MEGA DECIMATED ON ROAD AGAINST PARTIZAN, JOVANOVIC: “BIG CHALLENGE FOR MY YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED TEAM”

On Thursday, January 20, at 5 pm, Mega Mozzart will host Partizan NIS as part of the remaining game of the 13th round of the ABA League. The match will be played in the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, and Meg’s coach Vladimir Jovanovic will unfortunately practically not be able to count on a complete starting lineup.

Namely, due to injuries and illness, Jovanovic will not be able to count on Nikola Djurisic, Malcolm Cazalon, Karlo Matković and Aleksandar Balcerowski. Also, Aleksa Uskokovic will not be in the team, as he moved to Mega after December 27, when the original date of the match was scheduled, and according to the regulations of the regional competition, he will not be able to play in the match on Thursday.

Also, for the match against Partizan, Nikola Jović and Mladen Vujic are questionable, who after Covid-19 have not yet found themselves in the full training process, so for all the above reasons, Mihailo Musikic will be for the first time this season in roster, as well as two juniors Andrej Musicki and Ahmet Jonovic.

Before the match against Partizan, Mega’s coach Vladimir Jovanovic pointed out that this match will be a great challenge for his young and inexperienced team:

– The arrival of Zeljko Obradovic does not mean much only for Partizan, but for the entire basketball in the region, and with his arrival, Partizan pointed out the highest goals in both competitions, ABA League and Eurocup. If we look at their results, we see that they are on the right path to achieve their goals. We know very well what awaits us and how Zeljko’s teams play, very aggressively on both parts of the field, in attack, and especially in defense. For my very young and inexperienced team, this match will be a very big challenge. Unfortunately, I have to point out that we are not welcoming the match in the best possible mood, we have had a problem with Covid for almost three full weeks, which has left a big mark on us. Talking about the practice and the practice process is unnecessary at this moment. My current wish is for the guys who had a lot of problems in the previous period to get out of their illness and recover, and for those who will be on the field tomorrow to show themselves in the best possible light, having in mind all the circumstances,

said coach of Mega.

Mega Mozzart welcomes the match against Partizan with a score of six wins and seven defeats, while Partizan has a score of 13-2. Mega and Partizan have met 16 times so far in the regional competition with a score of 14-2 for Partizan, and the last match in the regional competition was in the 23rd round of last season when Partizan celebrated in the Hall of sports Ranko Zeravica with 88:98.

Basketball player of Mege Samson Ruzhentsev pointed out that despite the absences, his team will do their best to make a surprise:

– We are preparing for the match with Partizan, which is certainly one of the best teams in the league. A difficult match awaits us, especially having in mind the injured players who will miss the match, as well as those who are slowly returning to practices after Covid. Regardless, it is certain that we will fight and do our best to make a surprise on the away court,

said Ruzhentsev.

The match Partizan NIS – Mega Mozzart will be played on Thursday, January 20, at 5 pm in the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall, with a live broadcast on TV Arena Sport.

Photo: Mega Mozzart/Ivica Veselinov