Quarter-final race heats up in penultimate round of the group phase
Just two rounds are left to play in the EHF Champions League Women 2025/26 group stage, and in the Match of the Week on Saturday, group A leaders Györi Audi ETO KC, who have already secured an early quarter-final berth, will face third-placed Team Esbjerg in Denmark.
How do you win against the best team in the world? That is the question. In the previous two ties, we have been very close, and in the match earlier this season, we had chances to win. There is also still a small possibility for us to get the top two spots, and we have to pursue it, which means we need to win this game.
They always fight a lot against Györ. It's always been big games between Esbjerg and Györ at home or away. I think all of us expect a big game and now they are much more stable and I think they play really good. They play less individually than at the beginning of the season. They play more together. I think it will be an interesting game.
We still have hopes of reaching the play-offs. So we are going to Podgorica to do everything we can to win the match. I think we have performed at a good level in the last few matches, even though they have not been big on points. The precision has been ok. Buducnost is a team that has a lot of energy and enthusiasm in their game. We have to deal with that and respond in the same way.
Hard and good team, we suffered a lot in the previous game and we know it won’t be easy to get the two points at home. It’s a full battle for the fourth position and we have to fight and be focused 60 minutes.
It will be far from an easy game. They’ll play freely and will be eager to try to get a win. It’s a team that caused us a lot of problems in the first leg. We’re expecting a tough match. We still have our destiny in our own hands in this competition. Two wins would allow us to finish top of the group and that’s the goal.
We’re looking forward to facing a strong Brest team this weekend, in an arena with a great atmosphere. We had a positive experience against FTC at home and will do everything we can to build on that positive momentum.
A huge battle is waiting for us, but we want to keep the position we have fought for in the last weeks. We know that there are very good players in Bucharest. We will face top quality players in every position, but we will prepare well and do everything to succeed.
I honestly think it will be a very difficult game. Of course, there is a lot of pressure on us and them at the same time. The game decides whether we will advance to the next stage, which is why it will be a difficult and demanding game. The team that comes with more focus, desire and character will win.
We aren't interested in the math or calculations right now; we are focused only on securing the two points that guarantee the continuation of our European season. I am extremely satisfied with the team's response. In recent weeks, a strong desire and belief in success have been evident in training.
Odense is a team we are very familiar with, and we truly feel that we could have beaten them in the most recent match in the domestic league, where we were eight goals behind but fought our way back into the game. Odense have been affected by injuries lately, but that does not make them any less dangerous, and we know that a tough match awaits us on Sunday — but we are ready for revenge.
