Open season for main round berths

Larvik HK will win Group D of this season’s Women’s EHF Champions League if they win their fourth straight game on Saturday, against HCM Baia Mare.

The group’s second game of the Group Matches Round 4 features a tough battle for progressing in the main round, as Metz Handball will look to avenge Sunday’s defeat at the hands of Polish champions, MKS Selgros Lublin.    

Larvik HK (NOR) vs HCM Baia Mare (ROU)
Saturday 8 November 2014 at 18:15 hrs local time, live on ehfTV

Baia Mare’s big ambitions for the Women’s EHF Champions League suffered another blow last Friday, when the Romanian champions lost agonisingly, 23:24 against Larvik. A third consecutive defeat would deal another blow to their FINAL4 hopes.

“We have to improve our game for the away leg. We missed seven shots from the seven-meter line and that’s huge. In training sessions, our players hit 40 shots, we have near-perfect trainings from the line,” said Costica Buceschi, Baia Mare’s coach.

However, the Romanian coach will have to make in the return leg without Alexandra do Nascimento, who did not travel to Norway, after suffering persistent ankle and groin injuries.

Sharpshooter Ekaterina Davydenko, who scored seven goals in the first game, is also a doubt, as her ankle is swollen. The Russian right back, one of the few new players who confirmed in Baia Mare’s roster this season, will be a game-time decision. Also, Luciana Marin, the Romanian team’s centre back, is playing at 75% because of an injury.

But Buceschi insists Baia Mare will be ready, after a convincing outing in the Romanian League, a 33:21 win against Unirea Slobozia on Wednesday. On the other hand, Larvik continued their outstanding season, with a 27:17 win against Nordstrand in the Norwegian Cup’s semi-finals.

Another win on Saturday would grant Larvik mathematically the qualification for the main round, as the European top flight competition’s best defence needs to earn crucial stops on Baia Mare’s attack.

Metz Handball (FRA) vs MKS Selgros Lublin (POL)
Sunday 9 November at 16:00 hrs local time, live on ehfTV

A 10-year wait for a win ended last Sunday for MKS Selgros Lublin, as the Polish champions beat Metz, 35:31.

It was a result that threw the group wide open, as both teams are tied with Baia Mare in the second place, with two points apiece.

However, after the bitter defeat on Sunday, Metz bounced back superbly on Wednesday and snatched an important win in the French Championnat’s derby, 26:22, against Fleury Loiret Handball.

The French champions are hoping to build on this win, as their most important game in this year’s premium European competition looms.

Another defeat against Lublin would certainly hamper Metz’s chances to progress into the Main Round, but coach Jeremy Roussel is eager to show that Sunday’s defeat was only an accident.

But the Polish side has tapped into its potential and managed to earn two consecutive wins, after beating Zaglebie Lubin, 34:27, in the Polish first league.

“The match against Metz will be a difficult one, but a win in France would certainly help us in order to qualify for the next phase”, said Sabina Wlodek, Lublin’s coach. The Polish team has, at least in theory, the easier schedule, as Metz will travel to Larvik and finish the group at Baia Mare.