The Croatian champions successfully completed their preparations on Rogla, and now they face the Fresh Corner Cup 2026 in Hungary, where they will measure their strength against last year's EHF Cup finalist and potentially their first opponent in the Champions League.
Zagreb's handball players have completed the first part of their preparations on Slovenia's Rogla and are traveling to Hungary with optimism for the Fresh Corner Cup 2026 tournament. Coach Hrvoje Horvat and captain Filip Glavaš agree that the team has worked well, and the tournament in Tatabánya, held on August 13 and 14, will be a true indicator of their current form.
During the altitude training camp, Zagreb played three friendly matches against Slovenian top-flight teams. They defeated Trim from Trebnje, Slovenj Gradec, and Gorenje from Velenje in succession. After returning, the players were given two days off. "The players got two days off, they'll be fresher, and I expect things to look even better than they did in Slovenia," Horvat told HRT, adding that Belarusian player Matwej Barbashynski has also joined the squad.
In the tournament's semifinal on Thursday, August 13, at 6 PM, Zagreb will face the hosts, Tatabánya. This is a team that reached the EHF Cup final last season. Horvat emphasizes that this is an ideal opponent for this stage of preparations. "They're known for running a lot and maintaining a high tempo, which is exactly what we need to practice our rotations, see how we fare in transition, and check our stamina in the game between the two sevens," Horvat said.
On the second day of the tournament, Friday, August 14, the third-place match is scheduled for 5 PM, while the final starts two hours later. Horvat specifically highlighted the possibility of facing Slovenian champions Celje Pivovarna Laško. "If we meet Celje on the second day, it will certainly be a tactically specific match, since they are our first opponents in the Champions League," the Zagreb coach emphasized, revealing that the focus will remain on fine-tuning defensive and offensive variations. In the other semifinal, Celje will face Polish champions Kielce.
Captain Filip Glavaš confirmed the positive atmosphere in the team. "The first part of the preparations on Rogla went very well; the guys did an excellent job, and given that we're all healthy, I'd say we enter this second phase of preparations with a lot of optimism," Glavaš stated. He added that with so many new players, it will take more time to fully gel, but that tournaments like this serve that purpose. "We're absorbing the coach's demands, wishes, and tactics, and we intend to fine-tune everything by the start of the season and be ready for the real, competitive challenges," the captain concluded.
