"Löwen have improved"

Although his team has beaten the upcoming EHF Champions League quarterfinal opponent Rhein Neckar Löwen twice in the Bundesliga, THW Kiel coach Alfred Gislasson doesn’t want to see his team as the favourite. He only sees a 50:50 chance to reach the EHF FINAL4.

eurohandball.com: Looking at the sky and all the cancelled flights over Europe, are you happy that THW play in Germany this weekend?

Alfred Gislasson: Yes, of course I am.

eurohandball.com: Is it an advantage or a disadvantage that both teams know each other very well?

Alfred Gislasson: I don’t mind. We do know each other very well, but then again on an international level all teams know each other very good.

eurohandball.com: Your team has beaten the Rhein-Neckar Löwen twice in this Bundesliga season. Do these results put the THW in the favourite position?

Alfred Gislasson: Despite the two victories I wouldn’t say so. The "Löwen" have improved very much during this current season. So I would rate the chances not more than 50:50.

eurohandball.com: How much of an advantage is it for your team to have the re-match on home soil?

Alfred Gislasson: It’s not an advantage when you have a look at the previous EHF Champions League matches.

eurohandball.com: What are the strengths of the Löwen?

Alfred Gislasson: Hard to say, they have really good players on every position.

eurohandball.com: There was a certain rivalry between Kiel and Löwen off-court in the last season. Will this have an influence on this season’s quarterfinals or will it be "normal" matches?

Alfred Gislasson: This season’s quarterfinals do not have anything to do with any old rivalry. They will be two totally normal games.

eurohandball.com: What does the player situation look like?

Alfred Gislasson: It’s hard to say at the moment. We still don’t know if Kim Andersson will be able to play and it’s not clear whether Marcus Ahlm will be able to help us.

eurohandball.com: In the current EHF Champions League season THW only lost one match. How do you rate the previous matches?

Alfred Gislasson: Our EHF Champions League season has been quite okay. Only the match in Kolding and the one at home against Barcelona I did not like.

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