Ambitious Finns take on former Champions League heavyweight

Four exciting ties await us in the Men’s Challenge Cup Quarter-finals after Wednesday’s draw event at the EHF Office in Vienna.

Last season’s surprise Quarter-finalists Riihimäen Cocks have returned to this stage and the Finnish outfit will have to take on Portugal’s Liberty Seguros ABC/UMinho, finalists of the first EHF Champions League in 1994 as ABC Braga, who are competing in Europe for the first time since the 2010/11 season.

Israel’s Ramat Hashron are enjoying a successful run in their first European Cup season but will face a stern test in the next round in the shape of Norwegian side Stord Handball.

Last season’s semi-finalists KS Azoty-Pulawy hope to emulate their achievements this time around by overcoming 2011 finalists S.L. Benfica.

Former EHF Champions League regulars ZTR Zaporozhye from Ukraine take on Romania’s Handbal club Odorhei, who reached this stage last season.

The draw was conducted by Markus Glaser and Peter Sichelschmidt from the EHF Competitions Department. Following the draw for the quarter-finals the semi-finals were also drawn.

The quarter-finals will be played on 14/15 March (first leg) and 21/22 March (second leg)

The semi-finals will follow three weeks later with the first leg played on 11/12 April and the second leg a week later on 18/19 April.

Men’s Challenge Cup Quarter-finals draw

Match 1) Stord Handball (NOR) vs  Ramat Hashron HC (ISR)

Match 2) ZTR Zaporozhye (UKR) vs Handbal club Odorhei (ROU)

Match 3) Käsipalloseura Riihimäen Cocks (FIN) vs Liberty Seguros ABC/UMinho (POR)

Match 4) KS Azoty-Pulawy (POL) vs S.L. Benfica (POR) 

Semi-finals

Winners of Match 2 vs Winners of Match 4

Winners of Match 3 vs Winners of Match 1