The preparations of the Croatian water polo team for the qualification tournament have ended in Vukovar World to give in Romanian Otopeni, a suburb of Bucharest from January 6 to 12. Before the evening training in Vukovar, the coach Edge Pestle determined 16 players who will represent our water polo at the tournament in Romania. On Sunday, the Croatian national team will take a bus from Vukovar to Belgrade, from where a flight to Bucharest will follow. Croatia will play its first match in the World Cup on Tuesday, September 7 against the national team Georgia.
From the list of 20 players who were at the preparations in Zagreb immediately after Christmas, and now in Vukovar, four have dropped out. Riječ is about goalkeeper Eugen Sunara, defender Matias Biljak, center Viktor Tonina and outfield player Duja Cuzzi.
– Some decisions were conditioned by player injuries. At the tournament, that is, for each match, we register 14 players, while we have two more in rotation, as needed, from match to match – coach Tucak told the HVS website.
In Romania, Croatia is in Group D with the teams of Georgia, but we will play only one, not as many as two consecutive games as previously predicted.
– Thank God that our proposal about one match was accepted because it seems logical to me. As for Georgia, I don’t have any specific information about them. For us, as well as for other teams, the upcoming tournament is still a novelty. From a shorter playing field, new rules with shorter attack time, shorter time and attack with more players. We didn’t have a lot of time to adapt, neither we nor the other teams. We will try to adapt to that right away, at the tournament itself. I’m sure we clearly have the quality to beat Georgia. In recent years, they have been a solid rival. I remember the quarter-finals of the European Championship in Split in 2022 with them. They are certainly not a team whose quality is at the top of European water polo, but we respect them as we do any opponent. This will be our approach.
The tournament in Romania is a qualification for the final tournament or Superfinal of the World Cup. Otherwise, the first three teams from the World Cup will qualify for the World Championship in Singapore. But that’s where Croatia growsć placed on the basis of the silver won in Paris at the Olympic Games, so these preparations, as well as the upcoming tournament, are actually a great opportunity to try out younger players who have not yet had the opportunity to play for the senior team.
– We are simply expanding the base of national team members. These young people will participate, join depending on their needs, and of course the quality they show in the clubs. Today we have a circle of some 25 players who are currently competing equally for the national team. Who will finally win the status of national team depends on their games, behavior, overall quality that they will show until the summer, that is, until the World Championship in Singapore – concluded coach Ivica Tucak.
Goalkeepers:
1. Toni Popadić Jug Adriatic insurance
2. Mauro Ivan Čubranić Primorje EB
Centers:
3. Luke Lončar Olympiacos
4. Branimir Herceg Jug Adriatic Insurance
Braniči:
5. Rino Burić Jug Adriatic insurance
6. Marko & Zcaron introduced Jug Adriatic insurance
7. Filip Kržić Jug Adriatic insurance
8. Duje Pejković Adriatic
9. Ivuša Burđelez South Adriatic Insurance
Onči:
10. Jerko Marinić Kragić Jadran
11. Franko Lazić Youth
12. Vlaho Pavlić Jug Adriatic insurance
13. Maro Šušić Jug Adriatic insurance
14. Konstantin Harkov Youth
15. Zvonimir Butić Adriatic
16. Andrija Bašić Youth