Magdeburg and Barça clash in MOTW for quarter-final tickets
16 matches are left in the group phase of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League and already the penultimate round might lift the fog on many decisions. In group A, Kiel have the opportunity to progress to the quarter-finals if they take the points in Szeged, while the distant battle between Aalborg and Paris will carry on, as the Danish side plays in Pelister, while Paris visit Zagreb. Kolstad are in desperate need of points while travelling to Kielce.
In the MOTW, Barça visit Magdeburg – and in the optimum case, both sides can book their quarter-final tickets, as the hunters from Veszprém are challenged in Montpellier. Plock can qualify for the play-offs in group B, while Porto must win to remain in the race.
On Wednesday we are playing against the leaders in our group. We will have to play in top form if we want to win. We are looking forward to the match and we hope to win to secure our spot in play-offs.
Our goal is to take the first or second place. That's why we're travelling to Szeged to win there. We have experienced players who know what to expect in this hall. We have to pass this on to our younger teammates and prepare them for this atmosphere in the best possible way.
This is our last home match this season and I hope that our hall will be full like every EHF Champions League match. Aalborg are one of the best team in the group. I hope we will finish the home matches with our best performance and will be back stronger next year.
We just came out of two really intense weeks with five games in eight days. It really showed how the team can stand together and distribute the playing time to keep the intensity and high level. Despite a long travel day on Tuesday, we will be ready Wednesday to continue our mission ending in top two of the group.
It’s going to be a very tough game on Thursday. I know how difficult it is to play in Hala Legionów. Kielce are big favourites, but it is handball and everything can happen. Hopefully we can make a surprise.
We are fighting for four points in the last two rounds so that we can secure our further progress in the tournament and at the same time we want to finish as high up in the table as possible. Wisla Plock is probably the European club we have faced the most in the last five years, so we know it will be difficult on Wednesday, even though we are at home, but we will definitely go for the victory.
We have faced GOG a number of times in recent years. We have never won there yet, neither have they won here until recently. We know that GOG has young and talented players in their ranks, some of whom were on the Danish national team at the last European Championships, where they stood on the second step of the podium. We are also aware that they present very fast and quality handball. Despite all of this, we are going to Denmark with the intention of getting something positive out of it.
We are getting to the moment where everything gets decided. We want access to the next stage of the competition. At home, united with our fans, we want to be at our top level, as FC Porto have shown, it can be done in such a strong competition: maximum ambition and total commitment in order to get a win.
We are going into a long trip to Porto. We are in the middle of a very tough schedule for us. We have a short bench and our players are already tired. We will try to also give an opportunity to the players that play less, in order to get new options for the end of the season. We will give everything and get the first points on the board.
I've asked the players and staff not to focus on those players absent. We need to be positive and concentrate on the things we can control. I didn't like our performance at Plock, we didn't resist the physical and mental pressure. At home, on a good day, if everyone plays to the best of their ability, we can accomplish extraordinary feats. Our aim is to be able to play the return leg of the play-offs at home.
This will most likely be a running game, their strength is the fast break, starting from aggressive defence. Moreover, they are good in several defensive variations, they have plenty to draw from. If we look at Yanis Lenne, Fernandez, Karlsson in the fast breaks, or Desbonnet, who throws the ball forward like an American football quarterback, it is clear that this is the team's strength.
It's the next top game in this group and I don't need to tell anyone how strong Barca are, but we know that there are two important points at stake for the top spots. I hope that the atmosphere in front of our own fans will give us some extra energy.
We must compete to win every match. We have prepared the match in Magdeburg looking for a victory, knowing that they are one of the best opponents in Europe at the moment. We have had painful defeats against them and now, after a great match in the first leg, we play at their home.
