Reactions after the qualification draw
Maxim Koshkalda, HC Dinamo Minsk: ”We would have been satisfied in all cases. Our group is really interesting and it might have been even more interesting if we had HC Motor there.
“We can promise we will fight to return to the Champions League again, no matter where the tournament will be played.
“We are going to have a nice trial with Prešov as both of us are going to take part in the summer tournament in Kielce.”
Berk Karahan, Besiktas Istanbul: “Everybody in this phase is a champion and everybody has a possibility to enter the Group Phase.
“Our semi-final opponent will be Prešov and it is good, because we are going to meet them at the tournament in Doboj this summer.
“If we meet Minsk in the final, it would be an incredible coincidence, because we faced them in the qualification so many times in the previous years. I see our chances at 25 per cent.”
Joom Ooms, HV KRAS/Volendam: “It will be a great lesson for our team. We are going to face Constanta in the semi-final and it is going to be very tough.”
Fabian Füssinger, Alpla HC Hard: “Our group is very strong, but we are very happy, because we avoided any opponents from former Soviet Union and will be spared of any long and exhausting travelling. I expect Banja Luka to be the favourite as they are from the top seeded pot.”
Marko Šešum, RK Vojvodina: “We try to use the first right to organise the draw in our hall. Banja Luka might be a strong team, but also Hard, who have several Serbian players in the squad.
Even a team from Pot 4 is not any weakest link as Motor showed a lot last season in the EHF Cup. Anyway, the Champions League is our goal.”
Dimitris Lazopoulos, AEK Athens: “We have been drawn into the toughest possible group of all and we are disappointed too that we cannot host the tournament.
“We are building a new team with many players returning from the German Bundesliga, but we will keep our feet on the ground. If we do not succeed in the Champions League, we would like to make it to the Group Phase of the EHF Cup and we would also consider applying to host the EHF Cup Finals.”
Marc Fancelli, Handball Esch: “To determine a favourite for our knock-out match is pretty easy, you just have a look on the ranking, Halmstad just narrowly missed the direct place in the Group Phase.”
Olle Hagström: “The ranking is one thing, but the impressive results of Esch in the last season of the Challenge Cup is another other thing.”
TEXT: EHF / br
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