Derby matches highlight round 2 of the EHF European League Women
The EHF European League Women 2024/25 group phase continues this weekend, as a trio of German clubs is leading in three of the four groups (A, C and D) after round 1. HSG Bensheim/Auerbach Flames, Thüringer HC and HSG Blomberg-Lippe will all be put to difficult tests in round 2 against Super Amara Bera Bera, ATTICGO Bm Elche and Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC, respectively.
Additionally, group B's exciting matches continue, while JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball will welcome KGHM MKS Zaglebie Lubin in one of the highlight matches from group C.
I am glad that the international competition has started for us. It is simply something special, especially for a club like Bensheim. We got off to a good start in Norway, but I think we will be up against a different calibre on Saturday, especially physically. I hope we will see a lot of spectators in Elsenfeld.
I expect a very hard match. Their system is kind of different than ours because they play in the German league. They have very nice shooters and good goalkeepers. I think we will win, it is very hard game but it is possible.
Our aim is to kick-start our group phase, as we don't have any points yet. We absolutely have to go out and get some. We said we wanted to be solid at home and this is our first home game, so it'll be a chance for us to show our fans that we're up to the level of this round.
We got a tough start in Germany, but we are ready to give everything on Saturday.
Our game away in Larvik will be a really tough and hard game. They did not play the best game in Thüringer, but we are prepared for the full power from this team and we will fight the whole game for the win.
Thüringer HC will come with sky-high confidence after its latest results. We face the favourite teams to be in the final four and Thüringer HC is one of them. We will try to control the pace of the game and finalise the actions we can, to outline situations that make us better and allow us to add experiences.
It will be a great fight. We are ready and have seen many games on them and are well prepared. We are looking forward to getting out and playing abroad. We meet a strong Romanian team with a Danish coach who has left his own mark on the team after he took over in the middle of the season.
After a good performance in Ikast, we now face the German league leaders. So another tough match, but this time we hope that the home field will turn out in our favour when the match is decided at the end.
With Sola, we are up against an opponent that has an incredibly high tempo on the outside. But it is up to us to minimise our technical mistakes and prevent them from attacking. For me, Sola surprisingly only lost by one goal in Ikast, which shows how close and even our group is.
We always look forward to our home matches because our fans create a fantastic atmosphere in the arena. We know we will face a very good team, but we definitely want a home victory. We will put our hearts and souls on the court and fight. The team is in a good flow right now, we have found our rhythm.
Of course, travelling to Hungary is still new territory for us. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the away game and hope that many fans will be in the hall. We would like to build on our home game and our performance against Dijon and pick up the next points.
We are determined to bounce back on Saturday after three straight defeats. I believe in us. It is going to be a tough match, but our aim will be to get back to playing our game and defending with solidarity.