Quarter-final race heats up in penultimate round of the group phase
Just two rounds are left to play in the EHF Champions League Women 2025/26 group stage, and in the Match of the Week on Saturday, group A leaders Györi Audi ETO KC, who have already secured an early quarter-final berth, will face third-placed Team Esbjerg in Denmark.
How do you win against the best team in the world? That is the question. In the previous two ties, we have been very close, and in the match earlier this season, we had chances to win. There is also still a small possibility for us to get the top two spots, and we have to pursue it, which means we need to win this game.
They always fight a lot against Györ. It's always been big games between Esbjerg and Györ at home or away. I think all of us expect a big game and now they are much more stable and I think they play really good. They play less individually than at the beginning of the season. They play more together. I think it will be an interesting game.
Metz are always capable of reaching the [EHF] FINAL4. Our defence has to be solid and we can't afford to make any unnecessary mistakes in attack — Metz will exploit them consistently and very successfully with their incredibly fast-paced handball. But we have nothing to lose, we want to deliver a good performance, the pressure is on Metz.
They have an excellent long-range shot from the backcourt positions, very good transition play with Veronica Malá in a leading role, and an outstanding goalkeeper who has one of the best save percentages in the Champions League. We are expecting a demanding game against a team that still has a chance to qualify for the knockout stage. However, that is not our focus — our goal is to play a good match and try to secure two points in front of our home supporters.
We still have hopes of reaching the play-offs. So we are going to Podgorica to do everything we can to win the match. I think we have performed at a good level in the last few matches, even though they have not been big on points. The precision has been ok. Buducnost is a team that has a lot of energy and enthusiasm in their game. We have to deal with that and respond in the same way.
Hard and good team, we suffered a lot in the previous game and we know it won’t be easy to get the two points at home. It’s a full battle for the fourth position and we have to fight and be focused 60 minutes.
It’s a big achievement that we have already qualified, but we don’t want to stop here, as we still have a chance to finish even higher in the group. To do that, we need to win in Bistrita, which is a tough task because they have a very strong squad. I expect a full house, which is also a big advantage for the home team — but we would like to benefit from it as well.
It will be far from an easy game. They’ll play freely and will be eager to try to get a win. It’s a team that caused us a lot of problems in the first leg. We’re expecting a tough match. We still have our destiny in our own hands in this competition. Two wins would allow us to finish top of the group and that’s the goal.
We’re looking forward to facing a strong Brest team this weekend, in an arena with a great atmosphere. We had a positive experience against FTC at home and will do everything we can to build on that positive momentum.
A huge battle is waiting for us, but we want to keep the position we have fought for in the last weeks. We know that there are very good players in Bucharest. We will face top quality players in every position, but we will prepare well and do everything to succeed.
I think it is going to be a tough game but we are ready to fight! We are doing everything we can to do our jobs and we take it one game at a time. I think we are right now in a good rhythm and I just hope we will keep going and keep pushing.
I honestly think it will be a very difficult game. Of course, there is a lot of pressure on us and them at the same time. The game decides whether we will advance to the next stage, which is why it will be a difficult and demanding game. The team that comes with more focus, desire and character will win.
We aren't interested in the math or calculations right now; we are focused only on securing the two points that guarantee the continuation of our European season. I am extremely satisfied with the team's response. In recent weeks, a strong desire and belief in success have been evident in training.
Odense is a team we are very familiar with, and we truly feel that we could have beaten them in the most recent match in the domestic league, where we were eight goals behind but fought our way back into the game. Odense have been affected by injuries lately, but that does not make them any less dangerous, and we know that a tough match awaits us on Sunday — but we are ready for revenge.
Ikast’s backcourt has delivered at a very high level so far, and that’s something we are aware of, both offensively and defensively, where in previous matches they have been sharp in taking the initiative. On our side, we have Nikita (van der Vliet) back in the squad again, which is extremely positive, as it gives us another option to rely on tomorrow, when — everything considered — another tough away game awaits us in the EHF Champions League.
