Handball Bundesliga club THW Kiel is going into the final tournament of the Champions League, which will be played in Cologne at the weekend, with confidence. The North Germans meet defending champions FC Barcelona in the semi-finals on Saturday (6 p.m.).
“If you’re realistic, we’ll lose eight out of ten games against Barcelona. But in Cologne, in 60 minutes against THW – it won’t be that easy for them to make it to the final,” Kiel’s coach Filip Jicha told NDR. The 40-year-old relies on the will of his team, which has won so many tight games this season – such as the semi-final second leg against Paris: “We always believed in it and went our own way. It will work out We can’t change that against Barcelona either. But we certainly need a perfect performance.”
Jicha: “The energy has to come from us”
In contrast to the triumph in Kiel two years ago, there are spectators this time. Jicha is hoping for an additional boost and additional energy, but also warned: “But this energy has to come from us first. We have to be able to get the fans on our side with our performance.” Of course, Barcelona are the big favourites, but the past has also shown that the favorites don’t always triumph in the Final Four.
“I can see that the boys are ready. We have a plan and we will implement it.”
— THW trainer Filip Jicha
“The injury-related absence of the two regulars Sander Sagosen (fracture of the ankle) and Hendrik Pekeler (torn Achilles tendon) is painful. “But we don’t stick our heads in the sand,” said the THW coach, who otherwise has the entire squad at his disposal. Also the recently injured Rune Dahmke, Niclas Ekberg and Sven Ehrig are fit again.
Duvnjak: “We’re not done yet”
“I can promise you that we will give everything in Cologne. We will play for you, for Peke and for Sander,” said captain Domagoj Duvnjak after the last game of the season against Göppingen. “We are not finished yet.”
THW keeper Niklas Landin took the same line in the NDR interview: “Sometimes it’s good not to be the favourite. We can play a little more freely.” The Dane refers to the 2020 final duel in which Kiel prevailed against Barcelona and relies on a psychological effect: “It will be in the back of their minds that it is also possible to lose against us. They are welcome to have this uncertainty during of the game.”
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Sports current | 06/14/2022 | 5:17 p.m
