All four teams have lost at least three games this season. In fact, Aalborg lost four, as the Danish side were defeated three times in the group phase and in the first-leg quarter-finals in Veszprém (31:32).
But here we are in Cologne, where the schedule is a completely different one — and the approach will be too.
For Kiel, things are different from what the club have experienced in the past. Whereas the “Zebras” arrived at LANXESS arena as firm favourites to win the trophy at the end of some seasons, the 2023/24 edition of the EHF FINAL4 is a little different.
“For sure, the club has sometimes been in a different position. Maybe we are the underdogs, maybe we are just a little bit less favourites than what we have been,” agrees coach Filip Jicha. But what can he do so his players still enter the court oozing confidence?
“We will have the possibility to perform, and we have to use this possibility 100 per cent. We have lacked consistency this season, but we have also been able to beat all the best teams in Europe, like Paris or Kielce. Over the course of two games, I’m convinced we have the assets to win.”