We want to win that group, states Larvik's Champions League debutant

Sanna Solberg is definitely not new to international challenges. As late as last week she was part of the Norwegian national team who finished second in the Golden League in Denmark, and in fact, she has played 35 internationals for Norway already.

When it comes to the Women's EHF Champions League, however, it will be a completely new experience for the 24-year-old left wing, when Larvik take on Metz Handball in Arena Larvik for the first match in Group D Saturday evening.

Having joined Larvik from Stabæk Handball ahead of this season, Solberg has never played a Champions League match before in her career. With Stabæk she played in the Cup Winners Cup in the two previous seasons, but that is all the European club competition experience she has.

“Of course, it will be a great experience which I am really looking forward to. It has been great to join such a strong and ambitious team as Larvik who also has ambitions to win the Champions League,” Sanna Solberg tells ehfCL.com.

“Our aim is to win that group, and I definitely think that it is possible, although the away match against Baia Mare may be tough. That may be some kind of a key match in the group. We have many new players in our team, and not all of us have played in the Champions League before, but all together we have a very strong team,” finds Sanna Solberg.

Her twin sister Silje Solberg also plays handball at top level, being goalkeeper by Danish Team Tvis Holstebro and in the national team, so even though the sisters are far apart in their daily life, they get to see each other at national team get-togethers.

Looking forward to first test

As mentioned above, the first test in the Champions League this season for Sanna Solberg and her teammates will be the home match against Metz Handball Saturday evening.

“I am really looking forward to getting started with the Champions League matches, as I think we all are. I am sure it will be a great experience for me Saturday, although I am not completely new to international tasks. It is undoubtedly a match we will have to win, and which we should be able to win, but we still have to get our team played together. However, we take one thing at a time,” says Sanna Solberg.