Kielce are ready to reach FINAL4, says Čupić
Polish champions KS Vive Targi Kielce have enjoyed a blistering start to the season both in the domestic title race and the VELUX EHF Champions League, where they top Group C with four wins from as many matches alongside Macedonian surprise package HC Metalurg Skopje.
Croatian right wing Ivan Čupić, who joined Kielce from German side Rhein-Neckar Löwen during the summer break, has been at the heart of Kielce’s impressive form, having established himself as the competition´s third-highest top scorer with 32 goals after four rounds.
Eight of those goals came in the recent 36:26 away win over French rivals Chambéry Savoie Handball, which kept Kielce well on course not just to reach the VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 but also to finish as the group winners and avoid potentially strong rivals at the start of the knockout stage.
 For Čupić and Kielce alike, it would be a dream to reach the VELUX EHF FINAL4 and the Croatian maestro said he was confident it could become reality.
“The whole city lives for handball and it’s the only topic wherever you go,” he told in the interview for sportnet.hr ahead of the country’s EHF EURO 2014 qualifiers. Čupić led his team to a 25:21 victory over Slovakia with eight goals on Wednesday and on Saturday Croats will play in Latvia.
“Our hall is always packed, whether it’s a Polish league match or a Champions League game, our fans are fully behind us in every sense of the word because they also come in numbers for the away games. It is great to be a part of this handball story and I am delighted that the coach has unreserved faith in me,” said Čupić.
He is one of the five Croatians in Kielce, alongside Denis Buntić, Željko Musa, Manuel Štrlek and Venio Losert as the latest addition. The winger’s move from the German Bundesliga to Poland might have raised a few eyebrows, but Čupić said he never had any second thoughts about moving eastwards.
"The Polish league is obviously not in the same bracket with Germany in terms of quality but I know I made the right decision because my ambition was to play in the Champions League, which I couldn’t at Rhein-Neckar Löwen. We have made a great start and perhaps the time has come to fulfill the dream of every Polish handball fan, which is to reach the Final Four in Cologne,“ he underscored.
Assuming they win Group C, Kielce will lock horns with one of the fourth-placed teams from other three groups and for example the slot in Group B is currently occupied by last season’s runners-up Atlético Madrid, who have only one win and three defeats. While Čupić believes the Spanish side will rediscover their form and move up the table, he concurred there would be no easy rivals en route to the VELUX EHF FINAL4.
"Getting an easier rival in the Last 16 would be our reward for finishing top of the group, provided that Atlético improve and move upwards in the standings, which I am sure they will. However, there are no easy rivals in the knockout stage and especially not in the quarter-finals, if we get there, hence the imperative is to keep up the good work and carry on towards the Final Four in Cologne,“ he pointed out.
Kielce’s next game in the European top flight is the Match of the Week on ehfTV - a mouth-watering clash away to Metalurg, who have also taken the 24-team competition by storm this season and as qualifiers overshadowed the likes of Gorenje Velenje, Chambéry, Silkeborg and St. Petersburg, who are trailing the two frontrunners.
"We will certainly head into that game as favourites, just like in the away game to our biggest rivals Wisła Płock in the Polish championship,“ a confident Čupić said in conclusion.
TEXT: Zoran Milosavljević / br
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