On Wednesday at 8:45 p.m., SG Flensburg-Handewitt won’t be playing for points, but rather for a strong starting position. The first quarterfinal match of the EHF European League against TSV Hannover-Burgdorf will take place at the GP JOULE Arena. The second leg is scheduled for next Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. in Hannover.
About 3,300 tickets have been sold for tomorrow’s late-night game. The team and coach are hoping for strong support from the stands. “We want to use our home-court advantage and secure a clear victory,” announces SG Coach Aleš Pajović. “A win by a five-goal margin would be a good result.” The two northern clubs have never faced each other on the international stage. However, they know each other very well from the DAIKIN HBL. The SG won 37-29 at home in September and most recently triumphed 35-32 in Lower Saxony in early April. Insights from these matchups, in particular, have been incorporated into the current preparations: positional attacks, defense, and seven-on-six situations have been re-examined. However, there is a significant change for the “Recken”: backcourt player Marian Michalczik suffered a broken foot in training and will not play again this season. Things looked great for the SG on Tuesday. “Everyone was at practice; for the first time in months, there were no young players there,” says Aleš Pajović. “Hopefully, there won’t be any nasty surprises at the last minute.”
Wednesday is just the “first half”
On Sunday, the “Recken” earned a 30-30 draw against TBV Lemgo Lippe, while the SG, as is well known, already put on one of their best performances of the season against MT Melsungen on Friday. “We mustn’t fall into the trap of thinking it will just happen on its own, because the last few games don’t mean anything now,” emphasizes SG captain Johannes Golla. He knows: “We’re facing an experienced team.” On Wednesday, it’s only halftime after the final whistle. The SG must play its second game in Hanover, but has the advantage of being able to focus fully on this task until then. The SG was originally scheduled to play in Magdeburg on Sunday. That match has been rescheduled for May 21. Hanover, on the other hand, must travel to Bergischer HC on Saturday. Three days later, the SG aims to seal the deal in the Lower Saxony metropolis for its third appearance in the EHF Finals. “We’re in good spirits and feeling confident,” says Aleš Pajović. “We want to continue showing both of those things on the court.”