15.11.2012, 02:53
Chambéry clutching at straws before match against Velenje

French runners-up will miss their top scorer Edin Bašić, but Guillaume Gille is back at full strength.

Chambéry clutching at straws before match against Velenje

The only empty-handed team still dreams about the post-Round 10 life in the current VELUX EHF Champions League season. Chambéry Savoie Handball will play host to RK Gorenje Velenje on Sunday (19:00 hrs local time) in a match what will be a survival fight for the French side.

"We don't care about that anymore. If it can release some pressure off our shoulders, let's say we don't care about it. We're already out anyway." Those are the words of Grégoire Detrez, the pivot of Chambéry, when he was asked by lequipe.fr about the match against Velenje, but you would not quite believe him though.

His team is about to play at home against Velenje, after four consecutive losses in the Group Phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League. This is the match they cannot lose, otherwise they will definitely be thrown off the competition.

On the contrary, Velenje could take a good step towards qualification by winning in France, something they have never done in the past. They have not won a match away from home this season either in the Europe´s premier club competition.
 
Chambéry has welcomed back his left back Damir Bičanić and his right back Kevynn Nyokas, who scored eight goals against Metalurg Skopje in his first VELUX EHF Champions League game ever. But the French runners-up will have to do without Edin Bašić, the team's best scorer in the competition.

He will be replaced at his centre back position by Guillaume Gille, who is now completly fit after suffering various injuries since the beginning of the season.
 
"It will be tough, because this is virtually our last chance to save our hope, because in the second part of the Group Phase we will have to visit both Skopje and Kielce," the head coach of Chambéry Mario Cavalli said for the Le Dauphiné Libéré daily.

"We've got a very important league game against Dunkerque on Thursday, and last time we've had a big game in the French league before a Champions League game, it was when we received Kielce, and they walked over us. Being fit physically will be a key factor for us, as well as being able to overcome Edin's injury."
 

TEXT: Kevin Domas / br