Nikola Eklemovic (Wisla Plock): "Pressure is on Veszprem" | Handball Planet
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Nikola Eklemovic (Wisla Plock): “Pressure is on Veszprem”

Interesting two European weekends are ahead of us. One of the matches which will caused a huge attention of the handball fans in central European region is clash of MVM MKB Veszprem and Orlen Wisla Plock. The best Hungarian team and runners up from Poland will fight for the place at TOP 8 of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Ex-Hungarian NT player, who spent a huge part of his career in Veszprem, Nikola Eklemovic, now as Wisla’s soldier, believes that his team has some chances to stay in Europe even after March…

We are guessing, that you were one of the few, who enthusiastically adopted the results of the draw 1/8 Champions League?

– No where ! Each of us is happy (laughs) . Actually , I was not surprised. Ever since we got to the Champions League I had a feeling that at some stage of the season we will meet with Veszprem . I spoke up about it with my friends from Hungary, that this season our teams will face each other.

Probably right after the draw you received many calls?

– Yes, right after the draw I received a lot of phone calls from friends, fans and people who are interested in competitions . Many of them have already announced their arrival to Plock . Right now in the Hungarian team there are still 7-8 players, whom I remember from together play .

What were the reactions to the fact that it was our club gets in the way MKB?

– The main goal for this season is to reach the Final Four of the tournament , so there is huge pressure on them. They are aware that our team is not anonymous in Europe. We have a great team with names that mean something , which is why everyone I talked to announced that this competition will be taken very seriously.

A lot of comments from the Hungarian fans on the official Facebook fan page was dedicated to your person. It seems that you have in Veszprem “legend” status ?

– Is the legend, I do not know . On the other hand I still have very good relationships with both fans Veszprem and Szeged . Likewise we have for the sympathy and certainly match Orlen Wisla with Veszprem will be a great opportunity for me to remember myself to the local fans , but this time in a negative way for them (laughs ) . On the other hand , we realize that for our team it is a huge challenge .

Hungarian supporters are known for their spontaneity. In what atmosphere will come The Oilmen to play the first match in Veszprem Arena?

– There will be a lot of noise , the same as in Plock, so for sure we won’t bent our knees. Veszprem is a favorite, as I mentioned , their goal is to reach to the Final Four of the tournament . However, if we will all be healthy , we can definitely resist to Veszprem.

This will be an extra motivation for you that the eyes of local fans will be focused primarily on you?

– The biggest motivation for me is to get to the next stage of this competiton . For sure I will do everything I can to achieve the best result . By the way, certainly this meeting in my case will be accompanied by some extra excitement .

How to win with Veszprem already shown this season Motor Zaporozhye , who unexpectedly defeated the champions of Hungary in the last round of the Champions League.

– Against Zaporozhye Veszprem played without several of their key players. However, I agree that the Motor showed that Veszprem is not unstoppable. What’s more , in the league , they are not perfect , because in this season they lost quite clearly against Pick Szeged . Many factors have influence on final victory. I only hope that Manolo Cadenas can use all players in this match. Then for sure we are not at a disadvantage .

At the end ask you about your shoulder.

– The first diagnosis was not for me optimistic, however, examination have not shown anything serious . Now I have a few days off , but I’ll be ready for Veszprem – concludes Eklemovic.

SOURCE: ORLEN WISLA PLOCK

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Konrad

    19. March 2014. at 16:09

    Eklemovic is a fantastic person and player. Its a pity that the coach don’t want him in Wisla Plock next season.
    I think Wisla in the future will be a team without ambitions. I hope not, but it looks like they don’t know what they are doing at the moment.

  2. Oiler

    18. March 2014. at 14:40

    Only Wisła! Let’s go Oilers!

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