Second part of the group phase begins with high-octane duels
After seven rounds of exciting games and crazy last-second wins, the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26 group phase enters its second part this week, as round 8 takes place on Wednesday and Thursday.
I was satisfied with the away game, but that is already in the past. Together with the team, we are focused only on Wednesday. I would like the players to take another step forward, both in defence and attack. We always need to improve, develop and play better.
It will be another tough away match, but we will do everything we can to hit back after the match in Kolstad Arena against One Veszprém HC last week.
It is always interesting when you meet the same team two weeks in a row. Kielce really made it hard for us last week, playing really well especially in defence. Luckily, we kept on fighting and I will be remembering the very last equalising goal for some time. That one point can be really important for us later on, but it also gives us confidence that we can win the home game.
Last week, we did struggle a bit at some point — and it won't be any easier playing away. But our goal remains the same: we have no intention of slacking. We want to keep investing and keep delivering. We want to stay unbeaten.
Barcelona are one of the best teams in Europe, and facing them is always a big moment. We know the level of intensity and precision it takes to compete with them, but we’ve been building confidence over the past few weeks with three strong wins away from home. It feels great to be back at Coubertin, where our supporters always give us incredible energy. We want to show our best handball and keep pushing forward together.
We have a very important match ahead of us and we want to make up for last week’s defeat. This is our chance to get revenge against Pelister. It won’t be easy, because we’re facing an opponent with a very tough defence. We experienced in Bitola that we had to fight hard for every single goal. If we can be more precise in attack, we can win this match.
