Injury ravaged Baia Mare looking for crucial points in Lublin

Group D’s fifth round in the Women’s EHF Champions League could shed some light regarding the teams to progress to the main round. A win for MKS Selgros Lublin against HCM Baia Mare means that the Polish side will progress from the group matches for the first time since 2002.

Safely qualified after four consecutive wins, Larvik HK will be focused on another win in France, against Metz Handball, while the French champions will certainly try to build on the dramatic comeback against Lublin last Sunday, when they erased a three-goal deficit in the last 67 seconds of the game.

MKS Selgros Lublin (POL) vs HCM Baia Mare (ROU)
Sunday 16 November, 14:00 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

A promising season in the European top flight’s competition for HCM Baia Mare was on the cards, as the Romanian side won its first match, against MKS Selgros Lublin.

However, before the rematch due to take place in Poland on Sunday, the Romanian champions are on the brink of elimination after three consecutive defeats.

It is a season to remember for Baia Mare, a team with big ambitions, who can hardly assemble a functioning first seven. After Laura Oltean tore a ligament in her knee two weeks ago and Alexandra do Nascimento suffered recurring problems with her ankle, Adriana Nechita (ankle) and Barbara Arenhart (back) have suffered injuries in last Saturday’s defeat against Larvik HK and are due to be out for the game against Lublin.

Line player Timeea Tătar is definitely out with a muscular tear in her back, while left back Ekaterina Davydenko and centre back Luciana Marin are both nursing injuries, but are due to play on Sunday.

”It is a very unfortunate situation, but we will have to make do. Lublin is the toughest opponent for us in the race for second place, they do not have great stars, but are very difficult to beat as a team,” said Baia Mare coach Costică Buceschi, after his team won by a 10-goal margin, 35:25, against Universitatea Alexandrion Cluj.

Metz Handball (FRA) vs Larvik HK (NOR)
Saturday 15 November, 16:00 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

A dramatic comeback for Metz in the final 67 seconds against Lublin saw the French and Polish sides level on points in Group D’s second place.

In a very tight group, Metz has the tougher schedule, as the French champions look forward at a game against Larvik, while the last match will take place in Baia Mare, in front on an emphatic audience.

However, the comeback against Lublin did not boost Metz’s morale, as Jeremy Roussel’s side lost against rivals Issy Paris HB on Wednesday in the French league, 28:24.

Due to the format’s change, in which the qualified teams maintain their points against the fellow qualified teams from their group in the main round, Larvik will want to avoid a defeat in France and prepared accordingly for the game, which will be Metz’s last home outing this year.

The Norwegians are in a superb form, as they look for their 17^th consecutive win this season, which has yet to produce a result other than victory for Larvik.

The 33:18 win midweek against Stabaek in the Norwegian championship means that Ole Gustav Gjekstad’s team is still fully focused and are on course to earn another win on Saturday.