PPD Zagreb - Vardar 1961 will offer drama in the heat of Quarter-Final

timur

On Tuesday evening, after the final buzzer of last Quarter-Final match of SEHA - Gazprom League - one long-lasting streak will come to an end. Only one out of these two teams will remain the only squad that has managed to qualify for every Final 4 tournament so far. In probably the biggest SEHA derby, PPD Zagreb will welcome Vardar 1961 with an objective of closing a four-goal gap from the first leg. Whichever team that qualifies for the final tournament will be a part of the biggest SEHA event this weekend in Zadar.

‘Red&Black’, led by new-old coach Veselin Vujovic, delivered a strong performance in Skopje, especially on the defensive side of the court - allowing guests only 20 goals which is surely something they’ll look to repeat on Tuesday evening (20.00 CET) in Sutinska vrela sports hall. PPD Zagreb will, on the other hand, probably look to repeat their attacking performance from some of the pre-season matches and, with fans finally supporting them from the stands, secure a ticket for Zadar. You simply can’t afford yourself to miss this one.

Ivica Obrvan, PPD Zagreb coach:

We didn’t deliver a good attacking performance in the first match. We’ve taken the time to analyze Vardar and we’ll do our best to achieve the best result in the end. We believe in ourselves, our roster and the fact that we’ll have a great chance to secure a final tournament spot in case we deliver the best possible outing on Tuesday.

Zeljko Musa, PPD Zagreb player:

I don’t really think Vardar were four goals better than us in the first. I feel like we’ve prepared well for the second leg. Defense was not bad but we’ll have to focus on the attack which must be better. Scoring only 20 goals is obviously not enough but I believe we can and will do better.

Veselin Vujovic, Vardar 1961 coach:

I'm expecting a difficult match in Zagreb. We'll have to deliver a good outing and in case we go there with a wish to defend the four-goal advantage we have – we won't reach F4. We must deliver a solid, fighting performance because I want Vardar to remain the only team that has managed to reach the final tournament in all ten SEHA season so far. Many factors will decide this one in my opinion.

Jan Czuwara, Vardar 1961 player:

We’ve had time to analyze the first match in Skopje. We know the match in Zagreb will be just as difficult as the one we’ve played here in Macedonia. I’m sure they’ll try to change some things in their game as well and we have to play the way coach tells us to.