Holm: "I wouldn't mind another trip to Denmark"

When the draw for the Men's EHF Cup Group Phase takes place on Thursday, Füchse Berlin left back Jacob Holm will be pleased if the defending champions are handed a journey to his native Denmark again.

"I do not really have a preferred group, but I would not mind a trip to Denmark," says the 23-year-old Danish international, who joined Füchse in the offseason. "Meeting a Danish team again could be cool."

There are two possibilities for Füchse, which could share a group with either TTH Holstebro or GOG.

"I am glad that teams from the same country cannot meet in the group phase, as I definitely didn't want to meet THW Kiel," Holm says. "Apart from that, I have no real preferences."

The draw at the EHF headquarters in Vienna on Thursday at 11:00 hrs will be streamed live on ehfTV's YouTube channel and EHF's facebook page. Also, the draw can be followed with a live ticker and reports on europeancup.eurohandball.com as well as live tweets on @ehf.



"It was a crazy game"

Holm played a key role as Füchse actually made it to the group phase.

"It was a crazy game," says Holm, referring to the second leg of Qualification Round 3 against Aalborg Handbold. Having won the first leg at home 31:29, the Danish opponents were leading by six goals in the first half of the return match at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin last Sunday.

Still, Füchse Berlin got back into the game, and with a 28:23 win, the defending champions eventually clinched their group phase berth.

"We are low on resources at the moment," says Holm, referring to the many injuries that have hit the team this season. "I admit that I was worried, as we were six goals down. However, we still have some very experienced players among those who are fit, and when you play next to such players, their experience and calmness affects you too. That was probably one of the main reasons why we played so well for the last 40 minutes."

The Danish left back says it was not just the team, but also the fans who helped turn around the match.

"The crowd really helped us in what was our most important game so far this season, and I am actually proud of having been part of a match, in which a new attendance record for an EHF Cup Qualification match was set," says the 23-year-old Danish international, referring to the 7,403 spectators who watched the second and deciding leg against Aalborg Handbold.

With five goals, Holm was important for Füchse Berlin’s comeback against the team from his homeland, especially as most of his goals were scored during the phase of the match when the home team was still struggling to respond.

Things have gone fast for Holm

Things have gone fast for the young Danish international after he joined Füchse Berlin this summer from Danish club Team Esbjerg, reportedly for the highest transfer fee ever for a player leaving the Danish league for a foreign club.

"We have had a lot of injuries this autumn, and this has meant more court time for me from the start than I probably would have got otherwise," Holm says. "It has been tough, not least due to the many matches and the long journeys, but it has also been rewarding in the way that I can feel that it has strengthened me considerably, and it is nice to work in such a professional environment as they have here."

Even though Füchse Berlin’s many injuries have given him plenty of court time, Holm obviously hopes that his team will be back at full strenght when the group phase of the EHF Cup begins in February.