Serbia will start preparing for the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup on March 2 in Kragujevac.
Head coach Uros Stevanovic announced the list of 22 players who will participate in the preparations for the tournament of Group B in Podgorica (March 8 – 14). Besides the Serbs, the national teams of Montenegro, Spain, Greece, Australia and Georgia are in this group.
Dusan Mandic, who missed the New Year tournament in Texas, according to an agreement with Stevanovic, is back on the team.
Compared to the team which played at the Texas tournament, goalkeeper Radoslav Filipovic, Ognjen Stojanovic, Luka Pljevancic, Vasilije Martinovic and Nemanja Vico are missing. The latter currently doesn’t play for Radnicki due to personal obligations.
Two MVPs of the major competitions in the past few years, who are currently free agents, are on the 22-player list – Marko Radulovic and Nikola Kojic. Radulovic, the 2021 World U20 Championships MVP, who recently left Radnicki, will move to Novi Beograd. He trains with Novi Beograd, but he will officially join the new club after the end of the season. Nikola Kojic, the MVP of the 2022 World U17 Championships, left Partizan and intended to move to Radnicki. But, he still hasn’t the right to play for a new club.
Two pairs of brothers are among the candidates for Podgorica. The one is Strahinja and Viktor Rasovic, who are experienced players of Novi Beograd and have played for the national teams for a long.
The other is the Jaksic brothers. Petar Jaksic (22), Partizan’s captain, and the brother of Olympic champion Nikola Jaksic, has been called up to the senior national team for the first time. Younger Jaksic won gold with the Serbian junior team at the 2021 World U20 Championships in Prague.
Players called up for preparations
Goalkeepers: Branislav Mitrovic (Vasas), Lazar Dobozanov (Radnički), Vladimir Misovic (Crvena zvezda), Pavle Gavrilovic (Sabac)
Field players: Nemanja Ubovic (Ferencvaros), Nebojsa Toholj (Sabac), Djordje Lazic (Brescia), Dusan Mandic, Nikola Jaksic, Radomir Drasovic, Strahinja Rasovic, Viktor Rasovic, Djordje Vucinic (all Novi Beograd) Marko Radulovic (Novi Beograd from next season), Sava Randjelovic (Vasas), Filip Jankovic, Nikola Lukic, Nemanja Stanojevic (all Radnicki), Petar Jaksic, Marko Dimitrijevic (both Partizan), Vuk Milojevic (Crvena Zvezda), Nikola Kojic (free agent).
Stevanovic’s assistants in the coaching staff are Stefan Ciric, Darko Bilic, Milos Ostojic, Zarko Petrovic , Vladimir Radovic, dr Ivan Marjanovic and Dajana Zoretic.
Serbia will train in Kragujevac between March 2 and 6. On March 7 the picked players will travel to Podgorica.
Follow the results and statistics of the World Cup Division 1 on Total Waterpolo Arena
More articles about the World Cup and the former World League
