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Wisla are weakened, Marcin Lijewski stayed in Poland!

This is the third match for the visiting team in 6 days and that creates problems due to their short bench

Although only three rounds of French league had been played, although Dunkerque played a single match in the Champions League, we dare to say they are a better team than they were last year, although they did not bring important players during the summer (just middle back Guillard). What do we base our statement on? They won their three league matches fairly convincingly, without any troubles and were able to save energy at the end of matches.

- We know it is complicated to switch between competitions. At Sélestat we played full pressure defense for almost entire second half and we conceded just 21 goals. That is great - said coach Cazal.

That constant they show in their play is a step forward when compared to the last season when they often lost points against teams such as Créteil and such.

They opened the Champions League with a 10 goal defeat in Kielce but anyone who knows handball or has seen the match knows that is not the realistic ratio of strength. Dunkerque was just a goal behind (23-22) in 48th minute. Home team goalkeeper saved a few shots, home team had a few counterattacks and Zorman went trough the French defense a few times in a manner of great player and the French simply collapsed. That score is not realistic and the French were not dominated from the start.

- This is an important match for us if we wish go into the second phase and not just acquire experience in the Champions League. We learned in Kielce, this is our house now. We have to take points at any cost - said coach Cazal who still can not count on his important back Siakam.

- Plock are a good team, athletically strong and with experienced back line - added Cazal.

Judging from the first match in Kielce and what Dunkerque are currently playing, their defense which often stands at 9 or 10 meters from the goal will be the key to this match. As many other French teams, they rely much on 1 on 1 plays and Wisla have several strong players in that department. First of all, Petar Nenadic and it will be very important to close him. And then there is Eklemovic, while Milas and Lijewski are not players that can penetrate deep zones.

Wisla continue in high rhythm, this is their third match in just six days and their roster in not so deep so they would not feel the fatigue. Although they had a weaker opponent during the week, their main players had to play for the most of that match because they do not have adequate substitutions.

They played a great match against Kiel on Sunday. Aggressive defense and very good positioning offense forced Kiel to fight throughout 60 minutes. If Milas had not thrown the ball directly into the hands of Filip Jicha in the last seconds, they would have won a deserved point. Now they have nothing else to do than seek points in France.

- The french are much more aggressive at home. I think they did not play their best against Kielce. They are a better team than Montpellier and their biggest strength is that their team has not significantly changed in the last several years - said assistant coach Kisiel.

Cadenas and Kisiel worked with their team this week on how to deal with the French defense, which should be their biggest problem. Regarding their roster, their bench is still short. To make matters worse, Lijewski got injured against Piotrkow which is a big blow for the team. Lijewski had ruptured his biceps and has to take two week leave and that makes him questionable for the match against Kielce in their domestic league. The good news is that Nikcevic has returned after injury, but Wisniewski is still out of rotation.

- This is a very important match because Dunkerque are our direct competitor for the position that leads into the next round. They are a strong team and we have a difficult match ahead of us - added Kwiatkowski.

Dunkerque have been underestimated quite a bit. Their 10 point difference from Kielce is not indicative of the team's value, They've been together a long time now and have a better game than Cadenasov's Wisla. The French were at 23-22 in the 48th min against the strong Kielc, before a few counterattacks and defense mistakes that killd the match. They can play evenly against Wisla, and it will be so tonight. The Polish are very weakend by Lijwski's not playing. Nincevic is just coming back, they don't have a left wing and they won't score points easily here. Wisla below 28.5 is also a very good , but I'll go with Dunkerque not losing.