Last 16 draw reunites the finalists: Flensburg vs Kiel

A Herculean task awaits the defending winners of the VELUX EHF Champions League as SG Flensburg Handewitt will face the bundesliga rivals THW Kiel in the Last 16. Flensburg beat Kiel, the 2012 trophy holders 30:28 at the 2014 VELUX EHF FINAL4 last June.

All eight pairings of the first knockout stage in March were confirmed on Tuesday as the last 16 draw of the premier European club competition took place in Vienna.

The draw was carried out by Leopold Kalin, Chairman of the EHF Competition Commision alongside EHF Secretary General Michael Wiederer.

"It is always an unlucky draw if two teams from the same nation face each other in an international competition - and we all had hoped for the re-match of last season’s final in a later stage of the Champions League. The fans will like this duel, as a lot of them will travel to the away matches," Sabine Holdorf-Schust, director THW Kiel said.

Dierk Schmäschke, manager SG Flensburg-Handewitt agreed: “Nobody wanted to have this encounter, but when I arrived in Vienna I already had the feeling that it would come like this. Of course we knew that a tough opponent would wait for us after finishing the group stage on fourth position, but Kiel are supposed to be the strongest of all. But we will fight for our fans to keep the hopes alive to make it to the quarter-finals."

Two more former winners of the continental top flight progressed from the group phase. The record seven times trophy holders FC Barcelona will meet Aalborg Handball, who they met also in the Last 16 of the previous season and the 2003 trophy holders Montpellier Agglomeration HB will lock horns with Vive Tauron Kielce.

The other pairings were: Naturhouse La Rioja vs MKB-MVM Veszprém, Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral (FRA) vs PSG Handball (FRA), Orlen Wisla Plock vs HC Vardar, RK PPD Zagreb vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn and Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs MOL-Pick Szeged.

The first leg is scheduled for 11-15 March, the second leg will be played 18-22 March. The winning teams of the last 16 qualify for the quarter-finals and only the four best outfits will make it to the climax of the season, the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne (30 and 31 May 2015).

VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 draw:

Naturhouse La Rioja (ESP) vs MKB-MVM Veszprém (HUN)
Montpellier Agglomeration HB (FRA) vsVive Tauron Kielce (POL)
Aalborg Handball (DEN) vs FC Barcelona (ESP)
SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs THW Kiel (GER)
Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral (FRA) vs PSG Handball (FRA)
Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) vs HC Vardar (MKD)
RK PPD Zagreb (CRO) vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (DEN)
Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) vs MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN)

(first leg 11-15 March, second leg 18-22 March)

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