Macedonian derby knows no favorites

Македонското дерби не познава фаворити

Vardar - Metalurg

After successful missions in their last EHF Champions League matches, Vardar and Metalurg will meet each other in another city and Macedonian derby. Vardar will host Metalurg on Tuesday (17.45 CET) in "Jane Sandanski" in what will be their 11th SEHA Gazprom League clash, second this season - at the beginning of September Vardar was better with 25:24.

In SEHA Gazprom League tradition is on Vardar's side. Home team has six wins and guests have only two. Cervar's boys are also underdogs looking on League's table but their matches are always full of drama.  Metalurg's last victory is now almost three years old, back from December 2013 (22:21).

Ilija Abutovic and Igor Karacic will be sidelined for the match due to injuries on Vardar's side and considering Metalurg all Mladenovic, Marcec and Dragas are ruled out for the duel with Bojovic's status still not being quite clear after he missed last game in Norway.

Lino Cervar, Metalurg coach:
This game versus Vardar comes in a very awkward moment for us. Two days ago we've had a difficult game in Norway versus Elverum so many of our players are really tired. However this match has a great past, and it is always interesting for handball fans in Macedonia. Vardar are absolute favorites, and my young players will have to perform their best.


Filip Kuzmanovski, Metalurg player:
Ahead of us is a tough match but we'll try to compete against Vardar in this game. It's clear that we'll try to use all of our strength and we'll see whether it will be enough for a good result.

Raul Gonzalez, Vardar coach:
Tomorrow we'll play Macedonian derby against our traditional rivals Metalurg. It will be a very interesting match and our goal is to show good form in front of our fans. Karacic and Abutovic are injured and will not particiapte in this clash but we're currently positioned first and we'll look to catch a new win to solidify our top spot.

Stojance Stoilov, Vardar player:
We are ahead of the game against Metalurg which is always a special occasion for both teams. Emotions are usually at a higher level than when we play any other game. We respect them as our serious opponent, but we are again on the winning track after our loss in Zagreb. No matter the rivalry, we know that Vardar is favorite ahead of the duel and we have to prove it on court.