Main Round-Group II. on the spotlight

Champions League, Main Round

Group II.

On Sunday (1/2-2015)

IK Savehof –  HCM Baia Mare ()

Swedish team has qualified to teh Main Round due to three draws in teh groups matches, and they have noe six European bronzemedalists in their team. Swedish girls are a dangerous team, especially on the homecourt, no matter against whom they are playing.

HCM Baia Mare was only a bunch of starplayers bought and put together to play, they had a horrible group stage, and has qualified without points to the MR. In the winter break, Romanians has changed the head coach, Costica Buceschi has been fired and Slovenian coach, Tone Tiselj had taken over Baia Mare. Tiselj is well known in Champions League, by winning twice the title with Krim Ljubljana some years back. He had a beautiul but difficult task, to make a team in Romania, where Camilla Herrem for example had arrived back after EURO with a gold medal.

Győri Audi ETO KC –  Larvik HK ()

This match is maybe the biggest clash in this round, last two years title holder, Győr meets Larvik, which has a very good team, but lately we could learn that they are in a critical period, economically they are down, and if they won’t be able to aqire 5 million Norwegian krones before 20th of February, the club may be bankrupted.

Sad story (you can read more about this subject HERE) and we really hope that Larvik will survive as handballclub, because they are absolutelly one of the favourites to earn a Final Four berth alongside with their todays opponent, hosts from Győr.

On the other hand Győr had been decimated by pregancies and injuries during this season: Görbicz and Lunde got pregnant, AMorim, Orbán and Grubusuc (transferred to replace Lunde) got serious knee injuroes, all three are out for at least six months.

Győr was active also on the transfer market this winter, they signed a young Brasilian lineplayer, Tamires Morena, a rightwinger, Jana Knedlikova (Czech Republic- Mosonmagyaróvár) and a new goalkeeper, which the club had to buy out from her current contrcat with Danish Team Esbjerg, Norwegian goalie, Kari Aalvik Grimsbö (she will not play yet, due to recovery after an injury in December).

Ambros Martin and the team has a difficult task to accomplish, to be able to handle the press, which is caused of the many injuries and absences, and on the other hand to  work out some totally new strategies and tactics  which fits to the new composition of the team.

On Monday (2/2-2015)

Viborg HK –  Metz Handball ()

The Danish side has also a lot of troubles caused by injuries, Sanja Damnjanovic, Mette Gravholt won’t be able to play in this match, meanwhile Isabelle Gulldén (MVP of EURO 2014) is just coming back after an injury.

Viborg was also active on the transfer market, Maura Visser has signed to the Danes, but the Diutch playmaker is nt alowed to play in CL, since she already played in the group stages for Leipzig. Danish linplayer, Kristen Balle has been called home from Poland to help out the team in this part of the season.

34 years old Henriette Mikkelsen and 42 years old Heidi Astrup both are on the teamlists for CL at Viborg, to help out the team if is necessary.

Metz has also made some transfers, they signed teh young Montenegrin rightwinger, Olivera Vukcevic, and  Croatian playmaker Sonja Basic from Lokomotic Zagreb (she is not allowed either to play CL matches, since she already played for Zagreb this season).

Playmaker Graace Zaadi is injured, she wont be able to help the team.