Who will learn from their mistakes?

In the first match of the VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16, Polish runners-up Orlen Wisla Plock will play at home against Macedonian champions HC Vardar.

Standing face to face will be two clubs with totally different motivations, but both hope to reach the longed-for quarter final. For Plock it would be the best achievement in the clubs history, for Skopje another next step on their way to Cologne.

Last 16, first leg
Orlen Wisła Plock vs HC Vardar
Wednesday 16 March, 18:30 hrs local time live on ehfTV

Orlen Wisła Plock and HC Vardar met last year on exactly same stage of the competition. The first leg in Poland saw the hosts produce an outstanding performance which led them to a six-goal victory. But as it turned out, it was too little for the Oilers to win on aggregate.

“We had a perfect first game in Płock then. We played well in the defence, our goalkeeper had a great day and that’s why we had easy counter attacks,” says the captain of Plock Adam Wisniewski.

“Vardar seemed to be a bit surprised with our attitude in that match. With a six-goal advantage we were going to Skopje hoping to advance, but we knew that it was going to be really hard in their arena full of fans. And we found out about it already in the first half,” he adds.

Last season’s duel is also fresh in the memory of the Macedonian side and their players know how tough they can expect Wednesday to be.

“We must play at 300% because in front of their fans they will try not only to win, but to win by as many goals as they can,” Igor Karacić told Makedonski Sport.

Picking a favourite

Płock is not going well at home this season. They won only once against Besiktas so far and suffered their heaviest defeat, 14 goals, against THW Kiel. Adam Wisniewski judges that they play better away because of a huge mental burden for some players, who cannot fully manage with the role of favourites on their own floor.

“Maybe at home there is too much pressure, especially for our youth,” he says and hopes that perceiving Macedonian team as a favourite due to their higher rank in the group phase will work in the favour of Płock. “What is crucial, Vardar has got their aspirations to win the Champions League. Our motivation is to go as far as we can,” adds the wing.

However, Vardar players pass the buck back. “It is perfectly clear for us that this is going to be a very hard match. Plock are strong, they play at a very high level, especially when they play in front of their home audience,” ensures Dujshebaev.

“They have a great coach on the bench, a master of the Spanish school of handball. I could not say if we are favourites at this point. But if we give our best on the court, we will be able to reach a good result,” adds Karacić.

Domestic success building self-confidence

Adam Wisniewski has a huge respect to Vardar’s defence, assisted by great goalkeepers. “This is a basis for their counter attack in the first and the second wave,” explains the player. But all in all his team seems not to fear of anything after finally beating Kielce in the domestic league for the first time in almost two years.

“In past seasons our Orlen Arena was very difficult to conquer. This year it’s a bit different, but maybe after the victory over Kielce we will finally start to win. We have another extremely important match ahead of us but we feel mentally strong right now,” smiles Wisniewski.

The victory earned by the Polish runners-up did not remain unnoticed by Vardar. “On Sunday they beat Kielce in the domestic league by four goals difference. That tells us a lot about their strength and progress since we last met,” concludes Karacić.