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Wisla believe they will win, but do they have the recipe for getting by the Danish defense?

The news from Kolding include the return of the middle back Karlsson, at least in shorter intervals, while Lasse Boesen's appearance stays uncertain

The win in Dunkerque practically launched Kolding to the second round of the Champions League, but that is still far from being confirmed. This is the strongest group, so the teams have to be especially careful in home games. Considering the fact that Wisla also defeated Dunkerque in France, this could be seen as the battle for a possible third place. Off course, if we bear in mind that Kielce and Kiel can hardly be threatened at the top.

Last weekend was very successful for Kolding. They achieved a pretty convincing win against the French team, although plenty of their players were missing. Moreover, they played the whole match with Spellerberg and Lasse Andersson in the back line, while in the second half, the key defensive player Lars Jorgensen took the role of the middle back, which he did superbly.

During the week, they won the away match against Skive with a 29-20 score, and this is what Jorgensen sad after the match:

-We didn't go after the difference, we wanted to spare the players that we needed, and I believe we succeeded in out intention.

This was their first match without the coach, Henrik Kronborg, who ended up having back surgery, and won't be leading the team until further notice. KIF is now in the hands of the assistant coach, Bilal Suman, and the sporting director Jeppesen. However, when you have Jorgensen and Boldsen on the court, as well as Boesen and Hvidt's experience, the team practically doesn't even need a coach.

Spellerberg scored 10 goals against Skive, and the return of the middle back Lukas Karlsson was announced for today, although he won't be playing in full capacity. Boesen's appearance is questionable, he missed the last three matches (Skive, Dunkerque and Skjern). Kim Andersson, Simon Jensen, Kasper Irming and Boris Schnuchel are also out.

It should be mentioned that today's match will be played at the smaller TREFOR arena in Kolding, and not at the bigger one in Copenhagen.

After three rounds, Wisla hold the fourth place on the table, with one win and two defeats. Considering the fact that they already played the home matches against Kiel and Kielce, which they lost, it's clear that they'll be fighting for third or fourth place. This is not that bad because, before the start of the season, not many people believed that they would even pass through to the group phase (qualification against Montpellier).

It is undeniable that Cadenas has been doing a great job with Wisla's team. They've been having problems with injuries non-stop, which causes additional problems alongside the chronically short bench. Therefore, Wisla are certainly the pleasant surprise of the competition.

In the home match against Kielce they just couldn't achieve anything significant, despite of playing a very decent game. The 'Holy battle' is something completely different from the rest of the matches. It's the nation's number one derby when it comes to handball, so in these matches, the players invest even more effort than usual.

Wisla held on very well in the first half. Their defense was on a high level and they didn't let Kielce's back line to show off. This left some room for Aguinagalde on the line and for the wings who occasionally assumed the position of the second line-man. This led Wisla to making several fouls, which were successfully turned into goals by Aguinagalde from penalty shots (he took over from Cupic). Tanks to the sturdy defense and quick pace, Wisla finished the first half with a +1 difference.

In the sequel, Kielce shifted into a higher gear, and the lack of strength and a short bench have taken their toll. Wisla couldn't keep up the level of performance they showed in the first half, so Kielce achieved a well-deserved win.

-Once again, a somewhat worse second half was the decisive factor. The players got fatigued, so they made more mistakes. I tried to make rotations, but that didn't work either. I saw some progress in the positional offense, but there's still a lot of work to be done in that respect  - said coach Cadenas after the match.

Today, Wisla will have a chance to get ahead of KIF in third place, which would certainly be a great leap.

-We will win today. We know how to get there, so we'll be aiming for two points. The Danes are by no means weak, but we're the better team -said the club's president, Raczkowski.

Although they had some troubles during the week, Eklemovic and Milas are expected to be ready for today's match, while Paczkowski is still out.

Wisla are good, no question about it, and Manolo Cadenas is a top notch coach, possibly the best Spanish coach at the moment. I am still not sure that the Polish team knows what they will be up against in the game. KIF lost a single game this year, against Kiel, at home, where they stood a chance of taking a draw, they were 12 points in the lead in the first half, and they won against all big competitors in Denmark; Aalborg, Skjern, Holstebro and Bjerringbro. Karlsson is said to be back for today, and Bosen playing would not be a surprise as well. Their defensive line is complete, the same that gave no opportunities to Dunquerque in France. Hvidt is a great goalie and I am certain that Nenadic, Jurkiewitz Lijewski and Eklemovic will have big problems penetrating the 6-0 formation that features Boldsen, Laen and Jorgensen.The offered odds are unrealistic and I must bet on the Danes winning considering their score up to now.