group b - European Handball Federation

VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2011/12 TEAM OVERVIEW
With world class players like Nikola Karabatic, Vid Kavticnik or Michael Guigou, Canayer can count on
huge international experience in the 14 th appearance of the team in the VELUX EHF Champions League.
Montpellier have signed two Slovenians, wing player Dragan Gajic and goalkeeper Primosz Prost – but
lost French international Adrien Di Panda and Czech wing David Juricek.
AG Kobenhavn (DEN)
AG Kobenhavn became Danish champions for the first time in front of the biggest ever crowd at a
handball match. 36,000 spectators attended the second final against Bjerringbro-Silkeborg in the
Parken football arena. Only two years after being promoted from the second league, AGK returned like
a phoenix from the ashes.
Thanks to players like Mikkel Hansen, Joachim Boldsen, Kasper Hvidt or the newcomers Olafur
Stefansson or Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson, the goals are high for the AGK mastermind, manager Jesper
Nielsen: “We want to reach the VELUX EHF FINAL4 – and in the future win the VELUX EHF Champions
League title.”
THW Kiel (GER)
No new players for the first time in 23 years, no players who have left – no team is better prepared
for the VELUX EHF Champions League 2011/12 season than THW Kiel. Long-term injured players Kim
Andersson and Daniel Narcisse have returned to the team of Coach Alfred Gislasson and ambitions are
high. “We want to win all possible titles,” said Gislason.
The two-time EHF Champions League winners still have a squad with their own key factors such as
Thierry Omeyer, Filip Jicha, Momir Illic or Daniel Narcisse – and their pre-season preparation was
impressive, as they won all their 15 test matches. THW again are on the list of nearly every coach as
one of the big favourites for the VELUX EHF FINAL4.
Reale Ademar Leon (ESP)
After missing the Group Stage in the 2010/2011 season at the Wild Card Tournament stage Leon are
back in the field of the 24 best teams of Europe as the third-ranked team in the Spanish Asobal Liga.
New coach Isidoro Martinez, a former Spanish national team youth coach, hopes to reach the Last 16
despite their “terribly strong opponents” as he describes the other teams in his group.
The hopes are pinned on newcomer Adrien Di Panda (from Montpellier), as well as some new Spanish
signings. Leon’s best known player who departed was Croat Dennis Buntic who moved to Kielce. Leon,
who are well-known for their strength at home, participate for the tenth time in the EHF Champions
League.