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21.12.2019, 10:00 WOMEN’S EHF CUP COUNTDOWN #11: DHK Banik Most (CZE). After their maiden Champions League adventure, the Czech side is eager to do well in the EHF Cup |
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EHF Cup ‘nice bonus’ for Banik MostDHK Banik Most added a new chapter to the club’s history this season by winning the qualification tournament and reaching the group matches of the DELO WOMEN’S EHF Champions League for the first time. The Czech champions battled well in a tough group, but had to settle for last place in group D, so they will continue their European adventure in the EHF Cup group phase. Three questions before the Women’s EHF Cup group phase: - Can Most advance from group A and reach the quarter-final? By playing the group matches in the Champions League, the Czech team has already reached the club’s main goal for the season. But the games in the EHF Cup are seen as a nice bonus, and Most hope to make their fans happy. “We would like to play a respectable role in the EHF Cup. We don’t want to be taken as outsiders, we want to be equal rivals with the rest of the teams in the competition,” team manager Rudolf Jung said. - Will their Champions League experience help Most? In the continental top flight, Most started with a win against Krim and finished the group matches on three points - more than any other of the last-place teams. Although it was just not enough to make it to the main round, Banik’s players have gained priceless experience, which should help them in the EHF Cup. - Will the team benefit from playing their home games in Most again? In the Champions League, Banik had to play their home matches in a bigger arena, usually used for ice hockey, in the neighbouring town of Chomutov. However, in the EHF Cup they will return to their domestic arena in Most, and hope to enjoy the best support from their home crowd there. Under the spotlight: Dominika Zachova The 23-year-old Czech right wing has been playing for Most since 2014, and she is one of the key figures in the team. In the group matches of the Champions League, she was by far the best scorer of Most with 35 goals, sharing the sixth place in the scoring chart with Metz Handball’s Grace Zaadi Deuna. While her goals did not help Most to reach the main round of the top flight, they will boost the team’s chances in the EHF Cup. Self-esteem: In group A, Most will face pretty tough rivals, and they are perfectly aware of that. “In terms of the teams’ quality, the EHF Cup group phase is almost at the same level as the Champions League,” captain Lucia Mikulcik said. “We know Thüringer HC pretty well, we play against them almost every year as part of a summer tournament in our hometown. THC will be a very hard opponent, especially on their home court.” Most are also very familiar with Kastamonu, the team they defeated in the Champions League qualification tournament at the start of the season. However, Debrecen will be rather unknown opponent. “But we have some experience with Hungarian handball, which has a great quality, and we had a chance to play against Györ during this Champions League season,” Mikulcik said. Fun fact Not many times two teams meet each other in two different European Cup competitions in the same season. It will be the case for Most and Kastamonu, who played in the Champions League qualifying in September, when Most won 35:33, and will face again twice in the EHF Cup in the upcoming weeks. DHK Banik Most (CZE) Qualification for Women’s EHF Cup group phase: 4th in DELO WOMEN’S EHF Champions League group D Newcomers: Marie Polákova, Eva Bezpalcova (Salud Tenerife) Left the club: - Coach: Jiri Tancos (since 2019) Team captain: Lucia Mikulcik European Cup records
EHF Champions League:
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Czech league: 7 titles (2013-19) TEXT: Sergey Nikolaev / ew |
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