Four quarter-finals tickets at stake as play-offs begin
Twelve teams are still in the race to reach the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4, and while four of them - Barça, SC Magdeburg, THW Kiel and Aalborg - have qualified for the quarter-finals already, the identity of the four teams that will join them in the next phase will be determined in the play-offs, which begin on Wednesday.
Kielce has a strong squad, but it should be no secret that we are looking to repeat the success of last season, where we progressed from the play-offs. Our starting point is that we must win at home, and anything we can get away with in plus on the goal score is important before the second leg.
I think of GOG as a second Magdeburg. Nobody theoretically believes in them, in Germany everyone thinks Kiel is the best, in Denmark they think Aalborg. Meanwhile GOG and Magdeburg do an amazing job and win against theoretically stronger teams . You will have to watch out for them, they are a very uncomfortable and dangerous team.
We're dealing with a couple of minor problems heading into this game, but I believe we'll all be locked in and ready for the game on Wednesday. We've managed to book a place in the knockout stage of the EHF Champions League after a few years, and we're confident we've got what it takes to prolong this dream of ours.
This match has a great importance to both sides, and we must not forget that the quarter-finals are at stake. Accordingly, we will need an outstanding performance. It is true that two matches will decide which team go through, but we want to be in a good position after the first match. We will have to play handball smartly and prepare for all scenarios.
We are playing against a great rival - the French league leaders who are having a great season. We are aware that we are not favourites, but either way we will try to get a good result in our first game at home with the support of our fans, who will cheer us on as always. We will see what happens at the end of the play-off phase as they are the favourites, but we will fight nonetheless.
