Home straight beckons as battle for top spots resumes

The VELUX EHF Champions League picks up again after a thrilling EHF EURO 2016, with only three points separating the top five teams in Group B.

They will all be keen to pick up much-needed points to stay in contention for the automatic quarter-final berths for the group winners, while the other five teams from sections A and B will have to earn that right in the round of 16.

IFK Kristianstad (SWE) vs KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL)
Thursday 11 February, 19:00 local time; live on ehfTV.com

If VELUX EHF Champions League debutants IFK Kristianstad are to keep alive any hopes of avoiding a group stage exit, nothing less than a win will do against KS Vive Tauron Kielce in this intriguing fixture.

The Polish side also need a win to stay on track to win the group, and thus sail into the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition, without having to negotiate the round of 16.

With so much at stake, an explosive clash is on the cards, as both teams are likely to throw caution to the wind and come out with all guns blazing.
Kristianstad have already caused two upsets in their maiden season, having beaten Rhein-Neckar Lowen and KIF Kolding Kobenhavn, hence Kielce will take nothing for granted against the unpredictable Swedes.

Kielce warmed up for the clash with an emphatic 37:28 home win over Zabrze which kept them top of the Polish first division on 33 points from  17 games, one ahead of Wisla Plock.

The Polish champion’s sharpshooter Michal Jurecki highlighted Kristianstad’s qualities and struck a note of caution to his team mates.

“We face a tough match in Sweden against a side which overwhelmed Rhein-Neckar Lowen from the start and also held their own against Barcelona throughout the contest,” Jurecki told the club’s official website.

“They have a lethal fast break and a very quick transition of the ball. It’s been over two months since we played our last Champions League game and we are happy to be back together. The focus in training is exceptional and we can’t wait for the competition to resume,” he said.

Kristianstad too stayed atop the Swedish first division after a 32:26 home win over HK Drott Halmstad kept them in the driving seat on 42 points from 22 games, seven ahead of closest rivals Alingsas.

Jerry Tollbring shone in the dress rehearsal for the Kielce clash with a game-high nine goals, while four of his team mates netted four goals each as the Swedish league leaders tuned up their engines.

Rhein-Neckar Lowen (GER) vs HC Vardar (MKD)
Thursday 11 February, 19:30 local time; live on ehfTV.com

Undoubtedly Group B’s most anticipated match, with Lowen keen to avenge the crushing 25:19 defeat they suffered in the reverse fixture in Skopje’s Jane Sandanski arena.

RNL have since won five and lost only one of their next six games, which allowed them to claw their way into the five-way battle for the group’s top spot.

While banking on home crowd support and the adrenaline rush stemming from Germany’s stunning triumph in last month’s European Championship, Lowen will also draw confidence from their impressive domestic form.

They are at the Bundesliga pinnacle with 34 points from 19 games, two more than champions and traditional rivals THW Kiel, with Flensburg in third place a further point adrift.

Line player Henrik Pekeler revealed to the club’s official website how much winning EHF EURO 2016 meant to him and RNL.

“It was one of the biggest sports sensations in the last 20 years, especially due to the fact that the German national team is still a work in progress,” he said.

“We are young, we had to cope with the loss of key players before the tournament and heading into the last three games in EURO 2016, we had only three players currently competing in the VELUX EHF Champions League available.”

Vardar, on the other hand, will head into the clash buoyed by news that Spain national team stalwart Joan Canellas will join them next season from THW Kiel on a three-year contract, expanding the Spanish contingent already including Jorge Maqueda, Alex Dujshebaev, coach Raul Gonzales and Yugoslav-born goalkeeper Arpad Sterbik.

The Macedonian giants enjoyed a sound interlude to the daunting trip to Mannheim, beating Croatia’s Nexe 36-29 in the regional SEHA league which booked their Final4 ticket in the competition.

Luka Cindric stood out with 11 goals from 12 shots while Russian winger Timur Dibirov netted eight from eight, four of them from the seven-metre penalty line. Serbian pivot Alem Toskic also had a fine game with five goals from seven attempts.         

MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (DEN)
Sunday 14 February, 17:00 local time; live on ehfTV.com

With Kolding’s hopes of reaching the last 16 hanging by a thread, the Danish side will go to Hungary aware that only a win can keep alive their bid to reach the knockout stages of the competition.

Szeged, in contrast, are well placed not only to advance to the business end of things, but also to challenge for the group’s top spot as they trail leaders Barcelona by only two points.

Therefore, they will be keen to avoid any complacency that might lead to a slip-up on home court against a side who have won only one of their 10 games so far.

The Hungarian outfit tuned up for the clash with an easy 38:30 home win against Balmazujvaros which kept them top of the national first division on 36 points from 19 games, two ahead of closest rivals Tatabanya and eight in front of third-placed Balatonfuredi.

Four players scored five goals apiece for Szeged, who will hope their balanced roster will be able to share the attacking workload against Kobenhavn to an equally devastating effect.

The Danish side will hope that their top players will rediscover the kind of form which saw them stay on an even keel with Europe’s best teams in the recent past, knowing that defeat would all but end their slim hopes of avoiding a group stage exit.

Montpellier HB (FRA) vs FC Barcelona Lassa (ESP)
Sunday 14 February, 17:00 local time; live on ehfTV

This is a clash between two teams occupying opposite ends of the table but Barcelona will know better than to expect a walk in the park against Montpellier, a club of great stature and a reputation of producing their best handball against top opposition.

Montpellier are by no means enjoying a great season either at home or in Europe, as they are third in the French first division six points behind runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain, who also have a game in hand.

At this point, they look a safe bet to reach the VELUX EHF Champions League last 16, even if they come away with nothing on home court against the holders.

However, a win would certainly do no harm to their bid, while it would also be a massive confidence boost ahead of the last three games in a fiercely competitive group.

Barcelona endured somewhat of a rough ride in their 32:22 Spanish league win at Helvetia Anaitasuna, with Raul Entrerrios and Kiril Lazarov rifling in seven goals each for the visitors.

The champions were only 20:19 ahead early in the second half but then found another gear as they blew away the home side in the final third of the entertaining contest.

They might need a similar dose of determination against Montpellier, who are three points ahead of IFK Kristianstad in the battle for sixth place and will hence see any positive result against Barcelona as a huge bonus in the quest to hold on to their advantage.

Barcelona will also be buoyed by news that their top performer Valero Rivera, Spain’s most outstanding player at EHF EURO 2016 where they finished runners-up, has agreed a three-year deal which will see him join Barca from French side Nantes during the summer break.

It will be an emotional return for Rivera to his hometown and first club, where he played from 2001 to 2005 before he embarked on a long journey which saw him spend the last six years at Nantes.

Montpellier will miss injured Slovenian back Jure Dolenec, who missed EHF EURO 2016 with a torn hamstring, but should be available for the crunch games in the section’s run-in.

Baptiste Bonnefond should be back in three weeks, while long-term casualties Jean Loup Faustin and Mathieu Grebile still have some way to go before making a full recovery.