Krim: Nothing to Lose

Krim Mercator Ljubjana got used to successes after reaching the top of European club handball twice. The team reached the quarterfinals nine times already, and the question is whether they would be able level seven goals and reach the semi-finals for sixth time.

“I’m optimistic,” said Tanja Oder just before the return match against Slagese. She knows that seven goals can be enough, but they may even prove to be too few.

“Everything must work out perfectly in Hall Tivoli and we also need some luck. This is our last train and we know how difficult our mission is. We do not have anything to lose,” added Krim's topscorer in this year’s Champions League.

Aalborg match in mind

Last week, Krim showed one of the worst performances of the current Champions League season. Their defence was too soft and the attack did not work at all. Besides, goalkeepers were not in form either.

“Practically nobody kept the tactical orders. We allowed Slagelse to play aggressively, but we were too soft,” said Krim’s coach, Robert Begus.

Begus is a calm trainer and the players like his style. He knows what the key to victory is: “We have to repeat the match against Aalborg where we played a great 20 minutes. We have ups and downs this season, but we never played for 60 minutes as we wanted.”

The second leg will decide about the semi-finals. Slagelse have some advantage, but the Slovenians prepare for causing a surprise. The hall will surely be full and a massive support can be taken for granted.