Motivation and rehabilitation
The championship calendar started in 2026 in the style of a red horse, just the day before yesterday we beat Enisey at home, and tomorrow we’ll play in Yaroslavl. Gazprom-Yugra played its last match in Yaroslavl 20 February 2019 year and won with a score 3:1, Yaroslavl left the Super League that season and have only returned now.
We returned with the desire to stay, assembled a fighting force, got off to a great start with two wins, including in Surgut. But then something went wrong: the club has three victories after the first round, minus Filippov and Zhigalov in the lineup, injured Nikola Meljanac, missed the last few games.
Not a secret, that it is the Serbian diagonal that is the main striking force of “Yaroslavich”. He already appeared on the court in the last match in Ufa, and I'm almost sure, that in the important match with Gazprom-Yugra he will be in the starting lineup. Well, or will appear as a joker during the meeting.
Second (in Meljanac's absence - first) Yaroslavich’s attacking option is another foreign player, Iranian Mobin Nasri. He needs it to be “comfortable”, albeit on a triple block, because there is no one else to score". In fact, of course, is there anyone. Plus the team has a reliable block, Vladimir Chivel is third in the Super League in terms of this indicator, and Cheslavs Sventitskis is third in blocks among setters, gladly refutes the common maxim “hit through the link”.
However, We already felt the strength of “Yaroslavich” at the start of the championship, it's time to present counterarguments, which we also have enough of. Surgut residents arrived in Yaroslavl with a good emotional background and understanding, that victories are achieved only if full concentration is maintained throughout the game, as it happened with Yenisei. And it doesn't matter, what's on the scoreboard: self-confidence has a magical effect on numbers.
Yes, the game will be fundamental: “Yaroslavich” needs victories like air, we are eager to win back the first round. We will see, whose motivation will be higher.
