Beating every team includes beating their semi-final opponent Barça. But Magdeburg have form here too: they beat the record Champions League winners twice in the Super Globe finals in Saudi Arabia. In the Champions League, Barça are undefeated in 25 matches and are looking for a third consecutive EHF FINAL4 title.
“Maybe it is a psychological advantage for some players to have proved that we can beat Barça, but this competition is different now. But we know what we are capable of and what our job is,” believes Smits.
In contrast to the three remaining semi-finalists Barça, Paris Saint-Germain HB and Barlinek Industria Kielce, who are all making at least their sixth appearance at the EHF FINAL4, it is SC Magdeburg’s debut. But this lack of experience is no disadvantage, says Smits.
“We have many experienced players who played finals at world and European championships. We are playing our third consecutive final tournament in an EHF competition, we know the arena and still it will be two handball matches, the court is the same as for all other matches.”
Only two months before the EHF FINAL4, SC Magdeburg played the premiere of the German cup final tournament in the LANXESS Arena, but lost the final against Rhein-Neckar Löwen in front of 20,000 fans.
“Those were my first matches in this temple of handball, a dream come true for me, as it is the dream of every handball player to be on that court. Despite the lost final, it was a brilliant experience for us, and we know how it feels to play with so many fans. This will help us for the EHF FINAL4, mainly in terms of the atmosphere,” Smits adds.
