Kiel wants cool heads in hot atmosphere

THW Kiel is back on track and their hopes before the first leg of the Quarterfinal in Barcelona are high. On Wednesday evening the "Zebras" defeated German Bundesliga leaders HSV Hamburg in the domestic league with 38:35 (19:18).

This ended their "series" of two straight home defeats, but they still remain five points behind HSV in the league table. All THW players gained a lot of confidence for the first leg on Sunday in Barcelona in the big Quarterfinals of the VELUX EHF Champions League, ehfCL.com spoke to them after their victory.

Filip Jicha: "We are really looking forward to the game in Barcelona. We proved that we still can play handball on a highest level. I am really looking forward to this game in Palau Blaugrana."

Marcus Ahlm: "We showed great fighting spirit against Hamburg and I hope we can continue like this in Barcelona. This game was the perfect preparation for Sunday, but everything will be different in Barcelona. Maybe we had to burn all the power we had, but this victory gave us back so much in confidence."

Thierry Omeyer: "We have four days to recover from this tough match – that will be enough to have a good chance in Barcelona. To beat Hamburg means a lot to us, and we want to show this strength again on Sunday. Now we fight for the title of the VELUX EHF Champions League and the German Cup. To go to Cologne would be another important step for the club."

Dominik Klein: "This euphoria spread by our fans was great. I hope that we can celebrate with them the same way after the return match against Barcelona. We lost a lot of power today but we gained confidence. We have played in Barcelona very often and are aware that it will be even hotter in Palau Blaugrana. We have to keep our head cool to get the optimal result. I hope that everything will still be possible before the return match on home ground. It is our great objective to qualify for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 again – even if you cannot drink champagne out of the new CL trophy."

Coach Alfred Gislason: "Hamburg will become deserved German champions, but then again we deserved this victory against them. Our spectators were a great crowd. I hope for the same atmosphere when we will face Barcelona here."

Club manager Uli Derad: "I am really looking forward to two great matches against Barcelona. After this great victory against Hamburg I am convinced that we can qualify for Cologne again."