AWL Moves to Maribor: Slovenian Teams Chase the Final Tournament

The fourth tournament of this year’s Alpe Waterpolo League (AWL) will take place on Saturday and Sunday at the Pristan pool in Maribor, featuring ten matches, with all five Slovenian teams once again in action. The first day will highlight the clash between Opatija and Triglav Kranj, while on Sunday, the hosts Branik will face Koper-Hanna.

After the third tournament last weekend in Sarajevo, Maribor’s Branik remains the only team with a perfect record. The current domestic champions are expected to have a relatively easier task on Saturday as they face Sarajevo’s Torpedo, who are still without a point. Branik are also favorites in Sunday’s match against Koper, who did not compete in Sarajevo. Koper-Hanna will meet Mladost on Saturday. To remain in contention for the final tournament, which features the top six teams from the regular season, they will need at least one victory in Maribor.

Ljubljana are very close to securing a spot among the top six. In Sarajevo, they narrowly avoided defeat, beating Triglav Kranj in a penalty shootout. They have a bye on Saturday and will play Jadran Kostrena on Sunday. The match will also be interesting due to the presence of two former Ljubljana Slovan players – Igor Cuomo and Rok Vuković. Jadran, who will also face Kamnik’s Calcit Water Polo on Saturday, has won three matches so far and, with one game less played, is currently in sixth place. After six games, only Kamnik and Torpedo remain without points.

Kranj’s water polo players have only one match this weekend. In the last two rounds, they earned one point – losing at home to Branik and then to Ljubljana in Sarajevo. With 13 points, they currently occupy fifth place. Their Saturday opponent Opatija has two points more, the same as Mladost, who have played one game more.

“Since last season, we’ve struggled with rarely playing with a full roster. Triglav doesn’t have such a deep squad for it not to show. Last year we spent most of the season without Jaša Lah and Aljaž Troppan; this season the problems continue, just with different players. Aleksander Cerar is returning after eye surgery, Troppan broke a finger last week, Jašo Kadivca is still unavailable, Čedomir Todič will join after the New Year, and first goalkeeper Žan Smolič is dealing with a wrist issue. Due to all these absences, we are struggling – results could have been worse, but also better. I hope we will have a full squad for the decisive matches,” said Triglave coach Krištof Štromajer about the challenges.

Saturday’s match against Opatija will be particularly important for Triglav. “In our situation, without substitutes, every match is important. This applies to Opatija as well, and we’ve been preparing all week. We just hope no one gets injured or sick, so we can count on a larger number of players in Maribor. Opatija has an experienced team with former Primorje Rijeka players and also a few younger players. No match has been easy so far, and I expect this one will be no different,” added Štromajer.

Now in its fourth season, the AWL continues to prove highly beneficial for Slovenian clubs. “I like it more and more,” says Štromajer. “Last year in the national championship, we didn’t even know exactly when we would play. In the AWL, everything is as it should be, and it’s the same this year. The teams are at the right level for our players, so I’m happy we played so many matches in November. If we only waited for the national championship, it’s uncertain how many games we would have. Now we can be glad to play every weekend.”

The Maribor tournament will be the last of the calendar year. The next will take place on January 31–February 1 in Rovinj, and the sixth in Rijeka on February 28–March 1, ahead of the final tournament.

Schedule of the 3rd AWL Tournament in Sarajevo

Saturday, November 22:
13:00 Medveščak – ASV Ströck Wien
14:30 Triglav Kranj – Opatija
16:00 Calcit Water Polo – Jadran Kostrena
17:30 Torpedo Sarajevo – Branik Maribor
19:00 Koper-Hanna – Mladost
20:30 ASV Ströck Wien – Delfin Rovinj

Sunday, November 23:
09:00 Opatija – Delfin Rovinj
10:30 Mladost – ASV Ströck Wien
12:00 Medveščak – Torpedo Sarajevo
13:30 Branik Maribor – Koper-Hanna
15:00 Jadran Kostrena – Ljubljana Slovan

Author Miha Štamcar
Photo Aleksander Sokler / Slovan vs. Triglav match in Sarajevo