25.11.2010, 11:20
Zagreb aim to put bad result behind them

Nenad Kljaić’s team aims for 2nd place in its return match with Flensburg.

Zagreb aim to put bad result behind them

The Croatian club has the opportunity to take revenge after suffering defeat in Flensburg last weekend. Coach Nenad Kljaić aims to win by a margin of at least three goals, as that would secure a goal difference advantage for Zagreb in the case that they finish on the same number of points as Flensburg in Group D.

ehfCL.com: Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb have suffered their first defeat in this VELUX EHF Champions League season. It came after a five-week break for national team gatherings, and so, you haven't had much time to prepare for the Flensburg match?

Nenad Kljaić: During the CL break we didn’t have any strong matches and we couldn’t even undertake normal training. This was a big problem for my team and it obviously affected our performance.

ehfCL.com: Zagreb showed two faces in Flensburg. A bad first half, was followed by a better second half. What are your views on the game?

Nenad Kljaić: In the first half we didn’t play as we’d planned. We played especially badly in defence.

In the second half, our play improved and we decreased the gap to two goals, but than we made mistakes in offence. Anyway, our second-half play is the way to go.

If we manage to hold on to that same pace during the entire match on Sunday I’m convinced of a positive outcome for us.

ehfCL.com: What’s the situation with the health of your players? Are all of them ready for Sunday’s match?

Nenad Kljaić: Ljubo Vukić is still injured, but we have the excellent Štrlek in that position and I don't expect problems with the wingers.

All other players are ready and very motivated to get revenge for the Flensburg defeat.

ehfCL.com: Considering the table situation in Group D, would a victory by more than two goals immediately put you into second position?

Nenad Kljaić: That’s our plan. If we win in Zagreb by three or more goals it should be enough to win second place in our group because of our goal difference advantage against Flensburg.

The VELUX EHF Men's Champions League Group D game HC Croatia Osiguranje ZAGREB (CRO) VS. SG Flensburg-Handewitt VS (GER)  on Sunday 28 November 2010 at 17:30 hrs (local time) is our „Match of the Week" and will be broadcast live on our free-of-charge web stream on ehfTV.com, including English commentary by Tom O'Brannagain.

TEXT: Ivan Ambroš