Two teams put their invincibility to the test in round 6
The group phase of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2024/25 is one-third through already and there are some exciting clashes ahead in round 6 this week.
Two capital teams — Füchse Berlin and Paris Saint-Germain — face for the very first time, right in the MOTW of round 6. In the remaining matches of group A, leaders Sporting are tested in Bucharest, Veszprém host Eurofarm Pelister and Fredericia hope for their very first point in the bottom duel against Plock.
In group B, leaders Barça will try to remain undefeated while hosting SC Magdeburg, in a rematch of the 2022/23 semi-final. Zagreb and Kolstad will fight for more points when they travel to Nantes and Szeged, respectively. In the last game of the group, Kielce and Aalborg will face each other.
Plock are a very strong team. After several matches with one-goal and two-goal defeats, they finally got their first win in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League. That is something we want to get as well, and I believe we could get that on Wednesday.
Our rival has not scored in the EHF Champions League so far, however, this does not accurately reflect their attitude on the pitch. We know that they play really well in attack and defence and we are aware that they run a lot. We need to perform well both defensively and offensively to get the victory and get the two points, which are very important for us.
Sporting started their Champions League campaign at a very high level, defeating super powerful squads like Veszprém and Berlin, and have already made it clear that no giant is unbeatable. We will fight to break their winning streak. We want to win our home points, and we rely on the support of the best fans to turn our field into a fortress where every ball is fiercely contested.
We know that there are no easy away games in the Champions League, however this one in Romania is particularly hard. We will find a complicated environment and Dinamo have a new coach, with different ideas. Dinamo are playing very well this year and it will certainly be a complicated game. We are prepared to face them and we will try our best to bring points. But we do know that we really need to be on top of our best game.
It will now be a matter of ticking off the last week with the defeats in Lisbon and Melsungen as quickly as possible, looking at the key points that went badly. With Paris, a world club with very strong players awaits us, another direct competitor for the top places. We want to get back on the road to success. Paris have lost a figurehead in Nikola Karabatic, nevertheless they are very strong in all positions.
I expect a good match and handball party in Bitola. We can talk a lot about Veszprém in superlatives. (Aron) Pálmarsson is well known in Veszprém, and played under (Xavi) Pascual in Barcelona. With the arrival of Pascual in Veszprém, the club gained a reputation as a coach who won the Champions League and Veszprém's strength is not in terms of positions, but as a team. They should be respected, but it does not mean that we will surrender.
Yehia (Elderaa, who is injured) is a key player for us, but this is a team. I believe we can find several different solutions to replace him. We need one more player and more variation, and I think Aron (Pálmarsson) can help us with that. This season is tough in terms of workload, especially in an Olympic year. Fortunately, we have several options for dealing with any given problem.
We play to win every game, but need to be really focused. We know Zagreb are able to make surprises. They lost [only] in the last minutes against Barca. We know it’s an important game in a tough group.
For me, Aalborg is one of the candidates for the Final Four.
Aalborg's strength is the culture of handball. Good technical preparation, good passing and throwing power, and a mix of the culture of different players.
Kielce have a really high level when they play their best, so we can and must not underestimate them even though we won the game in Poland last season. We have had some difficulties this season being on top for the whole game so we must come out really strong and play 60 good minutes in order to take the two points.
We play a very important match against Kolstad from Norway, a great team with excellent players. There are no easy matches in the Champions League, so I expect a tight match-up.
Szeged have a new coach and many new players, but have been able to set up their game very quickly and look very strong. It's an arena with a fantastic atmosphere, so it's always cool to play away against Szeged. We are looking forward to it and will give them a real fight for the points. We'll give our best.
As the defending champions, they are naturally one of the favourites. They have been consistent in the squad and in the coaching position for several years, which makes them very strong.
