Rematch of the final in MOTW; former coaches duel in Veszprém
After a one-week break, the Machineseeker EHF Champions League is back with a bang — the MOTW in Barcelona is the rematch of last season’s final. Barça, the only team with a maximum of six points in group B, will host Aalborg. Szeged, second in the standings of group B, face a difficult trip to Zagreb, while Kielce will try to bounce back in Magdeburg.
In group A, two teams have the optimum of six points by now — Sporting CP and Dinamo Bucuresti — but they have tough away tests ahead. At Veszprém, the hosts and Dinamo will face their former coaches, while three teams in the same group hope for their first points.
We are expecting a very difficult match in Paris. They have a very strong team, with Luc Steins as the mastermind of the attack. They also have one of the best goalkeeper duos in Andreas Palicka and Jannick Green.
Sporting play impressive handball in the Champions League with excellent team play. They play excellent handball and it is no coincidence that they have won three times in the Champions League and played a great match against Veszprém. However, this is a new match, we are playing in front of our spectators, and the Bitola audience knows how to recognise quality.
A difficult environment awaits us to play in, very, very complicated, but we believe we can win there. To do this we will have to be at our level and pay attention to Kuzmanovski, who is a player who makes a lot of difference in Pelister's game. We will prepare very well for this game and try to add another victory, which would be important for us and our goals.
Plock are a physically strong team that comes through their defence. Tactically, they are very well organised and certainly have a Spanish flavour due to their coach; their defence is their trademark. We have to be able to suffer, but not let the physical toughness get in the way of our game plan. We have to keep up our tempo and maintain our fast style of play.
Berlin are a team that has developed a lot, especially since the arrival of (Mattias) Gidsel. It will be a difficult match for us, but our team is working very well. At the moment we are without points, but it is a start and we know the points will come. We have ambition and we are going to Berlin with nothing to lose. We want to spring a surprise.
I think that it will not be an easy match, as Bucharest are playing very well this season, they remained undefeated in the first three rounds. A tough 60 minutes await us, as they are good in all aspects of the game. Their defence is difficult to break through and their fast breaks are also outstanding, as there have very fast players in the squad. We cannot lose our concentration for even a minute.
Their team changed significantly compared to the last season — they have a new coach, new players, new game plan. I think they are much better than they were a year ago, and that we have got an exciting and challenging game ahead of us. We will have to be on top of our game in order to repeat last season's success. They proved this season they have what it takes to compete on the road, that they have character.
We’ll face a great team in a typical Scandinavian style, with lot of pass qualities, moves and good distance of shots. We’ll see our capacity to adapt our defence and control the tempo.
A new acquaintance for us, but we know some of their players from different national teams or other clubs. In these first rounds they showed that they are a difficult team to meet, and starting off the season winning the Trophée des Champions against PSG makes them the favourites in their own arena.
For me, Kielce are always a candidate for the EHF FINAL4, but they are also struggling with injuries at the moment — just like us. It will be a top-class game in a packed arena.
The game plan is very clear. They are acquiring players with very similar characteristics — one-on-one play, power, shooting power. Each player can play in defence. Playing against this team is very difficult and very easy at the same time — easy because you don't have to think too much in defence, and difficult because you have to stop this action.
Group B is so tight that there’s a very close race to be among the six qualified teams for the next round. Our goal is to be in the top two and we have to show our strength at home, where last year we lost two matches. If we are consistent at home, it will be easier for us.
We are looking forward to the challenge of playing in Barcelona and the Palau Blaugrana, which is one of the premier arenas in world handball. We know we will have to perform at the highest level to get a result, but we have already showed against Nantes and Magdeburg what we are capable of.
