Dalby ready for first game in Denmark with a foreign club

After two rounds, Budućnost has a win and a defeat in the Women’s EHF Champions League. Next up for the Montenegrin champions face FC Midtjylland, leader of Group B, in a very important game.

This game will also be special for Dane Camilla Dalby, a former Randers player, as she explains in an exclusive interview for ehfCL.com.

ehfCL.com: Budućnost play in Denmark against FC Midtjylland on Sunday. How do you feel to be back in your homeland and to play a game in Denmark for a foreign club?

Camilla Dalby: I am really looking forward to visit Denmark again. Of course it will be a special experience. I know the girls from FC Midtjylland really well, as players and as people off the court, but when the match starts, it will be like any other game.

ehfCL.com: Does it surprise you that Midtjylland are top of Group B? What kind of game do you expect?

Camilla Dalby: I am not really surprised, FC Midtjylland are a very good team. I’m maybe a little surprised that they defeated FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria so convincingly, but they are a very strong team, with many Danish national team players and have been playing together for many years. They know each very well and it’s one of their greatest strengths.

I think the game will be filled with speed because both teams like to run a lot. I hope we can win the game, but it requires a effort from everyone in our team.

ehfCL.com: After an easy win in the first game against Lublin, what was missing from the team in your defeat to FTC a week later?

Camilla Dalby: No one had the feeling that we played a good game and yet we were very close to gain two points.

We had to play a little smarter in defence and attack. We drew level on many occasions and had the opportunity to go ahead, but then we made technical mistakes or made bad shooting decisions.

ehfCL.com: You are not only the first Dane in Budućnost’s history, but also the first Scandinavian player for the best Montenegrian club. How does it feel to make history in this way?

Camilla Dalby: When I came to Budućnost, I have no intention to write history. I wanted to learn a new culture, new handball style and develop myself as a person and a handball player. However, I hope that I can motivate more Danish players to go on an adventure outside of Denmark.

ehfCL.com: Obviously, your language is quite different from the Montenegrin. Do you have problems communicating with players, coaches and the people in Podgorica, or English is sufficient to overcome this barrier?

Camilla Dalby: The Montenegrin language is still hard for me; it’s very far away from Danish. Every day I understand more and more words and often I get the main point of the sentences.

I understand more or less all handball words, but I actually think that the girls and the coaching staff are better at English than they think. In Podgorica most young people understand English.

ehfCL.com: What are your impressions of the regional league, the style of handball and life in Montenegro?

Camilla Dalby: I think the top teams in the Regional league are very good, such as Krim Mercator, Vardar and ourselves. They can all go far in the Champions League. Those three teams are maybe little better than the Danish league, but the Danish league is more even, where everybody can beat each other.

The fan culture in Montenegro is crazy and I like it. Every time it is a matter of life and death. The fans in Denmark are more relaxed. Of course, the fans in Denmark can also make a lot of noise, but in Montenegro the fans are singing, jumping and taking their clothes off, which you don’t see in Denmark.

The typical Danish style of play handball is fast and more elegant handball. The style in Montenegro is more aggressive and physical. I like both styles and I want to learn to mix them together.

ehfCL.com: What are your personal and team ambitions for this season?

Camilla Dalby: We are in a really difficult group, where three out of four teams have the quality to go into the main round. My personal goal is to learn a new style of handball, be better in defence and to play as many Champions league matches as possible.

In the club we haven't talked about the goals for this season, but when you play in Budućnost, you are not just happy to be a part of the Champions Leauge. Everybody in the team wants to go as far as possible in the competition. But for now, our main goal is to reach the next round.