Croatian national water polo team is playing against Netherlands on January 16, 2016 in the ranking round of the European water Polo Championships currently taking place in Belgrade.
Even though everything but a clear win of the Croatian team would be a surprise, players say they will give it their all to make it to the quarterfinals:
“We are a better team. If we start the game with maximum engagement, and we will, we are the absolute favourites. I think we will be able to rotate our entire team, give everyone a chance to play and make it to the quarter finals. We still don’t know who our opponent will be in the next round, but it will be a very serious team, probably Greece or Hungary. Game against the Netherlands is a great opportunity to find our rhythm and prepare for the quarter finals” says Sandro Sukno.
“We were quite down after the game against Serbia and we played two games against France and Malta. Even though this game should be very similar to the last two games, I think it will serve as an opportunity to practice some plays before the quarter finals because that is what really matters now. I believe we will be in top form by the time we get to the next round” says Marko Bijač, a goalkeeper who got the chance to play against France and Malta, replacing one of the best water polo goalies in the world, Josip Pavić.
While some believe Pavić’s help may not be needed in tonight’s game, it is expected he will play because he needs some fine-tuning before the quarter finals and a confidence boost after a very tough game against Serbia in the first round in which he conceived 13 goals.
Tonight’s game starts at 20:15.
