The BHL play-offs start this weekend. Four teams from Estonia, three from Lithuania and one from Latvia will be playing in the quarter-finals.

VHC Šviesa – Mistra (2021-2022 season)

The Mistra club will meet VHC Šviesa in a quarter-final match. Mistra won 16 points in 10 matches and finished 2nd in Group A. Šviesa won 13 points and finished 3rd in Group B. The first home match will be played by VHC Šviesa in Vilnius. 

Jüri Lepp (coach, Mistra):

It is going to be an intriguing match. Both teams have an equal chance of making the final four. We have not played against Šviesa yet this season, which adds to the intrigue. Interestingly, this season the quarter-finals are between teams from different groups. This makes it even more difficult to predict the winner, as the teams have not met this season. This idea of the Baltic Handball League is certainly a welcome one, as clubs from all three countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – compete in the league. Neither the Baltic Volleyball League nor the Baltic Basketball League have such a thing.

Žygimantas Sinkevičius (coach, VHC Šviesa):

The teams are of equal capacity. Mistra is showing a good and mature play this season. Mistra has experienced players such as Ievgen Buinenko, who has played with the Lithuania’s best handball player Aidenas Malashinskas. Sergii Orlovskyi, the Mistra’s leader of attacks, is the league’s top scorer. Mistra is a very well-formed team. We expect a tough fight both at home and away. The first match is harder to play at home, so a lot will depend on it. Because we will have a tiring trip to Estonia before the second leg. In addition, Mistra plays very well at home. Our goal remains the same – we want to make the final four.

The first match between VHC Šviesa and Mistra will take place on 18 March at 5pm in the „Sostinės tauras“ sports hall.