Experience is paramount in a successful season in European competitions, but so is ambition. While DHK Banik Most do not have most of the former, they surely bring a lot of grit and dedication to the table, as they make their comeback in the EHF Champions League Women after three seasons.
With a core of Czech and Slovak players, it will be interesting to see how the ‘Black Angels’ do this season when facing tougher and more experienced opponents.
Main facts
- DHK Banik Most will play the EHF Champions League Women for the second time in their history, after being eliminated in the group phase of the 2019/20 season
- most of their roster is composed of Czech and Slovak players, with a single Dutch player, goalkeeper Ellen Janssen
- they will face champions Vipers Kristiansand in the group phase. The MVP of the EHF FINAL4 last season, Czech back Marketa Jerabkova, played for Most between 2014 and 2018
- since playing in the EHF Champions League Women, Most were eliminated in the qualification rounds of the EHF European League Women for two consecutive seasons, adding to the lack of international experience for the Czech champions
Most important question: Are they ready for the EHF Champions League Women?
The Czech champions are returning to the premium European competition after three seasons and will be looking to improve from the previous edition they took part in, where they finished fourth in the group — the last — with a single win under their belt against Krim Mercator Ljubljana.
But there is one pressing concern: the lack of experience at the highest level. In the last two seasons, Most have been eliminated in the qualification rounds of the EHF European League Women — once by Hungarian outfit Vaci NKSE and the second time by Romanian club Magura Cisnadie. Therefore, the prospect of having to play against sides like Vipers Kristiansand or Brest Bretagne Handball looks challenging to say the least.
With a team consisting mostly of Czech and Slovakian players, DHK Banik Most will look like outsiders through most of the competition. They will also play their home games in Chomoutov, some 20 kilometres away from their own arena, which can also be a factor in their results.
Losing a star player in Iveta Koresova, one of the best Czech players in the last decades, will surely impact the team, as they lose a great goal scorer — she scored 12 out of Most’s 52 against Cisnadie last season. Remember, though, this is the side that developed the MVP of last season’s EHF FINAL4, Marketa Jerabkova, therefore, they have that ability to find and develop talent.
Under the spotlight: Lucia Súkeníková-Mikulcík
The 34-year-old Slovakian left wing is the team captain and has been the longest-serving player in the current side, having joined Most nine years ago. She brings the exact leadership needed for such a side, having previously scored 22 goals in the EHF Champions League Women, in Most’s only season in the premium European competition.
Most’s captain has seen many players come and go, but has always kept spirits high and is due to play this season in the EHF Champions League Women at the zenith of her career.
