As the Champions Hockey League moves forward, German hockey club Kölner Haie welcome Austrian powerhouse KAC Klagenfurt for a high-intensity showdown on Saturday. With the hosts sitting comfortably near the top of the Regular Season Standings and Klagenfurt lurking just below the qualification line, this match-up carries significant weight.

Cologne enter the game with an impeccable clean slate, featuring very impressive victories against CHL veterans Red Bull Salzburg, past CHL Champions Tappara Tampere and even reigning CHL Champions Frölunda Gothenburg, whom they defeated with a tremendous 5-2 score on Game Day 3 in front of a rocking crowd of over 18,100! The German team aim will once again look to harness their home crowd’s energy and dictate the tempo from the opening frame, protecting their upper-tier status. 

After an opening 2-1 OT win against French CHL debutants Bordeaux Boxers, Klagenfurt then went on to lose to two national champions, Switzerland’s Fribourg-Gottéron and Norway’s Storhamar Hamar. The visitors will however put these set-backs behind them and turn their campaign around with a disciplined performance and sharp counter-attacks.

With precious points at stake, fans can look forward to a highly tactical battle, where maximizing on the man-advantage opportunities and flawless special teams execution will dictate the winner.