Straňovský dreaming of a five goal victory

It is the highlight for him and his club: Reale Ademar Leon have the chance to reach the VELUX EHF FINAL4 for the first time ever. And Slovak wing player Martin Straňovský is confident that his team can achieve that goal in the “50:50” quarter-final matches against Füchse Berlin.

ehfCL.com: Berlin is calling – are you happy that you do not have to compete with another Spanish team like Barcelona or Madrid?
Martin Straňovský:  We are all very happy with the quarter-final draw. Until now we have only ever had bad luck in European Cup draws, but this time we were lucky and I think Füchse cannot complain either. From our point of view we were drawn against the weakest of the strongest teams.

We intend to use this at least in the home match and go for the win, but it will still be a very difficult task. Berlin is fighting for second place in the Bundesliga, that speaks for itself. Even at the recent tournament in Norway our new national coach Peter Dávid from Grosswallstadt warned me about the strengths of Foxes.

ehfCL.com: How do you rate the Füchse compared with Ademar?
Martin Straňovský: Once again, we know they are very strong, but we believe in ourselves as well. I rate it as a 50:50 chance for both teams. This season we have proven that we can play against any opponent in the world and we will fight for our chance. You never now, maybe the same scenario as against Veszprem will repeat again. In my eyes to take part at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 tournament means much more than to win the Spanish title.

ehfCL.com: Comparing the two leading leagues in Europe – is Asobal stronger than the Bundesliga?
Martin Straňovský:  These competitions are not on the same or similar level. Not anymore. The German Bundesliga definitely has more quality than Asobal. And I fear our Asobal has just fallen to the third place in the rankings behind the French League which has been growing in recent years, and their clubs have more money than in Spain. We can see what is happening in Asobal, former European champions from Pamplona are struggling and even our club has been cash-strapped from the last season. The players are not paid properly on a regular basis and the club owes us money.

ehfCL.com: Both teams eliminated big names – Hamburg and Veszprem – in the Last 16, did you expect those results?
Martin Straňovský: Both results were surprising, but I wouldn’t call them sensations. In our case we were really happy with the victory in the first match and it provided us with some more confidence before the second leg in Hungary. We knew we needed to cover their back players who had scored roughly 10 goals from long range in Leon. We succeeded, and that showed in the final score as well."

ehfCL.com: Leon can reach the semi-final of the VELUX EHF Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. Is this a special motivation?
Martin Straňovský: No doubt, this is a special motivation for any player. All our players work together, and are totally determined, even with the club’s financial problems.

ehfCL.com: Is the special strength of Ademar being so successful at home, as you are still unbeaten in your “Leon’s den” in this VELUX EHF Champions League season?
Martin Straňovský: We have to give credit to our spectators for our successful string of home matches. But we have not played much worse away in the VELUX EHF Champions League, obviously, not counting the match in Kiel. I think it is in our heads and it is much easier to motivate for the European competition with full stands than for the league match with one thousand spectators only sitting and watching, as is often seen in Spain.

ehfCL.com: What is your dream result for the first leg?
Martin Straňovský: I would love to say a five-goal win. I know the goal difference is very important, but personally, I would be happy with any win.

ehfCL.com: In your opinion, how many Spanish teams will make it to Cologne?
Martin Straňovský: There is no question about Atletico, they will make their way to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 for sure. And I am pretty convinced Barcelona will manage to eliminate Kobenhavn. And it would be very interesting to see three Spanish teams in Cologne, wouldn’t it?

ehfCL.com: Do you feel something special with just a few weeks to go before your dream transfer to Barca will be realised?
Martin Straňovský: I am not nervous because of that, but I keep realizing my time in Leon is running out and it will not be easy since I have spent seven beautiful years here and it has been like a home for me. But in a month and a half I am moving. I am going to have a busy summer, I have to find a flat in Barcelona, but my friends told me it should not be a problem because of the property crisis in Spain.