Leipzig feel warned ahead of Turkish trip

Leipzig feel warned ahead of Turkish trip

HC Leipzig were behind for the first 45 minutes of their home game against Turkish Muratpasa Belediyesi SK in the first leg of the Last 16 in the Women’s EHF Cup.

Still, a great finish brought Leipzig a 33:26 win, which gives the German Bundesliga side a really good chance of qualifying for the quarter-final in their return match in Antalya.

Leipzig coach Norman Rentsch actually sees some advantage in the way the first match turned out.

“For us, it is good that we are warned after the first leg,” he told his club’s website.

Just like Leipzig, the other German team in the competition, TuS Metzingen were also rather far behind in the home game last weekend.

IUVENTA Michalovce from Slovakia were leading 25:19 in the Paul Horn Arena in Tübingen, before Metzingen pushed for their impressive finish and won 30:26.

Therefore, it is with a certain optimism, that Metzingen enter the Chemkostav Arena in Michalovce Saturday afternoon.

“Now, we have every chance to qualify for the next round,” found manager Ferenc Rott.

Danish Silkeborg-Voel KFUM seem to be even closer to the quarter-final than the two German teams.

Silkeborg-Voel, who are debutants in Europe this season, won 26:22 in Sweden against H 65 Höörs Handbollsklubb in the first leg, and this result obviously makes the Danish team favourites in the return match in JYSK Arena in Silkeborg Saturday afternoon.

However, Silkeborg-Voel’s Swedish right wing Michaela Ek still finds it necessary to issue a word of warning to her teammates.

“The second match will be exciting. For us, it is all about avoiding taking things easy and believe that we have won ahead of the final whistle,” she said.

After a 27:27 draw in front of 2000 spectators in La Parnasse in Nimes, Randers HK - who won the tournament in the 2009-10 season - have a very good chance of reaching the quarter-final, when they meet HBC Nimes again.

The French team is visiting the Arena Randers for the second leg Saturday night.

Dinamo-Sinara, who were in the Women’s EHF FINAL4 last season, are on the verge of flying out of the EHF Cup this season, having lost 31:26 away to Astrakhanochka in the first leg of this all-Russian derby.

Dinamo-Sinara will attempt to close this five-goal deficit Saturday afternoon in the Sport hall Dynamo in Volgograd.