Mladost highly determined ahead of #CLVolleyM Round 2 home fixture

The Mladost ZAGREB men’s team is ready for another European challenge. On Wednesday at 7 pm CET, they will host a strong Bulgarian side, Levski SOFIA, at the Bojan Stranić Volleyball Hall in the first leg of the second qualifying round of the CEV XTB Champions League Volley 2027.

“We have managed to get some rest, at least partially, after last week’s European match against PAFOS. I say partially because we are also competing in the Croatian national championship, playing matches every two or three days. It is a demanding schedule, but our coach Toni Kovačević is managing it wisely. At the moment, we have some slightly less demanding matches in the Superliga, where younger players from the second team can get opportunities to play. This allows the coach to give the more experienced and key players some rest ahead of European matches,” explained 29-year-old Stipe Perić.

After facing the Cypriot side, Mladost will take on a much tougher Bulgarian opponent. Perić knows Bulgarian Volleyball particularly well, having played in the country five years ago. The Mladost and Croatian national team middle blocker shared his thoughts on the upcoming opponents.

“Levski is a club very similar to Mladost. They share a comparable history as major clubs, are consistently among the favourites to win their domestic championships, and, like Mladost, place great emphasis on developing a broad base of young players and integrating them into the senior team as early as possible, which is certainly commendable. From what I have seen, they have a relatively young squad, complemented by two or three experienced players who have played abroad. In particular, their two outside hitters are undoubtedly the team’s main attacking threats. We absolutely have to approach this match without any calculations and with 100% focus and seriousness. Despite their youth, all these players have represented Bulgaria at some level, so there is no doubt about their quality.”

It should also not be overlooked that Levski come from a country whose national team are the reigning world runners-up. “In Bulgaria, Volleyball is a national sport, and it is one of the sports in which they have achieved their greatest success at international level. These are Champions League qualifiers, and nobody comes here expecting to lose. Everyone wants to show what they are capable of. It is true that we are still at the beginning of the season. They have played two domestic league matches, while we have played three, plus two additional European matches. Nevertheless, both teams are still in the early stages of the season. Our main focus has to be on ourselves, on approaching the match with maximum seriousness and doing everything we can to win. Some people are calling this a crucial match, but we do not see it that way. Every match is crucial to us, and we approach each one with the same level of motivation.”

And there is certainly plenty of motivation, with a 27-year wait hanging over the club. That is how long it has been since Mladost men’s team last reached the group stage of the Champions League. “We do not dwell on that number because those were different times. Now, 27 years later, we have a tremendous opportunity to bring some of the best Volleyball in the world to Croatia, to Zagreb. That is undoubtedly a huge motivation and a big dream for us. I believe we are ready to turn that dream into reality because I genuinely think that 95% of the job is in our own hands. I would love to see the Bojan Stranić Volleyball Hall packed tomorrow, with fans coming to enjoy top-class Volleyball and becoming our eighth player on the court,” concluded Perić.