Spectacular clashes await in first round of the group phase
The EHF Champions League Women returns this weekend with eight highly anticipated games. The top 16 teams are starting a long journey to the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest and reigning champions Györi Audi ETO KC have the privilege to open with the Match of the Week against Team Esbjerg.
The arena is sold out and I can not wait to play the first EHF Champions League game with CS Gloria 2018 BN. It is going to be a really tough match and we have to fight from the first until the last minute. We play at home, in our arena, with our supporters, and this is going to give us energy. This game is going to be history and we really want to show our best performance.
We are ready to play against Bistrița, we also played with them in the Romanian super cup final and we know each other very well. We also started the championship in Romania, but we are waiting to start in the Champions League as well. After the super cup match, we are now much better in terms of the playing connections, we are slowly starting to look the way we want to and I have a lot of confidence in what will follow.
We are anticipating the game on Saturday with great vibes. We have a lot of players in our roster who will play in the Champions League for the first time; it will be a great challenge for all of us. We are aware of Krim's power, but we are playing on our court and we will give more than 100 per cent in this game. No one should expect easy points in Koprivnica.
It will be fun to get started with the Champions League; this is something we all have missed. We are both proud and humbled that we are back among the best teams in Europe. I think we have a bit more experience and a clearly higher top level than last time we played in the Champions League.
It’s going to be an exciting game because it’s the first game in the season for us and we start with the Champions League. There is always some extra butterflies in the stomach when you start the season because you don’t know where you stand as a team. With all that said I also want us to go there and show what we got and go after the victory, so we start the season good.
Esbjerg are currently the strongest team in the world. They also have some good new players and a new coach, who I know well. Our first game is equal to a Champions League final. It will be a very tough match, the opponent has good defenders and attackers, not to mention the current best player in the world, Henny Reistad. We are talking about a top team that has changed minimally, while we were replaced in many places.
Györ away is going to be a handful. They are the defending champions, which kind of says it all. We have to play at our peak in order to get a win, and hopefully we will be able to get our first ever win against them. That could be quite cool.
After seven weeks of preparation, we can't wait to fully start the season. We are expecting a fast-paced match, both teams will be running a lot. It is going to be a good way to gauge ourselves against this competition. Some of our players will also be discovering the Champions League.
It is my first Champions League game and I'm so excited, it is a dream come true. We know that Brest are a fantastic team, and we know that we have to be on our highest level if we want to beat them. But I believe in the ability we possess, and we are going to travel there and give all we have.
I am so excited that finally I will play again in the Champions League. Working this period so hard and now it is time to show our good and high level in this competition. We are playing first game at home in front of our fans, I am looking forward to see them in the stands, supporting us and becoming stronger together.
We are very excited for the game. To be honest, I don't think much about last years quarter-final; this is a new season and we have to get a good start in the group phase, as we all know it is a strong group with many opponents who will go for the top two.
