Race for the Machineseeker EHF Champions League play-offs speeds up
The battles for the remaining play-off tickets and for the top spots in both groups take the spotlight in round 12 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26.
Our group is extremely tough, and we need these two points to finish third and play the second leg of the play-offs at home. But first, we need to get the players back in shape. With such a busy schedule, recovery is also very important. Dinamo have been improving in recent rounds, so it won’t be an easy task. We need to pay attention to every detail.
Games in the Veszprém Arena are always really hard for every team. But I think these are the kind of games every player wants to play. For us, we know it will be a very tough match, but also a great challenge. We know they have a very strong defence and a great fast break, and that’s something we have to try to control. We need to stay focused and bring the best version of ourselves to fight for the full 60 minutes against them.
With only two home games left in this season's Champions League, we want to give our supporters something to cheer about. We face a Nantes team that is extremely difficult to beat. Hopefully, we can match their intensity and energy. We will not give them an easy game!
We are focused on our first objective — qualifying for the play-offs, before thinking about finishing as high as possible in this group. The team is motivated to deliver a big performance. We know it’s never easy to win in Kolstad.
We benefit from having already secured our place in the quarter-finals, allowing us to play without pressure to achieve a specific result. We want to consistently raise our level in the last three group stage matches. Even without pressure, our goal is to win every game.
We have to play a complete match, both in attack and defence. One of Füchse’s biggest strengths is their fast pace, which creates opportunities for easy goals — and in games like this, that makes the difference. We are mentally strong and aware of how tough this match will be, but we’re going there for two points. We have nothing to lose. The outcome of this match may come down to details.
Alborg is the team with the fewest goals conceded in the group. This says a lot about the difficulties we will face. They are a very physically strong team, but they combine this physical strength with a lot of technical quality. We know that we will have to have an almost perfect night to achieve victory.
Sporting want to run and turn the game into a high-tempo battle, especially with the Costa brothers leading the way. Our job is to slow things down, control possession, and make sure the game is played on our terms.
We’re facing a physically tough match against Pelister. For us, it’s about controlling the game and playing it on our terms.
Every new match in the Champions League is a new story. We prepare separately for each rival, each team is different. I think GOG are a super team, with young Danish players and a super talent like [Óli] Mittún, who is expected to be one of the best in a short time. We are not going with a 'white flag' to Denmark — we have respect for them but we have our chances.
Magdeburg are the current European champions, a team with a clear vision and immense ambition. We are playing at home and we will need a full house in our arena to create the best atmosphere in Europe.
Plock are a team that have already demonstrated their strength several times this season. It wasn't easy for us in the first match, and it certainly won't be any easier playing them in their arena. This team possess a quality and versatility that we won't underestimate. Still, it is our goal to maintain our series, having won all matches in the competition so far.
We’re very happy to be back at Coubertin for this game and to play in front of our fans. Their energy always gives us an extra push in important European nights. We gained a lot of confidence from the big win in Zagreb last week — the team showed character, intensity and discipline, and that’s the level we need to build on. Now it’s about delivering a complete performance over 60 minutes. If we bring the same focus and consistency, we’ll give ourselves every chance in this crucial match.
We have great memories from last season’s trip to Paris, as we managed to defeat Paris Saint-Germain Handball. I’m sure our opponents will be highly motivated and eager to fight, hoping to take revenge for last year’s and the autumn defeats in Szeged. But we, too, will battle to claim both points — that’s what we’ve been working for all week.
I can see the team is hungry. There’s a very good mix of youth and veteran players and I’m very proud of how things are going. It’s the fifth season in a row since I’m Barça’s coach that we reach the quarter-finals directly. In those three matches starting on Thursday we have to give our best to chase the first spot of the group. We play at home against Zagreb and that has to be a key factor for us.
We are going to Barcelona without pressure. Unfortunately, we were officially eliminated in the previous round, so the focus now is on improving ourselves and doing everything we can to be better in the remainder of the season. We will give it our all and try to compete as well as possible against Barcelona, who truly have outstanding players in every position.
