21.10.2008, 04:29
Mikkelsen back for a better Viborg

The Danish left wing returns to handball and hopes to help Viborg to a more successful season. She tells Eurohandball.com what she expects from the CL.

Mikkelsen back for a better Viborg

In April this year she gave birth to a healthy daughter. From the start of this season she was already back in the team of Viborg HK and recently she also returned to the Danish national team! Henriette Mikkelsen is back in top handball! The 28-year old left winger made an impressive comeback.

Her team, Viborg, are dominating in the strong Danish league this season. Their hope is that their success will not end there, but continue in the EHF Champions League. The group stage is about to begin and the winning club of 2006 are eager to do better than last season.

Eurohandball.com met Henriette Mikkelsen in a break between her handball and maternal duties.

Eurohandball.com: Viborg has been unstoppable in Denmark. What does it suggest before the Champions League?

Henriette Mikkelsen: We are looking forward to play the CL again. As you said, we have done very well in the Danish league this season and we hope to continue like this in Europe too. I hope that our success in the domestic league will give us the necessary confidence for the CL games. We are looking forward to test ourselves against the European top teams again. After not doing well in the CL last season, we have to balance it out.

Eurohandball.com: Krim Ljubljana, 1. FC Nürnberg and Metz are in your group. What about them?

Henriette Mikkelsen: I think it’s an acceptable group. We know that Krim are strong, particularly at home. I believe that Nürnberg and Metz are teams that we can definitely beat. We will have to go on from the group and I‘m sure we will.

Eurohandball.com: Winning the group would also be important. Last year Viborg finished second and ended up in a group including the two later finalists…

Henriette Mikkelsen: That’s right. I think we have the team to do that. It’s simply a question of taking our fine Danish performance with us to the Champions League.

Eurohandball.com: The official goal was to win the Champions League last year. As we all know, the team did not succeed. What is the goal this season?

Henriette Mikkelsen: To qualify for the semi-finals, first of all. Then we have to qualify for the final. I realise that these are ambitious goals, but if we can avoid injuries, I think we have the team for it.

Eurohandball.com: Do you know who will be the strongest rivals?

Henriette Mikelsen: I think we will get a picture of that soon after the group stage starts. For instance, a team such as Hypo Niederösterreich will improve after Christmas, as usual.

I believe that the Hungarian Győr will also be strong this season despite the changes in the squad. So I think we will just have to wait and see what the other clubs can come up with.

TEXT: Peter Bruun