Aalborg Expect Difficult CL

Danish Women’s Champions League team Aalborg DH were not very happy with the Champions League Qualification and Main Round draw.

In the qualification group (28-30 September), Aalborg will meet Ukrainian HC Motor Zaporoshye and Greek champion ASE Ormi Patras (hosts of the group) and the winner of Group B in the first qualification round (Serbian ZRK Milos, Dutch Van der Oort Quintus, Swedish IK Sävehof or Milli Piyango from Turkey).

“This is a very tough group, a big challenge. We have great respect for Motor Zapooshye in particular, while we saw the Greek team two years ago and we should be able to beat them – just as the last team in the group, whichever team that might be,” said Aalborg’s new coach, Leif Gautestad.

“I do not know anything about the Greek team. Regarding Zaporohye, we met them the in the qualifiers two years ago and defeated them on aggregate,” said one of Aalborg’s Danish national players, Louise Mortensen.

Director: One thing at a time

“Of course, our qualification group is tough, but fortunately we don’t have to meet Zaproroshye on their home ground. However, there is really no point in commenting the main group before winning the qualification group,” Aalborg director, Erik Just, told Eurohandball.com.

If Aalborg could qualify for the main tournament, they would meet Slovenian Krim Mercator Ljubljana – they already met last two years in the CL –, Russian Zvezda Zvenigorod and German champion FC Nürnberg.

“Krim is a wonderful club to visit. They are nice people and highly professional at the same time. Their team are tough opponents, just as Zvenigorod. However, we must be ready for all challenges and all opponents,” Erik Just added.