SCM in Szeged: “It’s all or nothing”

OTP Bank-PICK Szeged and SC Magdeburg already faced each other in the group stage, with the current title holder winning both matches. Now it comes to another duel with the team around the ex-Magdeburg Janus Dadi Smarason, Gleb Kalarasch and Tobias Thulin. However, the omens ahead of the first leg in Hungary on April 29 (18:45 CEST, live on Dyn) have changed significantly.

“A quarter-final is something completely different. It will be more difficult, more intense and more energetic, because it’s all or nothing in this phase of the competition,” warns Magdeburg’s Felix Claar. A lot of time has passed since the last meeting in October, and there have been some developments on both sides.

With a total of eight defeats and one draw on the account, Szeged finished sixth in Group B. As a result, the two additional games against KS Kielce were on the program, which were won 58-55 in two dramatic round of sixteen. Despite the success, however, there was unrest around coach Michael Apelgren’s team. Former Flensburg player Jim Gottfridsson was released by the club, whereupon the experienced midfielder announced legal action and called in the European Handball Players Union. It remains to be seen to what extent this dispute will affect the performance of the remaining players. In the domestic cup, the team recently won bronze after an opening defeat against Veszprém thanks to a 34-26 victory against Neka. In the league, they are in second place behind Veszprém.

As early as October, SCM coach Bennet Wiegert emphasized: “For me, this is a team that has the potential to make it to the Final4 with its well-rehearsed squad, just like last year.” The team is therefore warned and knows not only about the personnel strength of the opponent, but also about the special atmosphere of the away arena. “We need a very good performance over 120 minutes and can prepare for a heated duel,” Wiegert looks ahead.

Of course, the goal is to continue the previous series of successes and make it to the final tournament for the fourth time in a row, in order to then have the chance to defend the title on June 13 and 14 in Cologne’s LANXESS arena.