Battle for prestige at the top, time of reckoning for the rest

Kielce and Szeged have already ensured progression to the VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 and will battle it out for top spot, while the rest of the teams are in for a dogfight to grab the two remaining spots.

VELUX EHF Champions League Group D

Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI) vs Aalborg Handball (DEN)
Thursday, 4 December at 20:00 local time live on ehfTV

The Swiss champions are on a four-game losing streak and are last in the group, but Aalborg remembers well what happened the last time they met. Kadetten grabbed a surprising 23:23 draw away in Gigantium arena and the Danes are set to face a huge test. 

Aalborg have lost three on the trot and two points from Switzerland are vital in their quest for qualification. But it remains to be seen if their defeat against Dunkerque in the previous round has left any deeper psychological scars. The main focus for Jesper Jensen's men will be their defence, which is too leaky for his liking. 

Kadetten sometimes lose their attacking focus and a strong and compact opposition can cause problems for them. But they will not hold back in front of the home crowd and will pounce on any chance they get, especially if Aalborg start experimenting, to reach the dream of staying in the competition. A good performance from goalkeeper Nikola Portner will be a vital necessity. 

The loser of this match will have lessened their chances of progression significantly.

Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral (FRA) vs HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR)
Saturday, 6 December at 16:00 local time live on ehfTV

Their victory in Ukraine (23:21) was the only bright moment in Dunkerque's otherwise woeful campaign, until last week’s victory in Aalborg.

The French champions presented themselves in a new light. They were more confident, prolific and they held control of the match for the first time. Could 17-year-old Tom Pelayo be the discovery of the season? For sure he will get enough opportunities to prove himself after stunning the Danes. 

The Ukrainian outfit has only a few more chances to probe that they are ‘The little Motor that could’. In theory things should be working just fine for them. The have the excellent Richard Stochl between the sticks and it will be a fascinating duel with the opposition goalkeeper Vincent Gerard.

They have productive attackers like Burka, Onufriyenko and Shevelev. But devil is in the details, and every aspect of the game will have to click for them in order to avoid another disappointing finish to the game.

Both teams will face Kielce, who are a class above the rest, in one of the last two matches so this really is a do or die moment. 

MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) vs KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL)
Saturday, 6 December at 16:30 local time – ehfTV Match of the Week

This is a duel of the two best teams of the group. Kielce are yet to lose a point in the campaign. They have more and lest cruised past their opponents - including Szeged in their 37:32 home win two months ago.

But playing in Szeged in front of the fiery crowd is another matter and the home side will try to demonstrate that they belong way up there with the big boys.

The EHF Cup winners were stuttering a bit in the past few matches when Dean Bombac was injures and when Zsolt Balogh was not as prolific with goals as usual. But B&B are back and they will try to match anything Karol Bielecki and Krzysztof Lijewski produce at the other end.

It will be fascinating to see Bombac taking on his Slovenian compatriot Uros Zorman, as both are great playmakers with similar styles.

Kielce will play with their assistant coach Tomasz Strzabala who is fighting with cancer in their hearts, as their current campaign shows. This match is one for the connoisseurs and it will be the ehfTV Match of the Week with commentary by Tom O'Brannagain.