Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
SYRACUSE / MONTEROTONDO (ROME) – After two weeks without official matches – with the home game against reigning champions Pro Recco postponed to 2 November – Iren Circolo Canottieri Ortigia are ready to return to the pool. Tomorrow afternoon, Saturday 24 October with a 5.30pm start, the white-and-greens will take to the water at the Stadio del Nuoto “Roghi” in Monterotondo to face Roma Vis Nova in the match counting towards the fourth round of the Serie A1 championship.
It promises to be a tricky away trip for the men managed by Hrvoje Koljanin: Monterotondo is a historic bogey venue for the Syracuse side, who have lost all six of their previous visits to the capital’s facility. Although Alessandro Calcaterra’s team have only one point in the table, they remain a tough opponent, with a dynamic squad featuring high-calibre players such as the prolific attackers Muscat and Penava and a top-class goalkeeper.
Coach Koljanin: “The break is no advantage, we need energy and mental strength”
In assessing the pause, Ortigia’s Croatian coach Hrvoje Koljanin analyses the pitfalls of returning to competition:
“The team are in good physical shape,” the manager Hrvoje Koljanin explained. “We have had time to recover our energy and prepare for the upcoming fixtures, but the enforced rest is not an advantage for us. At this stage we needed to play, especially a testing match like the one against Recco to let the younger players measure themselves against the very best.”
On the key factors for tomorrow’s game, the boss added: “Every away trip hides pitfalls and Roma Vis Nova are in many ways a team like ours, full of young players and managed by the same coach for years. In modern water polo, energy, concentration and mental strength make the difference: if we keep these parameters high we can achieve a positive result.”
Skiljic: “I know the pitfalls of the venue, we must fight to the final second”
Echoing the coach is Croatian centre-forward Jakov Skiljic, determined to claim all the points on offer:
“We used the break to prepare for the away trip down to the smallest detail,” Jakov Skiljic said. “My teammates warned me how hard it is to play in Monterotondo’s pool, but our primary goal remains victory. Roma Vis Nova are a talented, well-organised and very fit team: we must approach a tough game and fight with confidence to the final second.”
The match between Roma Vis Nova and Ortigia will be broadcast live in an exclusive stream on the home team’s official YouTube channel.
