Croatian water polo giants Mladost and Jadran begin championship final series

Mladost and Jadran, two of Croatia's premier water polo clubs, are set to clash in the championship final series, with the first match scheduled for Friday. Mladost, aiming for their fourth consecutive title, enters the series as the favorite and has secured home-field advantage for the opening game at the Savu pool.

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We are happy the final series is finally starting and the final battle is beginning. The atmosphere in the team is good, we have no injured players.

"We are happy the final series is finally starting and the final battle is beginning," said Mladost coach Hrvoje Hrestak. "The atmosphere in the team is good, we have no injured players." He noted that while Jadran is in competitive form after their Eurocup final, Mladost has been sparring with Primorje to maintain their match fitness.

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They are a collection of excellent individuals who are well-organized. They have a great goalkeeper in Bijač, and their best players are Fatović and Butić. They will threaten us on counter-attacks, so we must be calm in our attacks.

Luka Bukić, a representative player who previously played for Jadran, highlighted the strength of the opposing team. "They are a collection of excellent individuals who are well-organized," Bukić stated. "They have a great goalkeeper in Bijač, and their best players are Fatović and Butić. They will threaten us on counter-attacks, so we must be calm in our attacks." Bukić expressed hope that Mladost can maintain the high level of play they showed in their best game of the season against Jug in the semifinal.

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They are all professionals, and it will not affect the quality of their performances.

Despite potential player transfers to international clubs after the season, Hrestak emphasized that professionalism will prevail. "They are all professionals, and it will not affect the quality of their performances," he said. Bukić added that while Jadran has strong individual players like Fatović, Mladost has excellent defenders, including Ante Vukičević, who is returning from injury and ready to mark Jadran's top player. Vukičević, who previously played for Marseille, acknowledged the strength of the Eurocup final but expressed a preference for a Croatian club winning the trophy.

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Fatović is already our best water polo player for several years, but we have excellent defenders, and initially, he will probably be guarded by Ante Vukičević.