200 matches on the road to the VELUX EHF FINAL4

To celebrate the return of the VELUX EHF Champions League, here are the most important facts and figures of the upcoming group phase and beyond:

0 times since the inauguration of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in 2010 has the champions defended their title. The last team to do so was BM Ciudad Real in 2009.

1 draw only will be held in this season - the one for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 semi-finals in Cologne. Due to the new playing system, all pairings of the Last 16 and quarter-finals are set by the rankings of the groups phase.

1 coach led two different teams to the EHF Champions League trophies: Icelandic born Alfred Gislason (2002 SC Magdeburg, 2010 and 2012 THW Kiel)

1 person won the EHF Champions League as a player and a coach: Talant Dujshebaev. The current coach of Vive Tauron Kielce won the competition in 1994 as a player of Santander (ESP) and 2006, 2008 and 2009 as a coach of Ciudad Real. Veszprem coach Carlos Antonio Ortega was close to becoming number 2 on 31 May 2015, but failed in the final against his former club Barcelona, with which he took the title six times as a player.

2 winners of Groups A and B for the first time skip the Last 16 and directly qualify for the quarter-finals due to the new playing system.

4 teams are debutants of the VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase: Baia Mare (ROU), Kristianstad (SWE), Vojvodina (SRB) and Elverum(NOR, winner of the qualification tournament)

4 (which means all) participants of the VELUX EHF FINAL 2015 have qualified for the group phase again: Barcelona, Veszprem, Kielce and Kiel.

4 countries are represented by the previous 22 EHF Champions League champions: Spain (14 titles), Germany (6), Slovenia and France (each 1).

4 cross matches of the two best ranked teams of Groups C and D in March will decide the two Last 16 spots of those groups.

5 times have Barcelona and Kiel each qualified for the VELUX EHF FINAL4. Both won the trophy twice in Cologne’s LANXESS arena.

5 former or current EHF Champions League champions with a collection of 14 trophies are part of the 2015/16 group phase: Barcelona, Kiel, Flensburg, Montpellier and Celje.

5 times only Spanish and/or German teams had qualified for the finals of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 (2010 Kiel vs Barcelona, 2011 Barcelona vs Madrid, 2012 Kiel vs Madrid, 2013 Hamburg vs Barcelona, 2014 Flensburg vs Kiel). The first and only exception was Hungarian record champions Veszprem in 2015.

6 times with three different clubs (Celje, Ciudad Real/3, Barcelona/2) Belarusian Siarhei Rutenka has won the EHF Champions League and thus is the most successful active player, ahead of Thierry Omeyer (Paris Saint-Germain), who the trophy four times (Montpellier, Kiel/3). If Rutenka and Barcelona win again, he joins all-time record winner Andrej Xepkin (six trophies with Barcelona, one with Kiel).

6 pairings will compose the Last 16 this season. Those teams on the positions 2-6 of Groups A and B and those teams winning the qualification matches of groups C and D will face in the first knock-out stage.

7 former or current top scorers of the VELUX EHF Champions League are still on court in the 2015/16 season: Momir Ilic (2014/15  - 114 goals, 2013/14 - 103 goals, Veszprem), Mikkel Hansen (2011/12 - 98 goals for AG Kobenhavn, now PSG), Uwe Gensheimer (2010/11- 118 goals, Rhein Neckar Löwen), Filip Jicha 2008/09- 99 goals, and 2009/10 - 119 goals for Kiel, now Barcelona), Kiril Lazarov (2007/08 - 96 goals for Zagrab and 2005/06 - 85 goals for Veszprem, now Barcelona), Nikola Karabatic (2006/07 - 89 goals for Kiel, now PSG), Siarhei Rutenka (2003/04 - 103 goals, 2004/05 - 85 goals for Celje, now Barcelona).

8 times (1995-2000, 2011, 2015) record winners FC Barcelona have won the EHF Champions League.

8 former or current IHF World Handball Players of the Year are part of the 28 squads of this Champions League season, four of them are contracted by PSG: Arpad Sterbik (2005/Vardar), Nikola Karabatic (2007, 2014/PSG), Thierry Omeyer (2008/PSG), Slawomir Szmal (2009/Kielce), Filip Jicha (2010/Barcelona), Mikkel Hansen (2011/PSG), Daniel Narcisse (2012/PSG) and Domagoj Duvnjak (2013/Kiel). Kielce coach Talant Dujshebaev  was awarded twice (1994, 1996).

11 years ago, it was the last time, a club not from Germany or Spain won the EHF Champions League: RK Pivovarna Lasko Celje (Slovenia).

14 times Spanish teams have won the EHF Champions League - Barcelona (8), Ciudad Real (3), Santander, Irun and Portland (each 1).

14 rounds will be played in Groups A and B, Groups C and D will play 10 rounds.

20 nations are represented by the 28 group phase participants. Germany have three clubs, Spain, France, Denmark, Hungary, FYR Macedonia and Poland each two. In the 2014/16 season (with 24 participating teams) it had only been 15 different nations.

21 teams, which had been part of the 2014/15 group phase, have qualified for this stage again.

22 Champions League participations in 23 years since the start of the competition in the 1993/94 season make RK Zagreb become the record holder ahead of Veszprem and Celje (21 participations).

22 goals in the 43:21 quarter-final clash of Barcelona against Zagreb were the biggest margin of all matches in the 2014/15 season.

25 players - an all-time record - left Macedonian runners-up Metalurg Skopje before the 2015/16 season.

28 teams are part of the new look group phase, split into eight teams each in Groups A and B and six teams each in Groups C and D.

29 points in 16 matches was FC Barcelona’s record during their successful 2014/15 VELUX EHF Champions League campaign (14 wins, one draw and one defeat).

56.18 goals were scored in average in all 160 matches of the 2014/15 VELUX EHF Champions League season.

204 matches will be carried out in the 2015/16 season of the VELUX EHF Champions League - a large increase on the 160 last season. After the four qualification matches, which took place already, 172 group matches, four Group C/D cross matches, 12 Last 16 matches, eight quarter-finals and four matches at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 will follow.

408 goals were conceded by Barcelona in their 16 matches of the 2014/15 season - the best defensive record.

527 goals were scored by Barcelona in their 16 matches of the 2014/15 season - the best attacking record.

8,989 goals were scored the 2014/15 VELUX EHF Champions League season, 657 in the qualification tournaments, 6816 in the group phase, 850 in the Last 16 matches, 442 in the quarter-finals and 224 at the VELUX EHF FINAL4.

15,200 spectators attended the quarter-final Zagreb vs Barcelona - the record attendance of the 2014/15 season prior to the VELUX EHF FINAL4.