Flensburg Legends Dream about the Trophy

There was a tremendous queue at the ticket sales windows and the Campushalle of Flensburg was sold out for the first leg of the CL Final (Sunday at 17.30 hrs). The tension rises high before the local derby of the Schleswig-Holstein region between SG Flensburg-Handewitt and THW Kiel. Especially for the two players: Holpert and Christiansen.

Jan Holpert and Lars Christiansen have been playing for Flensburg since 1993 and 1996 respectively. Bundesliga title, DHB Cup, EHF Cup, Cupwinners’ Cup – they have won everything together that a club can win. The only trophy missing for them is the Champions League.

“That is the top of the handball World,” says Lars Christiansen. “The teams know each other very well and have great respect. It promises a very intensive game full of emotions.”

Vranjes missing

Jan Holpert already feels what great interest the media shows, the interview questions are coming to him continuously. Rumour has it that he might end his playing career on 29 April, but the goalkeeper makes it clear: “I will finish the season in any case.”

SG coach, Kent-Harry Andersson still has got to do some work with the team. “We have not been able to train well for weeks,” he says. Anyway, he says that they have better chances to win the Champions League than they had before the Cup Final Four. “Marcin Lijewski is healthy again after he had a tonsil inflammation and Joachim Boldsen is also training,” the coach adds. 

The Danish player has to be ready anyway as the other playmaker, the Swedish Ljubomir Vranjes, will be missing from the first leg of the final because of the red card he received in the semi-final.

Hope for SG fans

There are many guesses about the outcome that is not at all easy to predict. A good sign for Flensburg fans: “the Celje indicator” supports their optimism. The Slovenian CL winners of 2004 were knocked out in 2005 and 2006 by FC Barcelona and Ciudad Real, the eventual winners of the trophy. This year RK Celje were eliminated in the last 16 by SG Flensburg-Handewitt. According to this indicator, the CL trophy should end up at the Danish border on 29 April...