Polish-French clashes in round 5; Dinamo and Zagreb await points
Ahead of round 5 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26, German powerhouses are still dominating the group phase of the competition, while two contenders hope to finally grab their first points of the season.
It is the first time since 2016 that we meet Dinamo, and the first time for me, personally. I think they are a team with a lot of potential, but also a team that is difficult to figure out. Last week they almost beat Berlin, so we have a lot of respect for them. But I also know that we are almost impossible to beat at home, we always go for the victory in front of our amazing fans.
I have a lot of respect for Aalborg as a club and for everything we achieved together. Now, of course, I’m coming back wearing different colours and with the full focus on helping Dinamo to win. We know that it will be a really hard job to win there, but I believe it’s possible. It will definitely be a special game for me
We’re going to Kielce with the same mindset as we had against Sporting, where we got a great result last week. The pressure isn’t on us. We’re going up against a very tough team, especially at home. We’re heading to Poland together, as a team, to win and keep moving forward.
It’s going to be tough to stop a machine like HBC Nantes. But we’ll be ready for Wednesday. We want to play fast, and that’s how we score goals — but we also concede a lot. And in the last few matches, we’ve conceded way too many, and we’ll work to change that.
We know it's going to be a game where we will make mistakes and our opponents will take advantage. So we have to know how to recover from those mistakes and stay alive throughout the match. We have to stay connected, and this sense of fighting spirit and resilience is non-negotiable.
Against Nantes, they didn’t really show their best face, so I’m expecting them to fight with double the energy to make up for the two points they lost last week. This match will be crucial for both teams, and we will have to stay focused from start to finish.
We are in a great position after winning four games. We want another two points against Kolstad, but it certainly won't be easy. First we have to create chances, which will be difficult enough against a very stable Kolstad defence. They tend to struggle as the game goes on, so we have to put pressure on them.
We have to be ready to run against Füchse Berlin, as the play in a high tempo. Mathias Gidsel controls the show with an iron hand. He is a world-class player and no one has really found a way to stop him yet.
I'm very impressed by the way Magdeburg is playing handball. They're doing extremely well in the one against one situations. Without a doubt, they are the best team in the world. But if you look at last season, they won the Champions League, but we hit them in Szeged.
Szeged is our next tough opponent. They've strengthened their position in the back this season and, therefore, can play very versatile. They are tough to play against, especially at home. Nevertheless, our goal remains the same: we want to keep our clean sheet in the Champions League and travel back to Magdeburg with two points.
We are facing an extremely challenging match. We know that PSG fight for a place in the FINAL4 every year, and this season they have strengthened their team with several excellent players, so it promises to be a really great spectacle. For us, it is a perfect opportunity to see where we are and how much we have developed.
Last week’s game against Zagreb was a big one for us — taking those two points at home was crucial, and I’m proud of how the whole team stepped up. Personally, it felt great to contribute with some key saves, but that win was all about our collective effort.
Against Plock, we know we’re facing another tough opponent, especially away from home. We’re focused, ready and fully committed to bringing that same energy and discipline to get another important result in the Champions League.
