23.08.2007, 04:30
Sigurdsson Optimistic Despite Injury

Injury, difficult group and a fantastic atmosphere in Kölnarena... Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson, the Icelandic star of Vfl Gummersbach, talks to eurohandball.com.

Sigurdsson Optimistic Despite Injury

“Iceland Express“, Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson(28), Bundesliga top scorer in the season 2005/2006 and World Championship top scorer in 2007 will not be able to play for his club VfL Gummersbach in the first matches of the Bundesliga. Nevertheless, he wants to take part in “the great Champions League adventure,“ he says in an interview with eurohandball.com. Because of his knee problems, he couldn’t play at the “Schlecker Cup”, and now the club’s doctors said, that he has to stop playing for the next weeks.

Eurohandball.com: You cannot play at the league start, but will you be able to play in the first CL match at the end of September.

Sigurdsson: I hope so. In the preparation for the season I could not get rid of my knee injury that has been causing problems for some months now. Now I have to stop, but I think I will be in the team when Champions League starts.

Eurohandball.com: One match would be really special for you in case Reykjavik will win the qualification matches…

Sigurdsson: Yes, of course. I think, Reykjavik are strong enough to reach the group phase. If we play there, we will have dinner with the whole team at my mother’s house – and there we will get the power to play.

Eurohandball.com: What are your and the team’s objectives for the new season?

Sigurdsson: I think Daniel Narcisse will not play again for Gummersbach, so we have to make a change in the playmaker position. This is the first thing, but I think that Geoffroy Krantz and Oleg Kuleschow are experienced players. At the end, all the other German top clubs signed World stars. We signed some good players too, but teams such as Kiel, Hamburg and Kronau invested a lot more money. So I hope that we will be strong enough to reach the Champions League again. If our new players will be integrated quickly and our injured players get fit soon, our fans will have a lot of fun with our team.

Eurohandball.com: In the Champions League you play in one of the hardest groups. Will Gummersbach reach the second group phase?

Sigurdsson: Last season we played very well on international level, so I hope we can continue like that. There are three strong candidates for two qualification places in the group: Celje, Gummersbach and Veszprém. The away matches in Hungary and Slovenia will be very tough as these clubs have the most fanatic and loudest supporters in whole Europe. But I enjoy playing in this atmosphere and I also like the tension of those matches. There are no easy opponents in the Champions League, we have to give our best even against the team of Reykjavik that comes ever closer to the European top clubs. It will be a big battle between us, Celje and Veszprém, and I hope we can cope with the pressure.

Eurohandball.com: Next season Gummersbach will play all the matches in the big Kölnarena. Is it something special for you?

Sigurdsson: It’s a great and very special feeling to play there in front of such a great crowd. It was the right decision to move completely to Köln not only for financial reasons, but also because we need the Arena and we need the fans there. We have to make a good start, and the supporters will come to be our eighth men on court.

Eurohandball.com: Last season THW Kiel won the triple. Are Kiel the strongest team in the Bundesliga again?

Sigurdsson: Yes, they have the best team; they signed very strong new players. Behind Kiel there will be teams such as ours, Kronau, Hamburg and Flensburg. They will all try to clinch a Champions League place.

TEXT: Björn Pazen