20.03.2008, 02:45
Ciudad Real vs Hamburg: new to each other

The two clubs share many similarities: relatively new clubs in the elite with great organisations and teams...

Ciudad Real vs Hamburg: new to each other

The clash of Ciudad and HSV Hamburg is just the opposite of the other semi-final. If Barcelona against Kiel is a classic, this pairing is a first ever meeting of the two sides.

Both are very strong clubs, but they never faced each other in any club competition before. And though the German side played their first European cup game in 2004 (CWC), there are similarities between the clubs.

Both teams have a very strong rosters and a solid economic background supports their work. They both entered the elite of handball all of a sudden and they both have successes already.

In fact, Ciudad Real won CL two seasons ago, while Hamburg won the Cup Winners’ Cup last year.

The fact that the second game will be in Hamburg, can be important. The Spanish and the German team will host each other in palaces, rather than normal sport halls. The Color Line of Hamburg and the Quijote Arena of Ciudad Real are two of the most beautiful handball environments of Europe.

Rolando Urios is not 100%

The Spanish line player, Rolando Urios has a very difficult season with different problems and injuries.

At first he suffered a knee injury that had to be operated. After this, the shoulder of the Cuban-born player was also injured. Urios is getting better with every week, but he is still not okay. After every two games, the player needs to have a rest.

Talant Dujshebaev did not count on him in the last game against Gummersbach. He wants to play the next match of Asobal against Leon:

“I want to play this game, the next one, the Olympic qualification tournament and the Olympic Games… Time is running out,” told Urios to a local newspaper.

He has been suffering a lot this season:

“Sometimes I wake up during the night because I feel pain in my shoulder. My knee hurts too. I need to play the next games and I hope that these problems will disappear. It is true that things are improving and having a rest helps me. I hope that the problems in my knee will end soon”.

TEXT: Fernando Urra Goñi