Zagreb Handball Team Begins Season Preparations Under New Coach Horvat

RK Zagreb has kicked off its preparations for the upcoming season, with the team gathering under the guidance of new coach Hrvoje Horvat. The squad, led by new captain Filip Glavaš, has already completed its first training session after an initial team meeting.

The team's training camp will begin in Zagreb's Kutija Šibica for the first week before moving to Rogla, Slovenia, for altitude training from July 30 to August 8. During their time in Rogla, Zagreb will play friendly matches against Slovenian teams Trimo Trebnje, Gorenje Velenje, and Slovenj Gradec.

Zagreb's pre-season schedule also includes participation in tournaments in Tatabánya, Hungary, and Ohrid, North Macedonia. In Hungary, they will face Tatabánya, Kielce, and Celje, a familiar opponent from the Champions League. The Ohrid tournament will see them compete against the host team, Zamalek of Egypt, and Vojvodina of Serbia in Group A, while Group B features Vardar, Nexe, Olympiacos, and Trimo Trebnje.

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I am happy to return to Croatian handball. We have many challenges ahead, and the guys face the toughest month of the season, a month where we hone our form and it certainly won't be easy for them. Despite that, I see that everyone is in good spirits, that we are all looking forward to new challenges and can't wait for everything to start. Our first task is to lay strong foundations and complete good preparations. That is the basic prerequisite for us to start achieving our goals through the season. As a coach, my wish is for everyone to start the season healthy, and I have no doubt that together we will achieve the right form to enter the competitive part. As for the season, the wish is, of course, to win two domestic trophies and make a step forward in Europe, which will be particularly interesting this season as the Champions League is played in a new format. In any case, we are looking forward to the new season.

Coach Horvat expressed his enthusiasm for returning to Croatian handball, acknowledging the significant challenges ahead and the demanding nature of the pre-season month. He emphasized the importance of building a strong foundation through good preparation to achieve the team's goals for the season. "Our first task is to lay strong foundations and complete good preparations. That is the basic prerequisite for us to start achieving our goals through the season," Horvat stated. He aims for the team to be healthy entering the season and is confident they will reach peak form. The coach's objectives include winning two domestic trophies and making progress in Europe, especially with the new Champions League format.

New captain Filip Glavaš acknowledged the difficulty of setting concrete expectations so early in the season, given the new players on the team. However, he stressed that as RK Zagreb, their goal remains to continue their domestic dominance and achieve strong results in Europe. Glavaš recognized the challenge of the new Champions League format, facing strong competitors like PSG, Aalborg, and Celje, but expressed confidence in the team's ability to perform on the court.

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It is difficult to talk about specific expectations since we only gathered today, and we have quite a few new players. In any case, we are Zagreb, and our goal is the continuation of domestic dominance and a good result on the European stage. This Champions League format is new to all of us, and it will certainly not be easy in competition with PSG, Aalborg, and Celje, but we see our chance and will strive to prove ourselves on the court.