better with a year more experience. With Oltchim Rm. Vâlcea and Larvik, they are the best team in Europe and it will be hard for us.

“They have almost the same system of play, they have not changed too much, and the new players integrated quite well.

“I can promise that we will fight, as always. We all already know that the defence is our biggest asset, and we will try to take advantage of it,” concluded Knežević.

Further information
Budućnost's opening Women's EHF Champions League Main Round game against Györi Audi ETO KC can be viewed live on ehfTV.com on Saturday, 2 February at 16:00 CET.