Champions League back at the Palau Blaugrana

Five months after the epic win against BM Atletico de Madrid which took them through to the 2012/13 Final Four, Pascual’s side will again be coming out at the Palau to the Champions League music, as they open this season’s home campaign – the second game of the opening phase- against Wacker Thun at 16.15 this afternoon.

Looking for first win

After the 29-29 draw against Vardar Skopje, who then went on to lose their second game 26-24 against Dynamo Minsk – a reflection of just how tough this group is. Barça play their second game against Wackr Thun and will be hungry for a first win ahead of their next two games at home to Metalurg and away to the strong PSG Handball in Paris.

Pascual has a full squad available and has called up all 16 squad members for the game.

Champions League debutants

Wacker Thun are in their first ever Champions League, having won the Swiss league last season, ahead of the country’s traditional big boys, Kadetten. In their first game of the campaign they went down 22-23 to Metalurg and were also beaten 31-19 by Kadetten in their most recent Swiss league game.

Almost the whole team is made up of Swiss players, with Chalkidis (Greece), Franic (Croatia) and Isailovic (Serbia) the only foreigners in the side, but as they showed in their first game of the competition, they are no pushovers.