Facts and figures for the VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase

After 120 matches the teams for the round of the last 16 have been confirmed – but what were the keys for MKB Veszprem, HSV Hamburg, FC Barcelona Intersport, and Vive Targi Kielce to finish first in their respective groups?

Find the answers below in this in-dept afacts and figures analysis of the VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase.

The teams in the last 16 stem from nine different nations: Germany is represented with four teams, Spain with three, Slovenia and Hungary with two teams each. Russia, Poland, FYR Macedonia, Denmark, and Belarus have one team left in the competition.

Nine teams which played the last 16 in the previous season made it again to the knock-out phase: Füchse Berlin, HSV Hamburg, FC Barcelona Intersport, THW Kiel, Atletico Madrid, MKB Veszprem, Vive Targi Kielce, Metalurg Skopje and Ademar Leon.

Five of the 16 teams were part of all last 16 rounds since the playing system changed in the 2009/10 season when the VELUX EHF FINAL4 was introduced. These teams are: Atletico Madrid, THW Kiel, MKB Veszprem, HSV Hamburg and FC Barcelona Intersport.

Four previous EHF Champions League winners, with a combined tally of 14 from 19 possible final victories, have made it to the last 16: FC Barcelona (7 titles), THW Kiel (3), Atletico Madrid (3) and RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (1).

All finalists since the 2006/07 season are among the last 16 teams: THW Kiel (5 finals since 2007), Atletico Madrid (4, including the ones they reached when named Ciudad Real), FC Barcelona Intersport (2), SG Flensburg-Handewitt (1).

Bjerringbro-Silkeborg and Dinamo Minsk are the two teams that qualified for the first time for the VELUX EHF Champions League knock-out phase.

No one could beat Kielce

Vive Targi Kielce are the second team since the change of the playing system in 2009 to win all ten matches in the group phase.

Ciudad Real (now Atletico Madrid) were the first to achieve that feat in the 2009/10 season.

MKB Veszprem and FC Barcelona Intersport lost only one of their ten matches this season. HSV Hamburg, winner of Group A, finished the group phase with 16 points (7 wins, two drawas).

Six points were enough, four were not

HC St. Petersburg and Partizan Belgrade finished last in their group with only two points each. HCM Constanta, Sävehof IK, Chambery Savoie and Kadetten Schaffhausen took only four points. For Pick Szeged six points in Group D were enough to qualify for the last 16.

Hardly anyone came past the Skopje defence

As in the previous season, Metalurg Skopje sported the best defence of all 24 teams, conceding only 215 goals.

Ranked behind the team from FYR Macedonia are the group winners MKB Veszprem (242), Vive Targi Kielce (249) and FC Barcelona Intersport (252) – an indication that the defence becomes more and more important in order to achieve success.

Bottom of the list is Serbian side RK Partizan with 331 goals conceded. IK Sävehof (SWE) and Kadetten Schaffhausen conceded 330 goals each.

THW Kiel were on fire

Two of the main contenders for reaching the VELUX EHF FINAL 4 boasted the best attack: Defending champions, THW Kiel, had the best attacking players in their rankes, scoring 329 goals overall in ten matches. FC Barcelona Intersport follows suit with 321 goals.

Veszprem (295 goals) are the only group winner to have scored less than 300 times, while Montpellier’s 301 goals were not enough to grant the French team a berth in the knock out phase.

HC St. Petersburg only scored 225 times in ten matches and therefore rank at the bottom of the ‘best attack’-table.

Strong attack, strong defence

FC Barcelona Intersport and THW Kiel could rely the most on their players on both sides of the court, in attack and in defence.

Barcelona finished the group phase with a goal difference of +69, Kiel’s goal difference stands at +64. They are followed by Kielce and Metalurg (+56 goals each) and Veszprem (+53).

A closer look at the results

Only seven of the 120 matches ended with a draw – and six of them occurred in the highly contested Group A.

Matches involving Chekhovskie Medvedi ended in a draw on four different occasions. The only draw not being a Group A result was the 27-all between Minsk and Zagreb in Group D.

Due to this high number of draws, the number of home wins in Group A was lower compared to the other groups: 15 times the home team had the upper hand, while the visitors prevailed nine teams.

In Groups B and D the home team left the court victorious on 20 occasions (19 times in Group C)

The overall statistics see 74 home victories, seven draws and 39 away victories after 120 matches.

Goals, goals, goals

Top scorers after the Group Phase:

1. Hans Lindberg (HSV Hamburg) - 69 goals

2. Gasper Marguc (RK Celje) - 65 goals

3. Frantisek Sulc (Pick Szeged) - 62 goals

4. Anders Eggert (SG Flensburg-Handewitt) - 59 goals

5. Holger Glandorf (SG Flensburg-Handewitt - 55 goals

Matches with the highest number of goals:

77 goals: THW Kiel – Sävehof IK 43:34

75 goals: Kadetten Schaffhausen – Füchse Berlin 35:40

74 goals: SG Flensburg-Handewitt – Montpellier MAHB 37:37

69 goals: Sävehof IK – THW Kiel 29:40

69 goals: Chekhovskie Medvedi – Partizan Beograd 38:31

68 goals: Partizan Beograd – SG Flensburg-Handewittt 31:37

68 goals: HSV Hamburg – Montpellier MAHB 35:33

68 goals: RK Zagreb – Kadetten Schaffhausen 38:30

20 of 120 matches were won by a difference of ten and more goals.

Matches with the lowest number of goals:

39 goals: HCM Constanta – RK Pivovarna Lasko Celje 22:17

41 goals: Vive Targi Kielce  - Metalurg Skopje 21:20

44 goals: Metalurg Skopje – Vive Targi Kielce 21:23

Top 10 spectator numbers

13,333: Füchse Berlin – FC Barcelona Intersport

10,250: THW Kiel – MKB Veszprem

10,000: RK Zagreb – FC Barcelona Intersport

10,000: THW Kiel – Atletico Madrid

9,800: THW Kiel – Sävehof IK

9,400: THW Kiel – HCM Constanta

9,000: RK Zagreb – Dinamo Minsk

8,853: Atletico Madrid – THW Kiel

8,250: THW Kiel – RK Celje

8,000: Montpellier MAHB – Ademar Leon

8,000: Montpellier MAHB – SG Flensburg-Handewitt