The FC Barcelona handball team, under the direction of Carlos Ortega, is playing for a spot in the Cologne Final Four this Wednesday in Nantes. With a two-goal advantage from the first leg, the team is aiming for a historic record: their eighth consecutive appearance at the German event. Ortega has called for concentration and avoiding relaxation against a dangerous opponent.
The blaugrana machinery: pressure and fast transitions 🤾
Ortega has worked this week on the 6-0 defense and quick counterattack exits, key to neutralizing Nantes' speed. Ball management in positional attack will be crucial, especially with players like Mem or Gómez. The team has studied the rival's defensive weaknesses, which allowed easy goals from the pivot in the first leg. Statistics show that Barça is the team with the fewest turnovers in the competition.
Nantes, that friend who always invites you to dinner 🍽️
The French team arrives hoping for a comeback, but they have a problem: they face Barça, which in recent years has turned the Palau into a fortress and the Final Four into its second home. Don't panic if the game gets tight, because we already know this team has more lives than a cat in a butane warehouse. And if not, there's always the option of asking Pérez de Vargas to work a couple of miracles.