Aiming for fourth position

Top-scorer of KS Vive Targi Kielce, Rastko Stojković, talks about the improving form of his team and the next game against Barcelona.

ehfCL.com: Your team didn’t start very well in the VELUX EHF Champions League, suffering defeats against Celje and Chambery. What happened?

Rastko Stojković: Maybe we started the season in a too relaxed fashion, and we thought it would be easier. Last year we defeated Chambery twice, but this year, we lost. Celje played their best match of the season against us and I'm sure they can't repeat that performance.

ehfCL.com: Despite good games against Kiel and Rhein Neckar Löwen, only one point was collected. Why?

Rastko Stojković: With Kiel we played a good game, but against Löwen I was the one who missed a decisive penalty, depriving us of both points, in the final seconds. This all proves that we can defeat the favourites. After all, Löwen defeated Barcelona away, so one point from that match is not such a disappointment.

ehfCL.com: Is Polish handball getting stronger together with Kielce?

Rastko Stojković: The fact that for every Champions League game, we have 4500 spectators watching, says a lot about it. The city has 200,000 inhabitants, and has top clubs in football, volleyball and handball. In this city, our popularity is at the same level as the football players.

ehfCL.com: Your next match will be against Barcelona, how do you see the chances?

Rastko Stojković: The same as with Kiel and Löwen, I expect a tough match. We’ve proved that we can play against the best teams. We will give our best in order to finish fourth in our group. It’ll be tough, but if we reach the top 16 it will be a clear sign of our quality.