Unfortunately for them, Sävehof will play no role in this group, except learning for the future and gaining experience.

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2 TEAMS: 1. Larvik Håndballklubb 2. Dinamo Volgograd 3. IK Sävehof 4. FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria Expert Grit Jurack says: Maybe some experts will disagree, but my favourite in this group is FTC from Hungary. They have a very hungry young team, which beat me and Viborg twice in the past seasons, including our final defeat in the Cup Winners Cup in May. Larvik are inconsistent sometimes they play brilliantly but other times they suffer shock defeats. Their biggest problem will be with their players from the Olympics and EHF EURO, as most of the Norwegian national team players are among their squad and may be tired. And Larvik especially need to avoid long-term injuries to their key players if they want to go all the way. Unfortunately for them, Sävehof will play no role in this group, except learning for the future and gaining experience. Volgograd have a big advantage, but it is also their biggest disadvantage - travelling. It is always a long and tiring journey to get there, so the Russians are favourites in all of their home matches. In contrast they have those weary journeys to all of their away matches. But if they can find some consistency in away matches they could go far in this competition. So Larvik and Volgograd will fight for the second position below FTC let s wait and see if my prediction will come true! 59

3 Group C matches won draw lost goal-difference points 1 NOR Larvik : RUS Dinamo Volgograd : SWE IK Sävehof : HUN FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria :0 0 0 MatchID: NOR Larvik vs. SWE IK Sävehof :45 Larvik / NOR Del.: Dugall GER 026 RUS Dinamo Volgograd vs. HUN FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria :00 Volgograd / RUS Del.: Ventsli EST 028 SWE IK Sävehof vs. RUS Dinamo Volgograd :00 Partille / SWE 2012/13 Women's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Matches 027 HUN FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria vs. NOR Larvik :00 Dabas / HUN 030 HUN FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria vs. SWE IK Sävehof :00 Dabas / HUN 029 RUS Dinamo Volgograd vs. NOR Larvik :00 Volgograd / RUS 031 NOR Larvik vs. RUS Dinamo Volgograd :45 Larvik / NOR 032 SWE IK Sävehof vs. HUN FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria :00 Partille / SWE 033 SWE IK Sävehof vs. NOR Larvik :00 Partille / SWE 034 HUN FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria vs. RUS Dinamo Volgograd :00 Dabas / HUN 035 NOR Larvik vs. HUN FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria :45 Larvik / NOR 036 RUS Dinamo Volgograd vs. SWE IK Sävehof :00 Volgograd / RUS 60 EHF Report :40 3/4

4 LARVIK HK (Norway) Qualification for the Women s EHF Champions League2012/13 season: Norwegian champions Season Preview: Thanks to the comeback of superstar Gro Hammerseng, the 2011 Women s EHF Champions League winners are hoping to go all the way again. When Larvik HK won the trophy after a thrilling final series against Spanish side Itxako in 2011, it was the biggest success ever for Norwegian club handball. But last season the former defending champions were stopped in the semi-final by eventual winner Budućnost. So Larvik are again the hunter, not the hunted in the upcoming season. Their squad for this season is virtually the same, with Olympic champion Amanda Kurtovic the only player who left (to Danish side Viborg). In contrast, Larvik signed three new players including Danish international Kristina Bille and Norwegian former international Anja Edin. But the biggest hopes of the club lay on the shoulders of Gro Hammerseng. Around seven month after giving birth to a son, the former world handball player of the year is back in the team. Their minimum goal is to reach the Main Round, and Ole Gustav Gjekstad, who is coach and manager of the team, can focus on the international competition. The Champions League is - as always - our main goal for the next season, he said. Team captain Tonje Larsen, who missed the Olympics as she recovered from knee surgery, is back on track now. Her expectations are high, too: My opinion is that we have a stronger team this season than last year. The squad has more depth which gives us more options than in the past. But as always it will be wise to focus on the next game a boring but important motto. There are some very strong teams in this season also in our group. Club address: Larvik Sverresgate 7 N-3256 Larvik, Norway Contact numbers: Tel tor@larvikhk.no Arena: Arena Larvik Hoffsgate Larvik, Norway Capacity: 4000 Media contact: Tor Odvar Moen, tor@larvikhk.no Online: Club website: Facebook: larvikhk Twitter: LarvikHK ehfcl.com Club achievements: EHF Champions League: Participations (including 2012/13 season): 14 Winners: 2011 Semi-finalists: 2002, 2004, 2010, 2012 Quarter-finals: 2001, 2003, 2007 Group Phase/Champions League: 1995, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2009 Cup Winners Cup: Winners: 2005, 2008 Semi-finalists: 1997, 2006 EHF Cup: Finalists: 2006 Norwegian champions: 14 titles(1994, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) Norwegian Cup winners: 12 titles 61

5 The squad No. First Name Family Name Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 22 Kristina Bille Hansen DEN Right Wing Isabel Blanco NOR Line Player Kristine Breistoel NOR Back Sara Breistol NOR Left Wing Karoline Dyhre Breivang NOR Back Anja Edin NOR Centre Back Gro Hammerseng NOR Back Kari Mette Johansen NOR Left Wing Linn-Kristin Koren Riegelhuth NOR Right Wing Tine Rustad Kristiansen NOR Back Tonje Larsen NOR Back Cecilie Leganger NOR Goalkeeper Olga Medvedeva RUS Back Nora Mörk NOR Right Back Thea Mörk NOR Left Wing Lene Rantala DEN Goalkeeper Mie Sophie Sando NOR Line Player Tine Stange NOR Back Heidi Stromsvag NOR Goalkeeper Linn Jorum Sulland NOR Right Back Pernille Bjorseth Wibe NOR Line Player New signings (including former club): Kristina Bille (Krim Mercator), Anja Edin (Storhamar), Kristine Breistøl (Bækkelaget), Gro Hammerseng (comeback after pregnancy break) Left the club (including new club): Amanda Kurtovic (Viborg HK)) 62

6 Key players Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth-Koren: Double Olympic champion, world champion, four times EHF EURO champion, winner of the EHF Women s Champions League in 2011 and world handball player of the year 2008 Linka is one of the most successful players in the current EHF Women s Champions League season. Before having a short spell in Denmark at FC Kobenhavn, the right wing also won the Cup Winners Cup with her former and current club Larvik HK. Riegelhuth-Koren has played more than 200 international matches for Norway, scoring nearly 900 goals and was top scorer in several EHF EURO events and the EHF Champions League. She is married to Norwegian international Einar Koren. Gro Hammerseng: In 2007 the left back was awarded the world handball player of the year award and - excluding the world championship title in 2011 and the Olympic gold medal in Hammerseng has the same cabinet of medals as Riegelhuth-Koren. Several times the 32 year old Norwegian was nominated for All Star Teams at major tournaments and in 2011 she was a key part of Larvik s EHF Champions League winning team. After maternity leave, Hammerseng is back on track now, and is the most experienced field player in the Larvik squad. With her former club Ikast (Midtjylland), she won the Cup Winners Cup in Cecilie Leganger: Larvik can count on a legendary duo in goal: One part is Danish veteran Lene Rantala, the other is Cecillie Leganger. Despite having only one training session with the team each week, 37-year-old Leganger is still one of the world s best goalkeepers. Apart from a full cabinet of world championship medals (gold in 1999, silver in 2001 and bronze in 1993) and the EHF EURO title in 1998 she has also won three titles in the Women s EHF Champions League: in 2005 and 2007 she raised the trophy as member of the Slagelse Dream Team, and in 2011 she won it for the third time with Larvik. She also won the Cup Winners Cup three times with Baekkelagets, and was Champions League finalist with Krim Ljubljana. In 2010 she transferred from FCK back to her Norwegian home-country. Coach Ole Gustav Gjekstad: The former Norwegian international (149 caps) quit his playing career in 1996 and became coach of Larvik HK for the first time in After seven years on the bench Gjekstad became sports director of the club and later-on coach of Norwegian men s club team Drammen HK. In 2011, after Larvik had become EHF Champions League winners, 44-year-old Gjekstad returned to the Larvik bench. 63

7 DINAMO VOLGOGRAD (Russia) Qualification for the Women s EHF Champions League2012/13 season: Russian champions Season Preview: After narrowly missing out on a spot in the Main Round of last season's EHF Champions League, Russian champions Dinamo Volgograd will go into this season's competition with virtually the same squad. The Russian women s league is one of the strongest domestic competitions in Europe so it is a big mountain to climb to become champions. Dinamo Volgograd reached that peak for the fourth straight time last season and now they are aiming for success in the Women s EHF Champions League too. Dinamo can count on a well-balanced and wellrehearsed team with a strong defence which includes goalkeeper Anna Sedoykina, the tallest shooter of the whole Women s Champions League in Ukrainian international Anastasija Pidpalova, and many very talented Russian juniors like Tatiana Khmyrova, Olga Levina or Ksenia Makeeva. The squad of the Russian champions, which compete with FTC, Larvik and Sävehof in the Group Matches, is nearly the same as in the previous season with two young players advancing from the junior team and only Daria Makarova leaving Dinamo. Like the previous three seasons, Volgograd are supposed to aiming to proceed the next stage, but never before have they made it to the semifinals of the Women s EHF Champions League. Ksenia Makeeva is looking forward the new season: "We are glad to meet the strongest teams of Europe in this competition." Meanwhile, for manager Tatiana Rameiko the motto is simple: "Our aim is always to win." Club address: Dinamo Volgograd Novorossiskaya St. 2a, off Volgograd, Russia Contact numbers: Tel Fax club-volg@mail.ru Arena: Sport hall "Dinamo" Volgograd Novorossiyskaya St Volgograd, Russia Capacity: 4400 Media contact: Yuliya Guseva, polermo99@yandex.ru Online: Club website: Facebook: Dinamo-Volgograd ehfcl.com EHF Champions League: Participations (including 2011/2012 season): 13 Semi-finalist: 2000 Main Round: 2010, 2011, 2012 Group Phase/Champions League: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 Qualification: 2003, 2004, 2009 EHF Cup: Winners: 2008 Semi-finalists: 2009 City Cup: Semi-finalists: 1998 Challenge Cup: Winners: 1995 Russian champions: 10 titles (1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) 64

8 The squad No. First Name Family Name Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 9 Elena Avdekova RUS Left Wing Viktoriya Borshchenko UKR Left Wing Ekaterina Chernobrovina RUS Centre Back Eketerina Chernova RUS Left Wing Nataliya Danshina RUS Right Back Viktoria Divak RUS Centre Back Daria Dmitrieva RUS Centre Back Elena Fomina RUS Goalkeeper Valentina Goncharova RUS Line Player Ekaterina Grebenkina RUS Right Wing Olena Iatsenko UKR Right Wing Tatiana Khmyrova RUS Left Back Anna Kochetova RUS Right Back Olga Levina RUS Left Back Ksenia Makeeva RUS Line Player Ksenia Milova RUS Left Back Karina Pavlova RUS Right Wing Anastasiya Pidpalova UKR Left Back Anna Sedoykina RUS Goalkeeper Aleksandra Stepanova RUS Line Player Viktoriya Tymoshenkova UKR Goalkeeper Polina Vedekhina RUS Left Back New signings (including former club): Irina Snopova, Karina Pavlova (both from second Dinamo team) Left the club (including new club): Daria Makarova 65

9 Key players Anastasiya Pidpalova: With a height of 1.90 metres, Pidpalova is one of the tallest players in the Women s EHF Champions League. For both the Ukrainian national team and Dinamo she is one of the top scorers, but her biggest success was to reach the EHF Women s Champions League final in 2010 with her former club Oltchim Valcea. Before that, Pidpalova played for top Ukrainian club Saporoschje for ten years, but since 2011 she wears the Dinamo jersey. Tatiana Khmyrova: Despite being just 22 years old, Khmyrova is one of Dinamo s team leaders. The centre back has been part of all the Russian youth national teams and became most valuable player at the youth world championship 2008, leading Russia to the gold medal. Two years later she was the captain of the Russian junior team and became silver medallist at the world championship in Korea. Khmyrova s talent was discovered early, and she was a member of the famous Dinamo youth programme. Aged just 18 she made her debut in the Russian senior team, winning world championship gold in 2009 and EHF EURO bronze in At club level she became Russian champion for the fourth time and winner of the Cup Winners Cup with Dinamo in Anna Sedoykina: Once Volgograd, always Volgograd: 28-year-old Dinamo goalkeeper Sedoykina, who was born in the city she plays for, is a loyal servant to the club. In 2000 she made her first international appearance for the club, and later-on became EHF Cup Winner in Sedoykina has also been part of the Russian national team since In 2008 she won the EHF EURO bronze medal and was member of the 2012 Olympic team. Coach Victor Ryabykh: Ryabykh is not only the head coach at the successful Dinamo team, but also the co-ordinator of the Volgograd youth academy, which is the source for many of the Russian national team players. Ryabykh was coach of Rostselmash, before arriving in Volgograd. He was asked to become Russian national team coach after Evgeny Trefilov s contract was not extended after the Olympics this summer, but turned down the job in favour of his role with Volgograd. 66

10 IK SÄVEHOF (Sweden) Qualification for the Women s EHF Champions League2012/13 season: Swedish champions Season Preview: After becoming Swedish champions for the fourth straight time last season, IK Sävehof qualified automatically for the Group Matches in the Women s EHF Champions League for the first time ever. It s their third appearance among the best 16 teams in the competition, and Sävehof are the only current club with teams in the Women s EHF Champions League and the Men's VELUX EHF Champions League Group Matches. Sävehof women hold another record - they are the only team in the competition with a squad made up entirely of players from their home country. The roster did not change that much in the summer, with one exception: Sävehof lost their superb Swedish national team goalkeeper Cecilia Grubbström, who transferred to Danish side Viborg HK. But the men in charge of the women changed: Former coach Magnus Johansson became the head of the successful Sävehof men s team, so Henrik Signell is now responsible for the women s team. Despite having top opponents Larvik, Volgograd and FTC in their Group Matches, the young all-swedish team hope to proceed to the Main Round. Manager Susanna Laursen said: "Larvik and Volgograd are very experienced and consist of world class star players. We have a strong self-confidence, but maybe our team is too young. We have around 10 quality players who have left the club to go elsewhere in Europe, and it s hard to produce new players every year." Team captain Ida Odén expects a "funny season": "It will be very funny to play Champions League this year. It s the first time in history that a Swedish team has automatically qualified. We have participated twice before in the Group Matches, but never reached the next stage." Club address: IK Sävehof Box Partille Sweden Contact numbers: Tel rudiger@savehof.se Arena: Partillebohallen Gamla Kronvägen Partille Sweden Capacity: 1800 Media contact: Rüdiger Osterloh rudiger@savehof.se Online: Club websitewww.savehof.se Facebook: IK-Sävehof ehfcl.com EHF Champions League records: Participations (including 2012/13 season): 5 Group Phase: 2008, 2011 Qualification: 2007, 2012 Cup Winners Cup: Last 16: 2012 Swedish champions: 8 titles(1993, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 ) 67

11 The squad No. First Name Family Name Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 2 Martina Adamsson Jensen SWE Right Back Jenny Alm SWE Left Back Susanna Andreasson SWE Right Back Linn Blohm SWE Line Player Johanna Bundsen SWE Goalkeeper Edijana Dafe SWE Left Wing Hanna Fogelström SWE Right Wing Filippa Idehn SWE Goalkeeper Elin Karlsson SWE Centre Back Ida Oden SWE Centre Back Josefine Olsson SWE Centre Back Jamina Roberts SWE Left Back Louise Sand SWE Left Wing Amanda Sundberg SWE Right Back Frida Tegstedt SWE Line Player Jenny Wikensten SWE Right Wing Frederika Zeidler SWE Goalkeeper New signings (including former club): Elin Karlsson (BK Heid), Filippa Idén Spårvägen, three players from Sävehof junior team Left the club (including new club): Cecilia Grubbström (Viborg/Denmark) Jennifer Kasman (Norrköping), Karin Isakson (end of career) 68

12 Key players Jenny Ahlm: Back court player Jenny Ahlm is playing her second season for Sävehof after transferring from Kroppskultur in In May she became Swedish champion for the first time and is also a squad member in the Swedish national team. 23-year-old Ahlm was part of the Swedish team at the 2011 world championship. Jamina Roberts: 22-year-old playmaker Roberts has been a member of the Swedish national team for two years now and became three times Swedish champions with Sävehof. She is known for her unorthodox style of playing in one-to-one-actions. She was a silver medallist at the 2010 EHF EURO and played at her first Olympic Games in London. Hanna Fogelström: She was the youngest of all players in Sweden s Olympic team in London and has already secured three Swedish titles with IK Sävehof. Nicknamed Fogel, she is a left-handed wing player, who also can play at right back. Coach Henrik Signell: After former coach Magnus Johansson became head of the successful Sävehof men s team, Henrik Signell has taken on responsibility for the women s team from the start of this season. 36-year-old Signell (born in Gothenburg) had been player for Sävehof all his career before joining the coaching staff at the Swedish champions. 69

13 FTC RAIL CARGO HUNGARIA (Hungary) Qualification for the Womenś EHF Champions League2012/13 season: Winner of play-off matches vs. Michalovce, Hungarian runners-up Season Preview: For the 13 th time FTC is participating in the EHF Women s Champions League and after winning the Cup Winners Cup twice the next step should be the qualification for the Main Round. After a four year absence, FTC Hungaria Rail Cargo is back in the Group Matches of the EHF Women s Champions League. Eleven years after their biggest international success becoming Champions League finalist the Hungarian runners-up had no problems in qualifying as the winner of both play-off matches against Slovak champions Michalovce. The 2011 and 2012 EHF Cup Winners Cup winner, coached by Gábor Elek since 2008, can count on a well-balanced and well-rehearsed squad with a big number of Hungarian national team players in their 13 th participation in the EHF Women s Champions League. Three new players, including Orsolya Vérten from their main rival Györ arrived at the Ferencvaros club in Budapest, aside they signed Spanish international Nerea Pena (from 2011 finalist Itxako) and the biggest Hungarian talent Luca Szekercés, top scorer of her team at the Youth World Championship 2012 in Montenegro. In the Group Matches FTC face 2011 Champions League winner Larvik HK, Swedish champions Sävehof and Russian champions Dinamo but despite those top class opponents the hopes are high to proceed to the next stage, as club manager Beatrix Kökény says: It is not an easy group but we would like to get into the Main Round or the minimum objective for us is to go to the Cup Winners Cup after the Group phase. Club address: FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria Kobanyai ut 47/a Budapest, Hungary Contact numbers: Tel Fax pordan.andrea@ftckezilabda.hu Arena: City Hall Dabas Iscola utca Dabas, Hungary Capacity: 2500 Media contact: Hemela Zsolt, hemela.zsolt@ftckezilabda.hu Online: Club website: Facebook: fradi.hu ehfcl.com EHF Champions League: Participations (including 2012/13 season): 13 Finalists: 2002 Semi-finalists: 1997, 2001 Quarter-finalists: 2000, 2003, 2004 Group Matches/Champions League: 1995, 1996, 1998, 2007, 2008 Qualification: 2010 EHF Cup: Winners: 2006 Semi-finalists: 2005 Cup Winners Cup: Winner 2011, 2012 Semi-finalists: 2007 Hungarian champion: 11 titles (1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2007) Hungarian cup winner: 12 titles 70

14 The squad No. First Name Family Name Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 16 Alena Abramovich BLR Goalkeeper Nikolett Budai HUN Centre Back Anita Cifra HUN Line Player Bettina Dajka HUN Centre Back Dora Deaki HUN Left Back Annamaria Ferenczi HUN Goalkeeper Agnes Kocsis HUN Centre Back Monika Kovacsicz HUN Right Wing Viktoria Lukacs HUN Right Wing Lilla Anna Nemeth HUN Left Back Melinda Pastrovics HUN Goalkeeper Nerea Pena Abaurrea ESP Right Back Nelly Such HUN Right Wing Piroska Szamoransky HUN Line Player Adrienn Szarka HUN Left Wing Luca Szekereczes HUN Right Back Barbara Szendrei HUN Line Player Zita Szucsanszki HUN Centre Back Zsuzsanna Tomori HUN Left Back Orsolya Verten HUN Left Wing Szandra Zacsik HUN Left Back New signings (including former club): Orsolya Vérten (Győri Audi ETO KC) Nerea Pena Abaurrea (Itxako Navarra) Luca Szekercés (Szekszárd) Left the club (including new club): Krisztina Szádvári (Váci NKSE) Jelena Zivkovic (Budusnost Podgorica) 71

15 Key players Monika Kovacsicz : 29-year-old Kovacsicz is one of the most experienced players in the FTC squad. The right wing started her professional career aged 17 at Bekescsaba, where she was discovered by top Hungarian club Györ. After for years at Györ she transferred to FTC for one year, before grabbing the chance to be part of the Viborg team which won the EHF Women s Champions League in 2009, winning the final against her former club Györ. Since 2011 she has been back at FTC, where she won the Cup Winners Cup in 2011 and Since 2004 Kovacsicz has played for the Hungarian national team, her biggest success being the world championship bronze medal in Orsolya Vérten: A newcomer at FTC, 30-year-old Orsolya Vérten joined them from Györ, where she had played for ten years since Vérten started her career at Vasas, and the wing was twice Hungarian handball player of the year and has been part of the national team player since In the previous six years she was a semi-finalist or finalist (2009, 2012) in the EHF Women s Champions League and also played in four finals of European Cup competitions. Her biggest success with the national team was the bronze medal at the world championship Szandra Zácsik: The cousin of Monika Kovacsicz, Zacsik was born in Slovakia as a child of a Hungarian minority but has been a Hungarian national for the last six years. The 22-year-old left back started her career at Vaci NKSE, before joining Ferencvaros in After one season at Slovenian team Krim Ljubljana she returned to FTC in 2010 and played a major part in winning the two Cup Winners Cup titles in 2011 and Coach Gábor Elek: Since 2008 Gábor Elek has coached the FTC team, as the successor of Gyula Zsiga and Andras Nemeth (now coach at Hypo). In years gone by Elek s legendary father Gyula was in charge of the FTC women s handball team, coaching the team from 1966 to Son Gábor took over responsibility and formed a team which was very successful both in domestic and international competition at a traditionally strong women s handball club. 72

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