Catherine Gabriel feels Champions League enthusiasm in Debrecen

So for the young players featuring in this year’s squad, there is a palpable sense of anticipation ahead of the 2023/24 season.

“I can definitely feel it and understand it as well. There are girls in our team that have been in the club for five or six years and have not had the chance to play the Champions League. We all feel really honoured and privileged to feature among the 16 best teams this season,” says Catherine Gabriel.

The French national goalkeeper moved to Debrecen last summer, after playing for French clubs such as Nantes, Besançon and Paris 92. With them, she embarked on EHF European League Women journeys, but this feels like a completely different matter.

“If you had told me that one year ago, maybe I would not have believed you. I came to Debrecen because the coach really wanted me in his team, and I needed playing time,” explains the 28-year-old. “Coming to Hungary was like facing a blank page again, starting back to nothing. And so far, the experience has been a very fulfilling one.”

Last year, the team from Debrecen finished third in both the Hungarian league and cup competitions. Even though the EHF Champions League qualification was still a little bit of a surprise, Gabriel and her teammates could feel that the event was in preparation towards the end of the season.

Some of the team travelled to Budapest for the EHF FINAL4 and they got the feeling that they could get a nice surprise at the start of the season. “We saw the enthusiasm at the FINAL4, with two Hungarian clubs and even FTC making it to the final and we thought that maybe we would have a chance,” she remembers.

But now that her club has qualified for the top flight, do the nerves or the enthusiasm come to the forefront?

“A little bit of both, to be honest. This is a level none of us has ever played at, and of course you keep asking yourself if you’ll be able to deliver or if you will be ready enough when the season starts. It’s all a mix of emotions at the moment, but all of them are really positive,” Gabriel says.

Last season’s European League campaign was not exactly on par with the expectations that the club and its players had set, as DVSC Schaeffler were not able to move past the group phase.

“We had a team to progress a lot more, so we were disappointed. But in the meantime, we were able to gain some experience that will be very useful for us this season.”

And what can the team from Debrecen expect this season in the EHF Champions League? Gabriel thinks that they have the potential to earn the best result in the club's history in the competition.

“We aim to finish in the six best teams in the group phase and qualify for the play-offs. There are definitely games that we can win, especially at home with our amazing fans. But we don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves yet. One game at a time, and we will see where it leads us,” she concludes.

photography (c) Kenneth McDowell