Löwen ready to roar again in Mannheim

After being eliminated in the past four consecutive seasons at the Last 16 stage of the VELUX EHF Champions League, Rhein-Neckar Löwen have their sights set on breaking back into the quarter-finals and maybe beyond.

A successful result in the group phase could prove key to achieving that, therefore the German side, who won both games on home court and lost both away games, need a good result against a struggling Kristianstad.

The Swedish outfit are one of the four teams, alongside Montpellier, Motor Zaporozhye and HC Metalurg, who failed to register a point after four rounds and are eager to bounce back. Yet their record against Löwen, five consecutive defeats, is hardly galvanising the Swedish champions for a good result on Wednesday.

GROUP A
Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) vs IFK Kristianstad (SWE)
Wednesday, 10 October, 19:00hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

• Kristianstad can tie their worst ever losing run in the competition, five consecutive games, if they lose against Löwen
• The two sides have met in the group phase of the European top flight over the past three seasons, with Löwen taking five wins, while Kristianstad won their first game in 2015
• Löwen’s offensive prowess has been duly noted over the first four rounds, the 127 goals scored by the German team counting for the fifth best attacking record in the VELUX EHF Champions League
• Kristianstad’s defensive record, with 142 goals conceded in the first four games, an average of 35.5 per match, is the worst in the competition to date