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Metalurg only okay with winning

Logorno's shape is falling, and the away team could use it. Still, they have problems in the roster, so it's going to be interesting to see what kind of tactics Lino Cervar will employ

Almost no one expected this match will determine the runner-up position. This is the ninth round, and Lino Cervar is still alive. He's an old fox who never gives up. He always get an ace out of his sleeve when no one expects it. With such a young team he achieved incredible results.

Everything fits into this match. There are, of course, some combinations in which both teams could get knocked out, but we'll talk about it when and if the time comes. The situation is such that Logrono have nine points, and Metalurg one less at third place. So, in case Logrono take two points, they are surely second. If Metalurg win, then they will need at least one point in the last round. They'll be hosting the Russian Medved.

Could Logrono have secured the second place sooner? Of course, but they lost at home to Medved. They also lost in Skopje. They had a counter-attack for a draw, but Arsic miraculously saved the goal a couple of seconds before the end.

Will those defeats cost them, it's hard to say. But the important thing is that they're still holding all the threads and they will determine their destiny.

When we talk about the shape, it's not the best. The condition is critical before what may be one of the most important matches in the season. They barely won last week against Huesca. Then they were brutally pulverized in France by Montpellier. The hosts wiped the floors with them, and the match was over by half-time. It was 37-27.

In the championship on Wednesday they were hosted by Villa De Aranda. Even though coach Gonzalez pointed out that that match wasn't overly important, it's hard to believe that. They needed to win, and the approach was terrible. They could have beat their opponents with at least ten points of difference. But this time it was only 20-28. At 28-28, Kappelnik saved a seven-meter throw, and then in the next offense they somehow confirmed their win.

- We're not in good shape. Neither physically nor mentally - said coach Gonzalez, and added:

- Today the whole season is at stake. We have to be extremely careful. After this match there will be no chances to redeem ourselves.

This will be one of Lino Cervar's bigger challenges lately. In a majority of cases in such matches he pulls out the maximum from his team. But that could pose a certain problem this time. He has huge problems with injuries. In the last home match against Presov, Kuzmanovski broke his arm. He'll be out for some time.

But what is impressive is the way those young men play. Some of them already secured 'heavy' transfers, some are still waiting for them. We're talking about boys whose age span is around 20. That team beat this Logrono at home who were in a lot better shape at the time.

But today the shape is on Metalurg's side. The win in Norway rose them up so high that they almost beat Vardar in the SEHA League. But at least they gave a hearty lesson to Presov. They closed off all goal approaches. On the other side, Taleski recorded goals like there was no tomorrow. He recorded ten.

- We have a lot of injuries, but I'm sure that whoever plays will give it their best. We're up for 60 minutes of a true battle - commented Taleski, Metalurg's player.

Today both teams have a few absences. The impression is that the ones on Metalurg's side are a lot more important. But this is going to be a real tactical battle. Comparing Gonzalez and Cervar, it's hard to hide the impression that the latter is wiser and more experienced. The hosts have a lot more experienced players. With the things the way they are, this is a match for a single goal, and Metalurg are only going for the win.

This is the match of the season for both teams. The hosts know it well. Their goal is to pass this group. That's why today they need a positive outcome. Gonzalez says they're not in good condition, and the results prove it. On the other hand, Cervar is coming here to win, and he knows he will have to aim for that during the entire match. His roster has been shortened and it's a question how will it look in the second half of the match. But in order to get there, they have to tactically master the first half and have an active result. And the numbers show us that they went over today's margin by half-time only three times. Twice in run-and-gun matches against Vardar and Izvidjac, while once it was 26 in a real game. But that was at the start of the season against Meskov. Logrono have unders with Ademar and Barca, for comparison's sake. So, two biggest opponents in the Spanish championship. With the first ones it was 25 by half-time in an away game, while at home with Barca it was 24. Additionally, we have the first leg of these teams when it was 20 goals. We can expect something similar today, considering the stakes of the match.