Prokop wants the joy of playing back

Five weeks of break are enough! This weekend the Champions League will take its place in the minds of women’s handball fans again. And Hypo - the only team still unbeaten in Europe this season - expect a tough semi-final against the Russian side, Lada Togliatti.

Manager Gunnar Prokop talks to Eurohandball.com before the first leg.

Eurohandball.com: Mr. Prokop, are you satisfied with the preparations for the game?

Prokop: Definitely not! I still don’t see our team such clear favourites for the game against Lada...

Eurohandball.com: ...despite beating them twice this season?

Prokop: Yes, and I can tell you why: in our domestic league we don’t have a single strong opponent, we just have to go and play. And the way we have beaten these teams has changed over the past months. We still dominate against them and win easily, but I feel that we lost a bit of joy while playing against them.

Eurohandball.com: Do you also feel that the impressive form of your team in the Main Round is lost?

Prokop: Probably yes, but the answer will be given on Sunday in Togliatti.

After the Main Round I thought: we can only beat ourselves on the way to the final. Now my feelings have changed a bit.

Eurohandball.com: So what do you expect from those two games?

Prokop: We simply have to reach the finals. We had a great season and we deserve to be there. But it will be a very tight and tense game.

Eurohandball.com: Last year the pairing of the semi-final was the same, Hypo vs Lada. Your team just missed the final with a penalty in the very last second of the game. Is it still in the heads of the girls?

Prokop: Definitely not! We don’t even talk about that penalty shot any more. I believe that this as an additional motivation for my side. Last year we lost on the way to the final, this year it might be different!