First reactions to the semi-final draw
Niklas Landin (Aalborg Handbold)
“I already knew it was going to be a really tough one. My first thought was that we’re really looking forward to a big weekend and a big fight against Barça. We already know that when you reach the [EHF] FINAL4, you’re at the biggest stage. You have to perform at the highest level over two days, and it’s not always the biggest favourite that wins the [EHF] FINAL4 – we’ve seen that many times before. So we’re really looking forward to playing against them, and hopefully we can make it a great weekend for us.”
Djordje Cikusa (Barça)
“Well, definitely that it’s not going to be an easy one, for sure. We all know Aalborg are having an amazing season and have been playing great handball in the Champions League. So we’re really looking forward to the semi-finals.”
Aitor Arino (Füchse Berlin)
“It will be a tough game for sure. We want to show good handball this weekend, so we’ll try to beat Magdeburg and do everything possible. For me it’s just a new club, but the goal is the same: to win the trophy. I’ve also played [EHF] FINAL4 in Cologne before, so we’re in a good mood. We’re playing really good handball and trust in our system. We’ll do everything possible, and we’ll definitely have our chances.”
Christian O’Sullivan (SC Magdeburg)
“They’re all good teams, so it would have been difficult either way. Berlin have played an amazing Champions League season. Maybe they lost a couple more games in the league than people expected, but they’ve been brilliant throughout the Champions League campaign. I think the four best teams are here for the final weekend, so it’s going to be very hard to win.”