THW Kiel and SG Flensburg take start to Europe's crown

The goal is Cologne. The arch rivals THW Kiel and SG Flensburg-Handewitt is highly motivated in the Champions League a new start on Europe's handball crown and for the first time since the 2013/14 season, the final round in June 2022 in the cathedral city. We want to go to the Final4, Kiel's Rückraum-Ass Domagoj Duvnjak emphasized in the group stage on this Wednesday (18.45 pm / ServusTV and Dazn) at Meschkov Brest in Belarus.

Similar tones were heard from Flensburg. In all competitions, we want to show our best possible performance and meet our own expectations. This certainly belongs to the fact that we want to reach the Final4 in Cologne, said SG Managing Director Dierk Schmäschke before the kick-off collar against defending champion FC Barcelona on Thursday.

Memories of 2014

In the spring of 2014, the two German top teams played the finale in the royal class - at that time with the better end for the Flensburgs, but since he had no longer at the final round. The THW, on the other hand, then managed twice to the semi-finals and in December 2020 fetched the most coveted European Handball Trophy to the Fjord.

The memories of the triumph are still fresh and should inspire the keels. In Group A, the two-time Champions League winner Vardar Skopje, Hungary's Master Pick Szeged, and the Danish Champion Aalborg Handbold, who was stopped in the preseason in the finals of Barcelona's steering ensemble, the toughest competitors.

We have attractive opponents, and in every game it is also about Cologne. The group stage is the key to reaching the final4 - especially if you can see which opponents from the other group in the K.-O. round can be sent to us said THW Managing Director Viktor Szilagyi.

High starting hurdle for zebras - hammer group for SG

In order to spare the second round and to qualify directly for the quarter-finals, the Kieler has to be a lot of one or two. Immediately the startup in Brest is an important step, said Szilagyi.

The task for Flensburg appears much harder. In addition to Spain's serial master Barcelona, ​​it gets the runner-up in group B, among others with France's TopTeam Paris Saint-Germain, on the Kiel in the pre-season failed, the Polish champion Vive Kielce with National Torwart Andreas Wolff, which is highly traded end-round regular guest Telekom Veszprem from Hungary and Portugal Champion FC Porto to do.

Even the prelude to Barcelona has it in itself. Near times, both teams were so far in the premier class, the Catalans won seven times. 4600 fans are allowed on Thursday in the Flens Arena, which was last filled with Erlangen only with 2750 spectators. The club, which in addition to recent and vaccinated for the first time also has negatively tested persons, hopes for a full hell north - and of course two points.

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