LAST 16 PREVIEW: Nantes have never won against Rhein-Neckar Löwen. All the French side’s hopes rest on stopping that record in the second leg of the Last 16 this weekend – but Löwen are determined to end their own curse
Nantes aim to overcome two-goal deficit in Match of the Week
This weekend, the VELUX EHF Champions League Match of the Week travels to Nantes, France. After losing by two in Mannheim 10 days ago, the locals have no choice but to win against Rhein-Neckar Löwen if they want to qualify for the VELUX EHF Champions League quarter-finals.
While Nantes could earn their second consecutive ticket for the quarter-finals, the German side have not reached that stage of the competition since 2014.
LAST 16, SECOND LEG
HBC Nantes (FRA) vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER)
Saturday 30 March, 19:00 local time, live on ehfTV.com
First-leg result: 32:34
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Löwen won the first leg at home 34:32, led by 11 goals from line player Jannik Kohlbacher
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The teams played against each other three times in the last two seasons, and Nantes never won a game Before last week’s win for Löwen, the two previous Champions League games had finished with a draw
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The German side have been eliminated in the Last 16 the last four seasons
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Löwen’s Andy Schmid only needs two goals to take the top scorer spot. The Swiss playmaker currently tallies 86 goals, one less than Montpellier’s Melvyn Richardson
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“We know what the keys to the game are going to be: We need to stop Schmid and Kohlbacher. Those two hurt us a lot last week” says Nantes line player Nicolas Tournat
TEXT:
Kevin Domas / cg