German teams’ invincibility put to the test in round 4
After a short break, the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26 group phase madness will resume this week, with some high-octane clashes on the menu.
We'll be facing a very strong team, one that's having a great start to the season in the French league, one of the most competitive in Europe. We're talking about a team that reached the FINAL4 last season, which is proof of Nantes' immense power. However, we also know our worth and I'm sure we'll be ready to put on a great performance.
After our win the last year in Lisbon, we know that Sporting are waiting for us. Winning this game is not imperative for us, but it could be really good to continue our dynamics and keep taking points.
This is a match we are really looking forward to! I hope that we will be able to recreate the magical atmosphere from the match against Aalborg in Trondheim Spektrum last season.
It is my first time back to my home town in the Aalborg jersey. That is of course a special game for me, but I am also very excited, especially being back for the first time after my surgery. We have very good players on all positions and I think that will be key to win Wednesday’s game.
Kielce are a team that demand real attention — they are very strong defensively and have excellent shooters. It will be a good game, but right now I’m not worried about them, I'm focused only on my players and my team.
The coach is responsible for the result, and I take full responsibility for our last two losses. We didn’t defend well, and our defensive cooperation just didn’t work. The big win against Kolstad hurt us mentally — we thought we were better than we actually were. We are going to Veszprém for the victory — we’re not just there to make up the numbers. No matter who’s missing from our squad, we’ll go out there to take two points.
I think we are a good match for the new Dinamo with their new coach and key players. We can stay compact because they play typical Spanish handball. They do that very well, and their defence is also good. Nevertheless, we will create chances, but we have to prepare for that.
We’re back with another tough match — this time against HC Eurofarm Pelister. We still have a few more days to prepare as best as possible and to keep moving in the right direction. I believe we’re growing from match to match, and we need to show that again on Wednesday. They’ve started the season very well, so it will definitely be an interesting game, but we must stay focused on ourselves.
We are playing against Wisla Plock, a team that is constantly growing and getting much stronger. The Polish champions play with high pressure and an incredibly solid defence — and they are quick in attack and punish all the mistakes of the rivals. This is the Champions League, there is no room for improvisation here.
It will be a tough match against one of the best teams in the world. We enter the game with a lot of confidence from our recent performances and with the belief that we can deliver a good result. Both teams like to play a similar offensive game, so it will be crucial for our defensive work to remain at a high level.
GOG are a very young, talented team. They play fast and smart, they play a good seven-on-six game. They're all good handball players who act at a top level. We have to focus on ourselves and do our work to be successful, like we have done in the last games.
It’s always special for me to play against a Croatian team. I know many of the Zagreb players — they have a lot of quality and never give up. For us, it’s important to build on the confidence from the big win against Dijon during the weekend and show the same intensity in front of our fans.
This match is very important for the group phase, even more after our loss against Magdeburg. Szeged play very good handball. They are good in transition and it was very hard for us to beat them in the quarter finals the past season. They had some critical moments as well in the last season and they always bounced back. We have to think of ourselves and to do the best job possible because it’s going to be very tough.
Barça are the best team in the world, they have just won the Club World Championship last week. We are not in our best form but we will go to Barcelona and fight. And we know that on our best days we can do everything; last time we we won in Palau Blagrana, unfortunately it was not enough to qualify for the EHF FINAL4.
