Hard in Bregenz

Derby showdown for a place in the last sixteen of the Cup

In the final derby, Dejan Babic (22) and his Harder team narrowly prevailed 28:27 in Bregenz.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

"It's hard for me to say anything after this game because it just feels so sad," said Bregenz right back Andreas Schröder after his team lost the Ländle derby in the HLA Champions League against Hard by a wafer-thin 27:28 in front of their own fans on November 23. Today, just 17 days later, Schröder and Co. have the chance to do better.

The two local rivals meet again at 7 p.m. in the Handball Arena Bregenz. Whereby the starting situation is even more explosive. "This is the Cup and the only thing that counts is winning," says Hard's Icelandic head coach Hannes Jon Jonsson in the run-up to the second round match.

Goalkeepers in the spotlight
In November, the goalkeepers in particular were at the center of the action. Bregenz keeper Ralf Patrick Häusle shone with a 54.17 percent save percentage. Hard's witch Golub Doknic saved 44.44 percent of the shots fired at his goal.

Hard's witch Golub Doknic wants to make it difficult for the record champions again.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Bregenz keeper Ralf Patrick Häusle is a permanent fixture at the record champions.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Another point: "The fact that we only recently played each other means we know exactly what to expect," explains Bregenz's Markus Mahr. "We have to be ready to fight for every ball again and still play with concentration in order to win this game and progress to the next round."

Hard only failed in the semi-finals
Both Ländle clubs made it to the round of 16 last year. While the Bregenz side then suffered a painful 34:44 home defeat against HSG Graz, Hard made it through to the semi-finals, where they lost 31:33 to Handball Tirol.