One former winner and three finalists start race for quarter-finals
Two teams each from France, Hungary and Poland and just one from Denmark and Portugal enter the fight for the last four spots in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26 quarter-finals. The Match of the Week of the first play-offs leg travels to Portugal, where Sporting Clube de Portugal welcome Orlen Wisla Plock on Thursday.
The two leaders of the group phase — Füchse Berlin and Barça — and runners-up SC Magdeburg and Aalborg Håndbold are directly qualified for the quarter-finals.
The first match after an international break is always complicated, and this time was no different. Right now, we shouldn’t be focusing primarily on the opponent, but on ourselves. I still need to get a few of my players back into shape by Wednesday so that everyone is ready for the fight. The condition of my own squad is the most important thing.
Now the focus is on this first game — we have to deliver a strong performance, be compact in defence and efficient in attack, and put ourselves in a good position for the return leg in front of our fans.
Every team is strong at this stage. GOG have delivered results against Szeged and Paris — they’ve shown they belong here, with a distinctive style of play. We need to go there with the aim of building the biggest possible goal advantage so that the return leg is easier for us. We want to avoid a scenario like last year against Plock. We know they’ll play very fast, as Nordic teams often do, but we also have quick players and we’re used to that.
This is a stage where you simply cannot make mistakes. Our opponent, Industria Kielce, is a fantastic team, but our goal is to qualify for the quarter-finals. It won’t be easy, as every team here represents a very high level. Our aim is to win at home, in front of our amazing fans — that could give us the foundation we need for the second leg to secure our place in the next round.
The moment has come when every match has something at stake. Each of us understands the responsibility ahead. OTP Bank - PICK Szeged are a very strong opponent, but our goal is to advance to the next round. Looking at recent results, I think we are the favourites — but over two matches, because in Hungary PICK will be the favourite. Today, with injured players returning, they are a very dangerous team.
We are going to face a very strong team — a team that finished third in their group, ahead of PSG, for example, which says a lot about their strength. We know what the expectations are for this Wisla team. We know what they want, and the work they have done to build this team.
However, now it's up to us to go onto the pitch and show what we want. We know the various difficulties we will encounter, but we also know the qualities of our team, and I am sure that we will be up to the task of another great European night. Our fans, who have been tireless, deserve another moment of joy.
The most exciting part of the season is approaching. We’re getting ready and can’t wait for an exciting clash with Sporting. We want to show what we’re capable of and how we can play.
