Hungarian underdogs welcome Kiel

Even though the duel of MOL-Pick Szeged and THW Kiel is considered to be a one-sided clash, the injury-hit German side will have to work hard to proceed to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 – especially in their first leg match at Szeged.

However, Kiel are the favorites as the Bundesliga leaders seem to be almost invincible this year.

VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final Leg 1
MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) vs THW Kiel (GER)
Sunday 12 April, 19:15 hrs local time live on ehfTV

"We didn't want to play against Rhein-Neckar Löwen in the Last 16 either but here we are one step away from Cologne," said Zsolt Balogh after the draw.

But even Szeged's right back admitted that the Hungarian runners-up need a miracle to get past THW Kiel, who are among the favorites for the title.

Kiel might have wanted to pick Szeged before the draw, but the German powerhouse are aware that Pick Szeged recently have a splendid record against German teams.

Not only have they sent Rhein-Neckar Löwen out of the competition but also won the EHF Cup in Berlin last year, eliminating hosts Füchse in the semi-final.

In the meantime, however, they lost the Hungarian derby to Veszprém 29:24.

Injuries hit both sides

Kiel are far from full strength as the German outfit will miss crucial players like Andreas Palicka and Dominik Klein, whose places will be filled by veteran signings Steinar Ege and Henrik Lundström.

The Hungarian side, who have never been this close to Cologne, will not be able to face Kiel with the complete squad either.

Jonas Kjällman, a focal point of Juan Carlos Pastor’s defensive strategy, had an appendectomy and is highly doubtful to be fit soon enough. They will also have to do without Nico Mindegía, so Dean Bombac is the only option in the centre back position.

Above all Kiel players, one is particulary anxious about the first leg in Szeged: Marko Vujin expects a hostile welcome from the Szeged fans. He faced the noisy crowd at the Újszegedi Arena many a time during his days at Veszprém.