With a victory over Leipzig, Spain´s Itxako celebrated its biggest success in the EHF Champions League so far, by reaching the Main Round. Andrea Barnó is the captain of the Spaniards, and will be the heart of this group for another year.
ehfCL.com: Itxako didn’t play a good game but took the points against HYPO, nonetheless. Is that the difference from last season?
Andrea Barnó: We have to say that our CL group of last season was very hard. Our opponents this year are not as strong. You’re right, we didn’t make a good game against HYPO, but we won. We have much more experience in the EHF Champions League now, and that is very important for a team.
ehfCL.com: Is the EHF Champions League so different to the Spanish League?
Andrea Barnó: Players learn a lot in Champions League games. We felt it in Hungary. We faced a very hard atmosphere, as the match was very important for DVSC-Korvex, but we played a great game. Our experience was the key to getting that victory.
ehfCL.com: Itxako is the great favourite for the Spanish league and also needs a victory in every match in the EHF Champions League. Does the team feel that it is playing under pressure in every game?
Andrea Barnó: We are a very strong team mentally and we give the best of ourselves during every game to achieve our objectives. We think step by step. We are ready to overcome these two hard months and experience has taught us to maintain our concentration in every match.
ehfCL.com: You’ve had to play a lot of minutes in every game because some of the back players have been injured. How do you feel right now?
Andrea Barnó: We know that injuries are part of handball. It’s true that we weren’t too fortunate at the start of the season, but Macarena is back, and I hope that Raphaëlle Tervel will return soon. I feel very well. This part of the season is very hard because we have two games per week but I enjoyed two months of holidays during the summer and that break is helping me a lot now.
