Füchse Berlin
Jaron Siewert (GER) — coach
On the chances to win the trophy:
"It is realistic to say that all teams have the chances of 25 per cent to win the trophy. Any of the four teams have imprinted the competition with a high-performance level and are a well-deserved part of the EHF Finals."
On the semi-final against Montpellier:
"To face Montpellier in the semi is a classic 50:50 match. They have proved their strength in the French league and in the European League. They have the experience from winning the Champions League. If we manage to beat them, it will all be about the mental preparation for Sunday, and to recover as quick as possible. We need two top matches to raise the trophy on Sunday."
On the long final tournament experience of Füchse Berlin:
"It is the second EHF Finals for me and for those players who are in our current squad. I am not sure about their experience at final tournaments, but of course they have the experience of playing successfully at European and World Championships. They know what is needed to stand on the podium. We have some experience, but it is all about performance this weekend, not the past."
On the support of Danish fans because of four Danish players in the squad:
"We count on the Danish fans — they can be a factor. Our Danish players are optimistic about that. When we played in Aarhus and Skjern the arenas were sold-out and many fans came in the Füchse jersey to support our players. The atmosphere was breathtaking and we really hope to get some support even here in Flensburg."
Hans Lindberg (DEN) — wing
On whether they are the favourites:
"There are no favourites. It is all about the form you can bring on the court twice in two days. Four strong teams have qualified. This means you have to show a top performance twice. We want to do so, but this does not mean that we are a bigger favourites than the others."
On the semi-final against Montpellier:
"They are really strong, but we would have needed to play on the same level if we would have faced one the two other teams. When you have one weak day, the trophy is out of reach. All teams have proved that they belong in this tournament. Now one team will prove that the trophy belongs to them. Any team would deserve to stand on the winners’ podium on Sunday. We will have a hammer match against Montpellier, but I hope we are well prepared."
Fabian Wiede (GER) — right back
On the hopes to win the trophy:
"Every team has the quality to win this tournament and to beat each other. We have an extremely strong team, and squad-wise I am even sure that we have the best team at the EHF Finals. We want to win. We will give it all."
On Montpellier:
"On paper and from the names of their players, they are the biggest rival for the trophy. They combine quality and experience. Many of them play for national teams. It will be extremely tough and maybe it was a realistic prediction even before the start of the group phase that Berlin and Montpellier can duel in the final. All other teams have made this long way, so we have respect of all."
On Füchse's final tournament experience:
"This is extremely important, to know how to prepare on the Sunday when you just played your Saturday match. But Montpellier know how to win the Champions League and Göppingen won the EHF Cup several times, therefore, their experience is not that much smaller. They know how to deal with this format."
Jacob Holm (DEN) — centre back
On the feeling in the team ahead of the weekend:
"We have a good feeling. We came here yesterday to mentally prepare and we have a training later. We're looking forward to the games tomorrow."
On the semi-final against Montpellier:
"I think it's going to be a hard match. Montpellier is a good team. They have strong players — world-class players in every position. I think it's going to be a really fast match. I think we need to play really good in defence and run a lot of fast breaks in order to win the match. In general i think it's going to be a really good match."
On the potential final opponents:
"We're just focused on the match tomorrow. We take it step by step and the first step is Montpellier. We throw everything in to get the victory tomorrow."
On Berlin's season:
"Our group this year was not easy, but we played really well in the group and then there came some difficulties in the quarter-finals against Kadetten. I think it was good for us as a team that we managed to fight through these difficulties, losing the first leg in Kadetten and then winning the match at home. I think it was good that we struggled a little bit before the final four because this is for sure not going to be easy."
On the Danish contingent at Füchse Berlin:
"I came there five years ago and since then, we always been like three to five Danish players, even more Scandinavian players. I think it's natural, when you have a national team that does well in the big tournaments, that the clubs are looking that way, and I think that's what happened with the Danish national players and the Danish players in general. At the moment, there's many Danish players in almost all of the big clubs in in europe, and I think that's a result of three World Championship [titles] and a couple of medals."
