christian buschardt
PREVIEW: GOG vs Aalborg
As the round of 1/8 comes to an end, GOG and Aalborg will close out the round in a much anticipated game that could mean make or break to each team.
Having lost the first leg, GOG will be taking Aalborg Håndbold at home to close out the round, and to move on to the next one vs Barcelona.
GOG vs Aalborg: 28-30 in the first leg
This game is a must win for each team, as only 2 points separate them from moving on in the Champions League.
Both sides consist of top players in the competition, with Emil Madsen at 85 goals this season on 59.4% efficiency. In fact, GOG have 5 players in the top 15 scorers in this year's edition, while Aalborg have none.
Aalborg have 2 players in the top 25 list, with Mikkel Hansen clinging to the 24th spot with 58 goals on 69.5% efficiency, but has only played 10 games. On average, Emil Madsen scores 5.6 goals per game, compared to Mikkel Hansen's 5.8 goals per game. Seeing how even these players are, it will be a very tough matchup if they want to move on to the next round.
Both GOG and Aalborg find themselves in the Danish Men's League, where they go head to head on many occasions (Danish League games and Danish Cup games) and this time meeting for the second round of the ⅛ finals of the EHF Champions League.
Having won last time, Aalborg have a chance to win it, even as the underdog. But the Favourites, GOG, have shown they can get out of tricky situations. Additionally, GOG will be playing at home in Gudme.
Prediction:
For this reason, we're picking GOG to win the game with total points being under 60.5.