All-Danish duel in decisive Match of the Week

Team Esbjerg have a slight advantage, with 19 points — one ahead of Odense. A win would seal their quarter-final berth, but Odense will do everything in their power to try and complicate the standings before the last round.

For Odense head coach Ole Gjekstad, the season so far has been a good one. Currently leading the domestic championship and sitting third in their EHF Champions League group with only three defeats in 12 games, Odense have proven to be a strong team.

"I'm very satisfied so far. We have four points in the lead in the domestic league, and that's important going into the rest of the season. Also, in the Champions League, I think we have done well. We are quite effective in the attack. Our top level in defence is getting better and better,” says Gjekstad.

When it comes to overall performance, Esbjerg head coach Tomas Axnér is also satisfied, emphasising the progress the team have made in the Champions League after early setbacks — two defeats and only one draw in 2024/25.

“We lost two games at the start of the season against the best teams away. Since then, we have been finding the roles, and the team has found their grounds. We also had some challenges on the way with a change of players, but I think we have a solid foundation to stand on now. We have been working extremely well to find a more solid way of playing and have a great understanding of how we want to play,” says Axnér.

Just four days before the Match of the Week on Sunday, 16 February at 14:00 CET (live on EHFTV), the teams clashed in Denmark, with Odense delivering a dominant 33:24 victory.

It was their second victory against Esbjerg in the season, after winning the first game 30:29, but they also suffered two defeats: In the Cup final (25:31) and in round 2 of the EHF Champions League Women (30:39). Gjekstad acknowledges the momentum gained from that last winning match but remains cautious about Sunday.

"We had a very good matchup, but it's always difficult to predict how that will work in the next match. For sure, we will have our home crowd as support. It will be a full arena, and usually we are better at home, so hopefully we will win the game. But we know that it will be tough, and we for sure know that Esbjerg will be better than what they played in the last match,” Gjekstad adds.

The coaches agreed it would not be the end of the world if either team fails to secure a quarter-final spot as they will fight hard in the play-offs, but Gjekstad and Axnér see a quarter-final berth as a great opportunity to catch their breath and play two fewer games in a season with a tight schedule.

That is why Esbjerg will fight hard on Sunday — to get their revenge and some rest before the tough knock-out games. While they will learn from their most recent defeat, coach Axnér is sure the game on Sunday will be a different one, especially as they need to adapt their game to play without two players who are available in the domestic league: Mia Emmenegger and Merel Freriks recently joined Esbjerg from Vipers Kristiansand but are not eligible to play in the group phase of the European competition. Nina Koppang also transferred from Vipers, but is not recovered from an injury.

“We had two extra players in the Danish league which will not be with us, so it will be a different game for sure. But we also know Odense is a great team, on the same level as us. They have a home advantage in this game, which means something, and makes them a little bit of favourites. Both sides have players with x-factor. It's going to be crucial, which of those players will have their day. It's a really open game,” says Axnér about the all-Danish duel.

Gjekstad has similar thoughts: "Esbjerg got some players from Vipers that won't be able to play against us in the next match. We will see what that will do for them, but I think my girls gained some confidence, and we will go at the next match at full speed. We don't expect anything easy, and we have to be humble and work 100 per cent again.”

Odense will need to work above their limits, especially defensive-wise, in order to stop Henny Reistad. The Esbjerg centre back is the top scorer of the competition, counting 105 goals — 24 more than any other player — after 12 matches, with six games in double digits for the Norwegian star.

"It's always about controlling her. This will be crucial also on Sunday, making sure that Henny doesn't score 10 to 15 goals and add 10 assists,” Gjekstad explains. “That is always difficult. This will be a new challenge for us."

Axnér, for his part, recognises just how vital the multi-competition All-star player is to Esbjerg's success and is aware the opponents have a clear goal — stopping her.

"It's like having the ace of hearts in your team. At the moment, she is the best player in the world. She wins a lot of duels and can create a lot of advantages for us in attack. We have played many games now where the focus of the other team is to try to take her out, but I think we have learned to play a lot better with that.”

Beyond Reistad's influence on the game, Esbjerg's head coach highlighted that their key could also be their defence and their ability to rebound and win thrilling games.

"We have shown in all the games this year that when the stakes were high, we could step up. And that includes stepping up in defence when necessary,” Axner concludes. “Odense is an extremely good offensive team with an extremely good fast break, so for us, like we did in the Cup final, we have to be able to step up with our defence. That's going to be really important.”

Photos: Lau Nielsen; Niels Husted/NHC Foto