Group phase heats up as Sporting host Dinamo in MOTW
The return phase of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2024/25 has just begun, but we have already witnessed plenty of exciting games and there is no reason why this week should be any different.
In group A, four of the five top-ranked teams face off in round 9, including in the Match of the Week between Sporting CP and Dinamo Bucuresti, in which both sides hunt leaders Veszprém. PSG host Berlin, while Plock aim to pass debutants from Fredericia in the standings.
In group B, leaders Barça can book a play-off spot already if they take the points in Magdeburg on Thursday. But the battle behind the Spanish side is fierce, as Szeged visit Kolstad and Nantes travel to Zagreb for this week’s round. Kielce, on the other hand, will be looking to regain some confidence while playing in Aalborg.
A rematch with Fredericia awaits us which we see as one of the ‘finals’ in the coming weeks. Each of us continues to have the defeat in Denmark in our minds. We are hungry not only for points, but also for a revenge.
We’re looking forward to visiting Plock in the upcoming round. We had a great game in the first match against them and have a good opportunity to add another win to our account.
Perhaps the most important thing is that they’ve (HC Eurofarm Pelister) recently changed their coach, and they likely need time to adapt to this new setup. They now have Ashem Mamdouh, an excellent pivot who has proven himself in top clubs, so they could be much stronger on the line with him. It’s hard to predict, but Raul (Alonso) might have put something new together with them since they’ll surely make changes. And, of course, their players have potential.
For me, this is the first return after leaving Veszprém and a special match for me. It will be difficult, but we will fight and try to make it difficult for them. These days we are preparing specially for Veszprém and I believe in a good match. The chances for the round of 16 are here, we will fight for points in every game and it's good that all the options depend on us.
I expect a very difficult match. It's a team with some ideas similar to ours and the effectiveness of the goalkeepers can be decisive. We need to be good defensively against a very well coached team.
Similar to what happened in the last few games, the fans are by our side. When a game ends, they immediately put their batteries into the next one. We will be here, with their help, to try to get another win.
We travel to Lisbon fully aware of the strength Sporting has shown at home, decisively defeating the clubs leading the group and favourites for the title. Not for a moment can we dwell on the last encounter against them and relax, because every match is a new battle on a clean slate. Our challenge is to regain our form after the loss in Berlin and continue improving. For us, the competition is defended in front of our fans and won away.
We'll be facing a strong team, who were solid in the first leg in their arena. We know what they're capable of, but we've worked hard to be ready. Together, as a team, with the support of our fans, we're going to give everything on the court.
I'm expecting a close game with lots of emotion and just as much commitment. We'll be fully focused on the game and do what we can do - that's play handball. We'll give it our best shot.
It will be a fun and tough game! PICK Szeged are proving to be a strong team this year, but we have to recreate what we did in Hungary a month ago. We need to have a very strong defence from the first seconds and we need to have our running shoes on! And we need our crowd in Trondheim Spektrum to back us up!
Even though we beat Kielce in Poland a month ago, we can’t rest on our laurels thinking we can repeat the result easily. Kielce are a top class team and we expect a tough fight at home, where hopefully our fans can help us push for victory.
If we want to win in Denmark, we have to do everything twice as hard - the defence has to be twice as focused, twice as mobile, the attacks have to be twice as fast. If we manage to do that, it'll be easier to get a positive result.
The feeling of lining up in our arena in front of these incredible fans is incomparable. They give us the extra percent that can make the difference - especially in games against strong opponents like Barcelona.
