On Sunday afternoon, Paris Saint-Germain Handball host Flensburg in their Velux EHF Champions League Round 8 clash. Parisian centre-half Nikola Karabatic took a look back at the first leg (29-30) as well as his side's next few matches.
Psg.fr: Last week, against Flensburg, you played a great game, especially considering it was at the Flens-Arena... Was it difficult?
Nikola Karabatic: Yes, it's never easy to win there... They have very vocal fans with a huge atmosphere. We had a good start to the game, but we got caught at the end of the first half. The scenario repeated itself after the break... But we managed to regain the upper hand and stop their last attack. We could have won by a bigger margin, but we put ourselves in danger. We're very happy to have won right on the buzzer!
Since the defeat in Barcelona (36-32), you have regained your momentum with a string of wins. Was it important to quickly get back to winning ways?
Indeed... The defeat in Barcelona was a bitter one, because we were missing several major players. It doesn't take anything away from our opponent's fine performance, but we couldn't defend ourselves with all our weapons. Losing there is not a big mistake... Many will fall there! They are among the hot favourites in this competition. The important thing will be the second leg... Apart from this defeat, we have had a very good start to the season and we're playing good handball.
If you win the return leg, you could regain top spot in the group....
Before that, there are other things to think of. We are the middle of a busy time, with a lot of games. We're not making too many plans... In the Champions League, it's in April and May that you have to really step it up! The most important thing is to keep making progress and win the Final4. No one has ever won the Champions League in December.
Since the beginning of the season, your brother, Luka, has taken over the captain's armband. Do you feel that his responsibilities have changed?
With this role, he needs to talk a little more. It's never pleasant to have to yell at a teammate, but it's part of the life of a squad. You have to know how to win and bring others back, but not just by your performance on the court. Out there, he has a lot of influence in the game, in attack and in defence.
Check out the first part of our interview with Nikola Karabatic, on video.
(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)