Zagreb duo raring to go against Berlin

European club champions in 1992 and 1993 from Zagreb are hanging on to a Last 16 berth with their fingernails in this season of the VELUX EHF Champions League after registering just one win and a draw along with three defeats in the opening half of the Group Phase.

Runners-up on another four occasions in the flagship club competition, Zagreb desperately need a win against last season’s semi-finalists Füchse Berlin on home court on Saturday to keep alive any realistic hopes of advancing from a tough Group D.

While Barcelona, Berlin and surprise package Dinamo Minsk are almost assured of going through, the remaining berth is up for grabs as Zagreb, Pick Szeged and Kadetten Schaffhausen are in the hunt.

Zagreb’s 20-year old left back Stipe Mandalinić, who scored four goals in his team’s narrow 29:27 defeat in the reverse fixture in Berlin, said the winners of 22 Croatian league titles are fired up to get back to winning ways after losing three games in a row.

“We want to show that we are a good team despite our youth, especially in view of the fact how we lost in Berlin,” Mandalinić told Croatia’s Sportnet website hrsportnet.

“The fans should be like an extra man on the court, they always are when the going gets tough. It is vital to come away from this match with two points because it would make our job of qualifying for the last 16 much easier in the latter stages of the Group Phase,” he said.

Vice-captain Jerko Matulić believes the game against Berlin is not a make-or-break encounter because there is still some way to go in the Group Phase, but stressed that Zagreb should win all their remaining home games if they are to progress into the knockout stages of the 24-team competition.

“We are not under the most tremendous pressure ever but it is a very important match. It’s one of the remaining three home games and we need to win all of them, as Schaffhausen and Minsk are also vying for a top-four finish in the group,” Matulić said.

“We played a great game in Berlin and were unlucky because it was our best performance of the season. Romero scored too many goals (8) and we weren’t aggressive enough in marking either Igropulo or Jaszka, who masterminds their strategy and represents Berlin’s engine. We will turn the tables on them in the Zagreb Arena,” the right wing added.

Further information

Follow the match live on Saturday, 24 November at 18:00 hrs local time on ehfTV.com