Kiel – MHB: “They will set fire in the first quarter of an hour”, warns Valentin Porte before the return match in Germany

Le duel entre les Montpelliérains et les “Kielers” risque de faire des étincelles. Midi Libre – SYLVIE CAMBON

MHB captain Valentin Porte expects a big fight in Kiel, this Thursday, May 2 (6:45 p.m.) during the quarter-final second leg of the Champions League, after the Montpellier team's victory in the first leg (39- 30).

How are you feeling everyone?

Honestly, Monday was a good workout with intensity. Patrice asked us to put some on and he put a little pressure on during training, which is normal. Behind that responded. It was good training. The team is well motivated. We took the time during the video session to go over positive and negative points. It was a very good day at work. Same Tuesday and then we won't have much time to work.

What will be mentally important with this favorite status?

I've been thinking about it for a week, have we ever been in a situation like that, I'm not sure. That’s what’s amazing. It's new for everyone, that may be good because we don't ask questions. Patrice knows this type of situation, he shared some experiences with us and this allows us to understand what to do. By not starting the match looking at the score and the clock. Sixty minutes is a long time, too much is going to happen. The state of mind is to play and win with as much audacity as the first leg.

Also read: Kiel – MHB: Simonet spared, a nugget could return from injury for the Germans… the latest information before the return match in Germany

Isn’t it complicated to be daring with such a mattress in advance?

You have to try things, I’m convinced. We must not stay in our place because if I resume the first leg, we tried things that were not necessarily academic where we were not completely comfortable either. But doing it 100%, we were comfortable and Kiel was completely lost and foiled. We're going to try things, it will be complicated but we have to remember what it's going to happen to the opposing team. In their place, the ball will also weigh three tonnes each time. If we manage to make them uncomfortable as we did, they can make mistakes and pay for it too. We'll have to seize every opportunity and hurt them on every fast ball because that's our game.

What to expect?

Kiel will set fire in the first quarter of an hour to make up part of their deficit and be well at half-time. But it's not because we'll be tied at half-time that we won't be able to take ten afterwards. And the reverse too. They will try everything, every minute counts and it will bring them closer to a possible fateful moment if they do not do the work. You'll have to be ready for that, it's going to sting and hit. Once we know it, we have all the cards as in the first leg to annoy them. We shook them up, and our speed of play is a problem for these big guys. Repeating this kind of away match will be a little complicated but it's up to us not to get excited and to play at the level at which we can play, taking into account all the phases that there will be. .

Are we happy to have Stas Skube in the lead in this kind of match?

Yes, how happy I am to have had him for a long time, to be able to count on players like him or Diego Simonet. It’s up to us, the most experienced, to respond. The team that will start the match will be very important to get us into the rhythm and lead the way. And then to bring this serenity. Behind, it’s younger. It's up to us to take responsibility and bring serenity into the game and show that we are there. While keeping in mind that we are going to play boldly and make shots like we did on the first leg. We are not the best team in Europe and therefore we have to play with other weapons, audacity is one of them. I would like to win there but my goal is to qualify for the Final 4. If I do it by losing by seven goals, it would piss me off but I prefer to qualify.

Will the performance of the opposing goalkeepers also be a given?

If they play the same match, there will be very little hope for them. But I'm not sure that Rémi will have the same match either. It’s up to Rémi and Charles to make the best match possible.

It’s in this kind of match that we see that Patrice Canayer is a reference?

What he did in the first leg… It’s a masterclass. There were matches where he made a mistake, but like us on the pitch. There, in his post-match explanation he got it right. He has things in store, that’s for sure. Whether it's going to be as effective as it was on the way there, I don't know. But you have to expect that we will try things. It was a real team effort because he gave a masterclass in his preparation for the match. But when he throws things like that, we didn't work on him in training so the players' involvement was total. We were in symbiosis. My speech is to tell the guys to do 100% what he asks of us. On the way out we saw that we were able to make up for our stupidities in case of problems because we jumped at their throats.