22.09.2016, 10:10
Profilic Danes aiming high in group of giants

FEATURE: It's an all-Danish coaching affair as Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen and the Danish champions from Bjerringbro-Silkeborg face Swiss champions Kadetten Schaffhausen with Lars Walther in their first Group A match of the VELUX EHF Champions League

Prolific Danes aiming high in group of giants

Two highly respected Danish coaches are on each bench, when Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen and his team of Bjerringbro-Silkeborg visit Lars Walther and Kadetten Schaffhausen. The head coach of Bjerringbro-Silkeborg has won two Danish Championships and a gold medal at the EHF EURO in 2008 as assistant coach for the Danish national team.

On the other hand, the Danish coach of Kadetten Schaffhausen among other achievements has won the Polish Championship with Wisla Plock in 2011, and last season he led Kadetten Schaffhausen to the Swiss championship.

Before the opening tie, both coaches gave their view on each other’s skill, their expectations ahead of the start of the VELUX EHF Champions League and of course the game itself.

Walter looking for a perfect performance

Working his way through the international handball scene in Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Romania and now Switzerland, Lars Walther has seen his fair share of unusual conditions and handball environments.

However, he now finds himself up against something much closer to home in fellow countryman, Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen and his side Bjerringbro-Silkeborg. “Our objective is quite similar to that of Bjerringbro-Silkeborg’s. We want to get a hold of that sixth and last spot for Last 16. For it to happen, we have to deliver a couple of upsets, but that is our plan,” commented Walter.

Walter sees the two sides as equal on paper, however, it is their punishing speed and the centre back and left back combination that causes some concern for the Dane: “Nikolaj Markussen is in great shape, and Sebastian Skube’s assists to Markussen are getting better and better, and that is one of the keys for Bjerringbro-Silkeborg. We have to stop them and lower our technical faults in our attack. Bjerringbro-Silkeborg are effective on the counter attacks, so we have to be patient in our attacks.”

With such little room for error Walter believes that Kadetten will have to be on top form if they are to topple the Danish outfit; luckily for them they do have a fit squad to choose from: “There is no doubt that we have to play the perfect game in order to win. We have been unstable in the first matches of the season. It has been quite the roller coaster for us with many new players coming in. Defense will be key, and we have had some issues due to injuries in the past, but it looks like everybody is fit for a fight on Thursday.”

Strong defence to bear fruit for Danish champions

Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen is relishing the chance to play in such highly attractive group with such top competition. And like his fellow Dane Walter is aiming for some big upsets along the way. However, for this tie he sees the home-away factor as key: “Kadetten have to be the favourites on their home court in Switzerland. Then you can say, that we are the favourites, when we play in Denmark.”

“They have a large number players in many positions with a lot of experience from international matches both in the VELUX EHF Champions League and from the national teams. Especially their wingers, the goalkeeper Nikola Marinovic and the centre back Gabor Csaszar are all very experienced,” stated Bredsdorff-Larsen.

While Walter expressed concerns at defensive woes in the past, his counterpart see this as an area where his side can excel: “We must play our very best in order to get the win in Schaffhausen, but it is my expectation that our defense could create some trouble for Kadetten,” concluded Bredsdorff-Larsen.

In a group with such heavyweights in the likes of Kiel, Veszprém, Barcelona, Flensburg, and PSG, points will be few and far between. And ties like these could be the be-all and end-all for the ‘minnows’ of Group A. So it would be safe to assume that we can expect fireworks come Thursday’s evening. 



Don’t forget you can watch all the action live on ehfTV.com at 20:00 CET.

TEXT: Jonas Løytved / bc