Mixed results for FCK

Magnus Andersson, former Swedish international and currently head coach of FCK Håndbold, is among the satisfied coaches at the middle of the group stage. His team made four points from three matches in Group D. The 33-32 away win against Tatran Presov may be very important at the end. HSV seems to qualify certainly and the second place may be decided between FCK and Tatran at the end.

Eurohandball.com: We are at halftime. What do you say to your players in the locker room?

Magnus Andersson: I think we did well. We had a good start in our home match against Hamburg, but we could not stand the pressure against such a strong team at the end. Our away win against Tatran Presov this weekend was very important.

Eurohandball.com: It wasn’t easy in Slovakia after being 18-14 down at half time. Why was that?

Magnus Andersson: First of all because Tatran Presov are a really good team with a lot of experience. They have an extremely open defence and their goalkeeper do very well. However, we had our opportunities to win by even more goals at the end.

Eurohandball.com: This can be a decisive in qualifying for the main round…

Magnus Andersson: Obviously. I expect Hamburg to win in Presov and I expect Hamburg, Presov and us to be able to defeat Crvene Zvezda also in the second round. At the end, our home game against Presov on 22 November may be decisive. Of course, we can also have a chance against Hamburg, but it will be terribly difficult on their court.

Eurohandball.com: You had success in the Champions League so far, but you suffered three from seven matches Denmark. Is it too tough to concentrate on two challenges?

Magnus Andersson: That is not the problem. It is more a question of mentality. The players have to learn to distinguish between the two competitions. We should be strong enough to do well in both leagues!