Only a month after they have opened SEHA Gazprom League's 2016/2017 season, two old rivals - Telekom Veszprem and Celje Pivovarna Lasko will meet in Veszprem Arena on Tuesday, 18.00 CET. Hungarian best team led by Spanish coach Xavi Sabate has managed to celebrate 34:29 win in their premier encounter but that doesn’t mean that the new face-off against Slovenians will be easy. EHF CL winners back from 2004 are demonstrating good form at the start of the European elite competition and they are eager to show more in SEHA derby.

Both teams have suffered defeats against Macedonian side Vardar Skopje in the opening part of the season but they are still in very good position in the race for the Final4. 

Xavi Sabaté, Telekom Veszprem coach: 
We will have a difficult match on Tuesday against Celje. Their team is getting better and better. I am sure it will not be the same game like it was in Slovenia. Since then they've had great performances against PPD Zagreb and Rhein-Neckar Löwen. They are in good shape now and that's why I expect a tough game here at home.

Cristian Ugalde, Telekom Veszprem left winger:
I think we will have a hard game tomorrow. Celje play much better now than month ago and they've managed to heal some of their players. They've lost by only one goal away against Rhein-Neckar Löwen last week. We know they are preparing very well for this game so we must do the same, of course. We want to win this game, gather new three points and continue our fight for the first position.

Branko Tamse, Celje Pivovarna Lasko coach:
Besides the one in Skopje, against Vardar, match in Veszprem is the hardest possible in SEHA Gazprom League. I am looking forward to playing there. We are aware of Veszprem’s strength, but at the same time this is a great opportunity to see where we stand at the moment. Slowly, we are getting sketches of our play but there are still plenty reserves left. So I hope that in this match we will improve even more and that we will make less mistakes than in our previous encounters. High focus during all 60 minutes will be needed, they know how to punish every single mistake, so discipline and high-quality defense can help our hopes of expecting a nice match. I believe that Veszprem will play at a top level since they want to keep their record clean.​

Gal Marguc, Celje Pivovarna Lasko right winger:
Last two matches have shown us that our form is rising and we are reaching the level we know we can and should play on. After the opening match against Veszprem in SEHA-Gazprom League we're about to face them once again quite soon. That match has been one way traffic and we have to do our best to change that in Veszprem. We are aware that it is not going to be easy, but every in match we look for a victory and I'm looking forward to meeting with my brother Gasper on the court as well.