Sarajevo Hosts the Slovenian Derby: League Leaders Ljubljana Slovan Face Triglav
The third tournament of the fourth Alpe Waterpolo League season will take place in Sarajevo, where Saturday’s opening day will feature a Slovenian derby between league leaders Ljubljana Slovan and Triglav Kranj. Branik Maribor, the only other unbeaten team besides Ljubljana, will face Ströck Vienna on Saturday, while Sunday’s highlight will be the clash between defending champions Mladost Zagreb and Opatija.
At the first two AWL tournaments, held in Koper and Kranj, last year’s finalists of the Slovenian national championship were the most successful. Thanks to a better goal difference, Ljubljana Slovan currently tops the standings and will face Triglav on Saturday. The Kranj side had to concede defeat to reigning national champions Branik Maribor in a thrilling match, but they will have a somewhat easier task on Sunday against Calcit Kamnik, who, together with Torpedo Sarajevo and Medveščak Zagreb, are still without a point.
“We’re definitely satisfied with how we’ve started the AWL. The draw has partly worked in our favor, but we still had two tough matches — first in Koper against the home team and then in Kranj against Vienna. Both teams are stronger than last season, especially the Austrians, who have a really solid lineup. I’m happy with how our players approached that game and managed to win it quite comfortably,” said Jure Škof, coach of Ljubljana Slovan, one of the few teams composed entirely of homegrown players, except for goalkeeper Jure Beton.
“We play only with players we have developed ourselves, because with our budget we simply can’t afford quality foreign players. If we were to bring in someone from abroad, he would have to be like Vukašin Stefanović from a few years ago — someone who trained with us daily and truly added value to the team. Bringing in players only for matches, like in the past, makes no sense. So we’ve chosen to stick with our own. Maybe our ambitions are slightly lower now, but we still want to win every game — it’s just that reaching the final at all costs is no longer an imperative. There’s less pressure this way.”
A similar philosophy is shared by Triglav Kranj, who lost to Branik on Sunday despite a strong performance from Jaša Lah, who scored seven of Triglav’s goals.
“This will be a match between two teams relying on their own players. For both of us, that’s a success — to compete at this level with homegrown players only. Last season we might have been in a slightly better position compared to Triglav, but this year we’ll see how things turn out. I expect an open and even game,” Škof said ahead of the Slovenian derby, while also noting that his team will be clear favorites against Calcit Kamnik.
“Even though we’re stronger on paper than Calcit, we need to approach that game seriously. Every match is important to us. This season has once again shown how valuable the AWL competition is. Let’s not forget that in January, the national team will play at the European Championships in Belgrade, and where else could our players get such high-level matches if not here?” Škof added.
With more modest expectations, Calcit Water Polo will travel to Sarajevo still seeking their first win.
“Based on our analysis, we’ve focused on correcting some small details in our play. Our first game is against Opatija, a very experienced team with many former Primorje Rijeka players. After two rounds and four matches, they’re third in the standings — experience is definitely on their side. We’ll also face Ljubljana Slovan, who recently beat us in the Slovenian league, so another tough match awaits. We know what we have to focus on; now we’ll see how well we can execute it,” said Gašper Šenica, head coach of the Kamnik team.
Koper will not participate in the Sarajevo tournament; they currently have two wins. After Saturday’s derby, Triglav will face Torpedo Sarajevo on Sunday. Branik Maribor will meet Ströck Vienna on Saturday and Delfin Rovinj on Sunday.
The fourth AWL tournament will take place next weekend in Maribor, followed by the fifth in Rovinj after the European Championships in late January and early February, and the sixth and final one in Rijeka at the turn of February and March.
Schedule – 3rd AWL Tournament, Sarajevo
Saturday:
Calcit Water Polo – Opatija (13:30)
Delfin Rovinj – Mladost (15:00)
Ströck Vienna – Branik Maribor (16:30)
Torpedo Sarajevo – Jadran Kostrena (18:00)
Ljubljana Slovan – Triglav Kranj (19:30)
Sunday:
Branik Maribor – Delfin Rovinj (09:30)
Triglav Kranj – Torpedo Sarajevo (11:00)
Opatija – Mladost Zagreb (12:30)
Calcit Water Polo – Ljubljana Slovan (14:00)
Mladost Zagreb – Torpedo Sarajevo (15:30)
Standings:
1. Ljubljana Slovan 12
2. Branik Maribor 12
3. Opatija 9
4. Mladost Zagreb 9
5. Triglav Kranj 9
6. Ströck Vienna 6
7. Koper-Hanna 6
8. Jadran Kostrena 6
9. Delfin Rovinj 3
10. Medveščak Zagreb 0
11. Calcit Water Polo 0
12. Torpedo Sarajevo 0
Author: Miha Štamcar
Photo: Gorazd Kavčič, rezultat.si
