Everything on the line in exciting return leg of the play-offs
It’s decision time in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26 as the return leg of the play-offs promises more excitement than ever, with the quarter-finals line-up to be set this week. Eight teams continue to fight for the remaining four berths, hoping to join SC Magdeburg, Barça, Füchse Berlin and Aalborg Håndbold on the Road to Cologne.
Our advantage will be the atmosphere created by the fans. We need to be more intense and run more. We have to take more risks in offence. And efficiency — if we reduce mistakes, the result will be better than away.
We managed to earn a three-goal advantage for the second leg. But this was only the first step — the second one has to be taken in Kielce. In the first match we showed our strength and our character, and we will need the same in the return leg.
Everthing can happen in this match. GOG is a young team, very difficult to play against. We handled their seven-on-six well in the first leg, but they might change their game plan. We have the support of the crowd, but it’s 50/50. The goal is to qualify for the European top 8. We have to win.
We played a good game in the first match against Nantes. We know they can perform even better, but we have been strong away from home this season, and we believe we can win in Nantes.
We had a very difficult time in Lisbon, but the team overcame it. We know it will be tough, but we can do it. We are playing at home in front of our fans, and we need their support for 60 minutes to work our magic.
We will have to play a perfect game. We know we will be in an adverse environment and that we need a great deal of emotional control. We can't let ourselves get down in difficult moments and have to hold on to the result. We know what we did well in the game in Lisbon, but we also know what we can improve.
No matter how big our advantage is, we must respect our opponents. Just a few weeks ago, they comfortably beat Magdeburg at home, and recently they defeated Toulouse by 18 goals. For these reasons alone, we need to stay extremely alert. We must pay attention to everything — our defence, our counterattacks, our finishing — everything.
After the defeat in Hungary, we have to react and show what we are really capable of. We know we can deliver much more than we did in the first leg, and this is the moment to prove it. This is a decisive match, and every detail will matter against a team like Veszprém. Playing at home is a big advantage — we know our supporters will be fully behind us — and we truly believe it is possible to turn this around if we play at our level and give everything for 60 minutes.
