With two wins and two losses at home, Vipers need to bounce back quickly and avoid any drama in the last rounds, aiming to progress safely to the next phase of the competition, but a quarter-final berth is nearly out of the question, as the gap between them and second-placed Metz Handball is big – seven points.
Nevertheless, there is no time to dwell on past matches or the first loss in 2024, 29:31 against Metz. This one definitely brought even more onus on Vipers’ players before the Match of the Week in round 10, when the reigning champions face Krim Mercator Ljubljana, involved as well in the battle for a play-offs spot.
“We have been struggling this season, that is a fact and we cannot say it otherwise. However, my feeling is that we are still a team, we have a strong bond inside the team and it is on ourselves to turn the season around,” says Vipers’ centre back, Jamina Roberts.
There is still plenty of experience in Vipers’ squad this season, with goalkeeper Katrine Lunde, the only player to have won the EHF Champions League Women seven times, right wing Jana Knedlikova, who won the title six times, right back Anna Vyakhireva or Roberts, who at 33 years old has seen everything on the court, both on the club and on the national teams level.
The Swedish centre back won the coveted trophy once, in the past season, and has been an integral part of what Vipers are doing on the court, scoring 35 goals, being one of the top scorers of the team, alongside Knedlikova, Vyakhireva and Dutch left back Lois Abbingh.
