Old acquaintances meet again

For the fifth time Team Tvis Holstebro and Handball Club Lada Togliatti will face off in Europe against each other, but this time, the EHF Women’s Cup Winners’ Cup is at stake.

The cup enters its last season in its current form so the winners will not only be able to say they are the final-ever winners, but can keep the trophy.

EHF Women’s Cup Winners’ Cup Final First Leg
Team Tvis Holstebro (DEN) vs. Handball Club Lada Togliatti (RUS)
Sunday 1 May 15:15 (local time), live on ehfTV

Holstebro and Lada are probably two of the European women’s club teams who have seen the most of each other in recent years.

This season - the last Cup Winners’ Cup final in history as it merges with the Women’s EHF Cup next season to form the Women’s EHF Cup – will be the fifth European tie between the two clubs over the past five years.

Based on the first four meetings, the statistics speak in favour of Holstebro.

Three times the Danish team took the aggregate win and proceeded, while Lada needed the rule about most away goals to take the overall win for the only time the Russian team was successful.

However, Camilla Herrem, left wing for Team Tvis Holstebro, is not sure that statistics from the past will be of much use to the team this time.

“There is no doubt in my mind that it will be tougher than before against Lada this time,” she said. “They have a considerably stronger team than the previous times our team has met them.”

Norwegian World and European champion, and her coach Peter Krautmeyer agrees with his player.

“It will more or less be the Russian national team we are up against,” he said. “Their greatest star is right-back Irina Bliznova, but we will certainly also have to keep an eye on playmaker Daria Dmitrieva who is number two or three among the playmakers in the Russian national team.

“However, there is no doubt that we will need a really good result in our home game, if we are going to have a chance in the return match where we are sure to be under heavy pressure from 2,500-3,000 spectators.”