24.10.2014, 05:37
Home teams wary of another rout

GROUP A PREVIEW: Second round matches can already establish balance of power if Dinamo and Krim follow-up their winning starts.

Home teams wary of another rout

Second round can pretty much establish the pecking order in Group A. Krim and Dinamo-Sinara, who have won with conviction in the opening match, play away the big losers Leipzig and Hypo respectively. If they can repeat their domination over the opposition they will emerge as the sole canditates for the main round.

Hypo Niederösterreich (AUT) vs Dinamo-Sinara (RUS)
Saturday 25 October at 20:25 hrs local time, live on ehfTV

The Austrian champions did not expect that they could lose by 12 goals in Ljubljana from a newly assembled and almost anonymous team.

"What happened in the second half, was really unlucky for us. We lost control and even a little belief. Our young players were too nervous," said coach Ferenc Kovacs.

His girls have shaken the defeat with a 30:12 victory over Stockerau in the Austrian league, in which they allowed the opposition only 4 goals in the 2nd half.

But domestic league is one thing, and playing in Europe is another. Dinamo are in good shape after their rout of Leipzig and the latest domestic win against Luch 34:24. It remains to be seen how much of an impact will the long journey have on the Russian outfit, who has won at Hypo last time they met.

In the quarter-final of the Cup Winners' Cup in 2013 it was 31:25 for Dinamo, but Hypo went on to win the campaign that year, having won in Volgograd 31:22.

HC Leipzig (GER) vs RK Krim Mercator (SLO)
Sunday 26 October at 14:30 hrs local time, live on ehfTV

Krim travel to Germany to confirm they reasounding victory over Hypo. The head-to-head is looking good for them; Krim are 4 for 4. never winning by less than 4 goals.

But the Slovenian champions are still a work in progress, and it would be unwise to rest on the proverbial laurel.

"We've built a really good team and we will try to represent ourselves in a good light," says coach Marta Bon. Her girls are in a steam-roller mode, Naklo being the last victims in a 48:21 domestic league rout.  

Leipzig never threatened Dinamo in the first match but the 8-goal margin was soon forgotten. Celle were no match in the German bundesliga, it ended 27:18.

But in order to make things difficult for Krim, they will have to strenghten their defence or the opposition will again swarm 'keeper Katja Schülke. Also they will have to play mopre patiently in attack, where Karolina Kudlacz will need more support by her teammates in order to secure first points of the campaign.

TEXT: Grega Sever / br