15.02.2008, 10:37
Duel of the coaching idols

The teams of Noka Serdarusic and Vladimir Maximov will meet on Sunday in Kiel. They have great respect for each other.

Duel of the coaching idols

No time for side-show. This is true for Noka Serdarusic and Vladimir Maximov, two of the most successful handball coaches in the world before the game THW Kiel vs Medvedi Chekhov on Sunday at 16:30hrs. The German record champions will face the usual Russian CL team, which will be a German-Swedish mixed squad against the “de facto” Russian national team.

Both sides express their respect for each other. “There’s no team in the world that would change from defence to attack as quickly as THW Kiel,” says Vladimir Maximov. “For me Kiel are the top favourites of the Champions League.”

Noka Serdarusic understood the Russian victory against the ambitious Spanish club, Ademar Leon, as a clear signal:

“Especially regarding the physical aspects, we will meet a totally different team to US Ivry playing with many reserve players last weekend,” THW’s manager, Uwe Schwenker, talks about a “difficult and strong opponent.”

However, he reminds everyone of the objective:

“We want to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. Accordingly, we must win the home games.”

The Russians will not surrender for sure. The two-day stay at the Ostsee will be a hard job.

“We will have no time for cultural entertainment,” says Vladimir Maximov with a smile. “We are happy to meet such a strong opponent.”

TEXT: Jan Kirschner