Crunch time begins in Budapest chase

All four berths in Women's EHF FINAL on 3 and 4 May in Budapest are still available, but two teams can already book their spots if they beat their respective rivals this weekend and other results go their way.

Defending champions Györ will secure their berth if they complete the double over Krim Mercator in Ljubljana and FYR Macedonia’s emerging force Vardar can do the same when they visit FC Midtjylland, provided that the outcomes of the other two matches are favourable for the front-runners.

Elsewhere, Thüringer HC and Buducnost can also make big steps towards the showpiece event in the Hungarian capital, while their respective opponents Sävehof and Buducnost must chalk up their first wins to keep alive any hopes of staying in the hunt.  

However, even without its participants confirmed the inaugural edition of the Women's EHF FINAL4 is already catching the fans' attention.

Within first 24 hours of tickets going on sale, 1,200 of 10,000 available have already been sold. Tickets are available via the official website, www.ehfFINAL4.com.

Group 1

FC Midtjylland (DEN) vs WHC Vardar SCBT (MKD)  

Sunday, 2 March, 18:15 local time in Ikast, live on ehfTV

This is a do-or-die game for Midtjylland and also a huge one for the competition’s new giants Vardar, who can make history by qualifying for the Women's EHF FINAL4 in their maiden EHF Champions League season.

If the reverse fixture between these two teams in Vardar’s jam-packed arena is anything to go by, handball fans across Europe can expect another classic likely to keep them on the edge of their seats and glued to their television sets.

Having squandered a six-goal lead at Thüringer HC when they eventually lost 24:26, Midtjylland suffered the same fate in the Macedonian capital when they threw away a five-goal advantage and lost 23:24. This time, the Danish national champions must turn around their fortunes if they are to stay in contention for a top-two finish.

Vardar, on the other hand, will hope to show the same kind of resilience which helped them claw out their victory from the jaws of defeat on home court.

Their Serbia playmaker Andrea Lekic underlined what they need to do in Ikast to keep their unbeaten run intact.

"This is going to be our most difficult away match in the competition so far and I think that Midtjylland are the favourites to advance to the FINAL4 along with us," Lekic told Vardar’s official website.

"It’s going to be a titanic tussle from start to finish and that’s why we have worked hard to eradicate our mistakes from the reverse fixture, namely in defence. We need to reproduce the level we displayed in the last 20 minutes of the match in Skopje if we are to stretch our unbeaten record," she said.

"A win would open the FINAL4 doors to us but Midtjylland are the favourites on home court and it’s really difficult to predict the outcome of what should be a thrilling match from start to finish."

Midtjylland warmed up for the clash with a 19:19 draw on Wednesday against traditional rivals Randers in their Danish league derby, which pleased their assistant coach Soren Ferlov.

"There is a lot we are pleased with. The defence was good and it’s great to keep Randers down to 19 goals, so we will take the positive stuff into the game against Vardar on Sunday," a delighted Ferlov told the club’s official website.

IK Sävehof (SWE) vs Thuringer HC (GER)    

Sunday, 2 March, 16:00 local time in Partille, live on ehfTV

Sävehof will probably feel that their main round performances deserved more than the slim tally of just one point from three games, having missed a chance to win at Midtjylland away and then Vardar at home before they were soundly beaten by Thüringer HC in Germany.

The return match against THC is the Swedish outfit’s chance to celebrate their first win in the second group stage of the competition and keep up their challenge for a top-two finish.

Sävehof have the competition’s top scorer in prolific right back Ida Oden, who has scored 55 goals so far, backed by the equally impressive Jenny Alm who is joint fourth on the list alongside Györ’s Katarina Bulatovic with 51.

But Sävehof have lacked defensive steel throughout the competition, as shown by their 82 goals conceded in the main round – more than any of the other seven teams taking part.

The Swedish champions tuned up for the clash with an emphatic 32:22 league win at Skovde on Wednesday, with Alm, Oden and playmaker Jamina Roberts scoring 18 goals between them as the trio once again displayed their shooting prowess.

Thüringer HC, who have four points from two games and know that a win at Sävehof would represent a big step towards the Women's EHF FINAL4, also gave themselves a huge lift with a 29:26 German league victory against HSG Blomberg-Lippe.

The result underlined their domestic supremacy, as they finished the season main round with 23 wins and just one draw, six points ahead of closest rivals HC Leipzig.

Group 2

RK Krim Mercator (SLO) vs Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)    

Saturday 20:30 local time in Ljubljana, live on ehfTV

Hit by two successive defeats and financial problems, Krim Mercator suffered another blow after line player Oana Manea and fellow Romanian international Talida Tolnai left the Slovenian champions on Monday to join the emerging project of CSM Bucharest at home.

Krim made a bright start in the main round with an impressive home win over Larvik, but then suffered a crushing defeat at Buducnost followed by a tame loss at Györ, who will arrive in Ljubljana as strong favourites to complete the double over their rivals.

Krim coach Tone Tiselj was in no doubt about the enormity of the task his depleted team faced, needing to avoid defeat in order to stay on course for a berth in Budapest.

"We played well in Györ although we lost and their coach congratulated us for our effort, but we definitely face a more difficult match on Saturday," Tiselj told a news conference.

"Last week we worked on a new system based on two line players but unfortunately, we will not be able to use it. Those who are still here will be fully committed and meet the club’s high standards. They will have to because we are up against Europe’s best team," he added.

The depth of Györ’s roster was best reflected in a 29:20 Hungarian league win over Debrecen, keeping them six points clear of traditional rivals FTC Rail Cargo Hungaria at the top of the first division.

Playmaker Anita Görbicz led the way with a game-high six goals, albeit four of them from the seven-metre penalty line.

But the fact that as many as 11 other players got on the scoresheet will surely have boosted coach Ambros Martin’s conference before the trip to Ljubljana, where the defending champions can book their Women's EHF FINAL4 berth or at least make a huge step forward towards the showpiece event.

Larvik (NOR) vs Buducnost (MNE)  

Saturday 18:15 local time in Larvik, live on ehfTV

The long-standing rivalry between these two teams continues as Buducnost travels to Norway looking for a win that would take them within striking distance of the FINAL4, while Larvik aim to grind out their first win in the main round and stay afloat.

The 19:19 stalemate in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica was the first draw in 11 meetings between the two sides, with Larvik winning seven and Buducnost three of their previous 10 clashes.

As ever, a clash of contrasting styles is set to produced an enthralling battle with Buducnost banking on their iron-clad defence and Larvik hoping to find chinks in the visitors’ armour by exploiting the speed of their wings and backcourt creativity.

Buducnost enjoyed a near-perfect dress rehearsal with a 28:24 regional league win over Croatian rivals Lokomotiva Zagreb, in which Danish right back Camilla Dalby produced a superb individual performance garnished by a game-high 13 goals.

But coach Dragan Adzic would have preferred a different if not tougher challenge from Lokomotiva, having bemoaned the fact that the Croatian side played a kind of defence which was of little use to his team in their build-up for the Larvik game.

"I regret that Lokomotiva played a 5-1 defence because it made it impossible for our starting line-up to practice the strategy we are preparing for Larvik," Adzic was quoted as saying by the club’s official website.

"Lokomotiva is not the best barometer of our current potential and the girls did not fire on all cylinders, but we have achieved the two basic goals of keeping enough in the tank for Larvik and edging closer to finishing top of the regional league in the regular season," he said.

"Our attention now turns to Larvik. (Injured line player) Dragana Cvijic won’t start practicing until next week while (goalkeeper) Clara Woltering should be fine, having been rested against Lokomotiva."

Larvik gave themselves a massive boost with a 31:23 home win over Oppsal which secured a 10th successive Norwegian league title and their 16th overall, as it gave them an unassailable 10-point lead over closest rivals Strohamar with four matches remaining.

It was a very special night for Larvik goalkeeper Lene Rantala, the only player in the team who can boast of the last 10 league titles as well as a staggering overall tally of 14 in her impressive trophy cabinet.