Gislason pleased with difficult draw

In the past season Alfred Gislason led THW Kiel to remarkable successes crowned by the VELUX EHF Champions League trophy in Cologne. Less than four weeks before the start of the new season the Icelandic coach of the title holders answers three burning questions for ehfCL.com. His team will start where it finished last season - with a match against their final opponents from the VELUX EHF FINAL4 - BM Atletico Madrid on 30 September in the Group B. But Gislason isn´t complaining...

ehfCL.com: What are your expectations for the upcoming season of the VELUX EHF Champions League?
Alfred Gislason: We are highly satisfied with the opponents we will face in the Group Stage. We will be tested right from the off and those important games will be a great spectacle for our fans. I am sure that our arena will be sold-out for every match, which hopefully will boost our performances. It is our clear goal to be part of the FINAL4 again. We also want to break the curse that no defending champions by now made their way to Cologne again.

ehfCL.com: What does the participation in the VELUX EHF Champions League mean to you and your club?
Alfred Gislason: Champions League is the highlighting competition in every season, as the best teams of the world face each other and every match is a great challenge for us.

ehfCL.com: What teams are your personal favourites to reach the VELUX EHF FINAL4 and for winning the title this season?
Alfred Gislason: As I already mentioned, we want to make it to Cologne. Besides our team I expect Barcelona and Madrid to be part of the FINAL4. But also teams like Veszprem, Berlin, Chekhovskie Medvedi, Flensburg or Montpellier have chances to go all the way. In my opinion the level of handball in the VELUX EHF Champions League was never as high as it is this season. So it is really hard to predict the 'top favourites'.