Nail-biting duels await as final group phase sprint begins
After a 10-week international break, the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26 returns with thrilling matches in round 11.
We have had a good start to 2026, winning our first four matches. Now it’s time for the first Champions League game for us this year, against a tricky Kolstad team that surprised Berlin in December. This is a vital match for us in order to keep the pace at the top of group A.
Veszprém are one of the favourites to reach the [EHF] FINAL4. Everyone will say that SC Magdeburg, Aalborg Håndbold, Füchse, and FC Barcelona will be there one hundred percent. But wait, give other clubs a chance, such as Veszprém, Nantes, Sporting, Kielce, or Plock. We have had a very difficult period this season, the No. 1 goal was to get out of the group. Now we have a great opportunity to finish in a strong position in the group, which would allow us to attack the top spots.
Kielce are especially strong at home right now — they almost beat one of the best teams in the world, Aalborg. We have to stay focused the whole time. We are facing a very aggressive team that are strong both in attack and defence. They are a tough opponent, and if we want to win, we have to be even tougher than they are.
We are going to play against the top ranked team in our group. We know the difficulty this game brings, but at the same time, I remember that we lost in Berlin by just one goal in the last seconds. It’s one more game in which we will fight to deliver a strong performance. I believe that if we do things correctly and follow the game plan, we will always have a chance to win.
We are facing a big challenge in Bucharest. We need to do better [than in the reverse fixture] and create chances more easily. At the same time, we know that it's always hectic and noisy in Bucharest and that they are lower in the table than they actually deserve to be.
We are going to face Nantes, a very difficult team. We want to do much better than we did against them at home. We are just a few games away from the end of this group stage and we know that every point is important in our journey. We will find a spectacular atmosphere of support for Nantes, but we also like playing these games.
I expect a similar game to the one in Paris. We were better for 45 minutes there but ended up losing, which I don’t think we deserved. We analysed that match and worked on our mistakes. The team prepared very well and the national team players had time to rest. We are fully focused and in good form, and I believe we will deliver a strong performance on Wednesday.
Playing in Zagreb is always intense and as a Croatian player, I know how strong the support will be. It will be a great experience, but my job is clear — to help PSG win. We have prepared well for this match, and we are ready to fight for every ball and give everything to bring the two points back to Paris.
We only have four rounds left in the group stage, so every match carries extra importance, and every point matters a lot. We’re up against one of the best teams in Europe, but Barça are not unbeatable — we proved that last season when we managed to defeat them away. We’ll have 8,000 fans behind us, which always gives us tremendous strength. Playing in such an atmosphere is a wonderful feeling.
We’ve already had three competitive games in Spain and I’m happy with the level we showed. We are still getting back to our systems, but everything is falling in place smoothly. PICK Szeged is a tough team and we know it well, since we’ve had some difficult games against them in the last year and a half. I hope we can get the points on such a difficult court.
We are looking forward to start the Champions League again. Naturally, we'd like to continue our successful run. With GOG, there is a team that has already shown against us and other opponents just how many talented players they have in their squad and how energertic they are. Still, we'll do everything we can to remain undefeated.
It’s a match we’re really looking forward to playing, as Magdeburg are one of the best teams in the world. We come in as underdogs with everything to gain. There’s very little room for error if we want to beat Magdeburg.
It's a pleasure to come back in my club. We work hard and we are ready for the Wisla Plock match. The Polish champions are one of the best teams in Europe, but we are competitive against every team and with our fans we promise a big match against Plock.
As we know the most difficult and the best part of season starts now. Every game and every point counts even more than before. In Bitola the atmosphere is amazing, their fans push a lot their team and it will be one difficult game. We need these points to keep our third position and we will do our best.
