Podravka opens Champions League season against Győr as Obrvan targets first win

Podravka Vegeta begins another Women’s Champions League campaign against Győr, a match the European Handball Federation has named its game of the week.

The game will be played in Koprivnica at 6 p.m. on September 5. Podravka coach Ivica Obrvan said the draw had given his team an especially demanding start, with Győr followed in the first three rounds by meetings with Odense and Metz.

Obrvan described Győr as the runner-up in Europe and, with most of its players healthy, possibly the strongest team it has assembled in the past decade. He acknowledged that the Hungarian side is not at full strength, but noted that its roster contains 21 professional players, most of them experienced foreign internationals.

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Here we are at the start of another Champions League season, in the same format as last year. The schedule has not been kind to us because we already have extremely difficult opponents in the first three rounds.

The teams trained together during preparations and played a friendly match. They also attended a tournament in Debrecen, although they did not meet there. Obrvan said Győr would have extra motivation after narrowly missing the European title last season and had strengthened its squad with Deila in the backcourt and Bouktit at pivot.

“It is an extremely difficult match,” Obrvan said. Still, he added that Podravka would go after its first victory of the campaign.

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It is an extremely difficult match.