In the last weeks, Knorr has missed several matches due to injuries, but Löwen head coach Sebastian Hinze confirms that his centre back is 100 per cent fit and ready to rumble again. No wonder opponents Füchse are aware of him.
“Juri is their main player in attack, though Löwen played quite well without him in the last matches. We need to control him from the start until the end,” says Füchse captain Paul Drux, and youngster Nils Lichtlein adds: “He is the go-to-guy in the Löwen team in terms of goals and assists, we have to be prepared for him, as he is always dangerous.”
Knorr, though, thinks only the team spirit and not his individual performance will be important: “Everybody needs to improve, that’s what it ultimately takes. Some teams can perhaps compensate weaker performances of a single player a little better, we need every player.”
In the current EHF European League season, Knorr has scored 70 goals since the start of the group phase – the fourth-most among players competing at the EHF Finals.
Löwen won 13 of their 16 matches coming to Hamburg, but now face a team they have lost the last seven duels against across all competitions.
“We know that we are playing against a very, very good team. We need a good day, but it’s just a game. Maybe we are the luckier ones that day,” Knorr says.
Only winning the trophy at the EHF Finals would secure Knorr another European club season in 2024/25 – his last year in the Löwen jersey. Knorr has announced he plans to leave in the summer of 2025, with his new club yet to be confirmed.
Everybody needs to improve, that’s what it ultimately takes. Some teams can perhaps compensate weaker performances of a single player a little better, we need every player.
