Difficult group for defending champions

The 16 clubs participating in the Women’s EHF Champions League 2016/17 got to know their respective opponents in the group matches after the draw was carried out in Glostrup, Denmark on Friday.

Line Jörgensen, the Danish right back of the reigning winners CSM Bucuresti, helped to conduct the draw together with Jean Brihault, EHF President and Michael Wiederer, EHF Secretary General. The event was hosted by the EHF’s new official ball supplier SELECT SPORT A/S.

Her team will start the title defence in Group C together with their final's rival Györi Audi ETO KC, FC Midtjylland and Rostov-Don.

"Not sure whether I will be allowed to go back to Bucharest and wehther my teammates will be happy with the draw. But I just took the teams from the pot and someone else placed them in the group," Jörgensen said after the draw

"Despite this tough group I hope we will still make it to FINAL4. Especially in the fourth pot we got the toughest opponent as we wanted to avoid Rostov but hopefully we will beat them again as we did in the quarter-finals last season," she added.

The 2015 champions Buducnost will play in Group A together Thüringer HC, Metz Handball and the winner of Qualification Group 1.

In Group HC Vardar, who ranked third in all three editions of the Women’s EHF FINAL4 have been pitted against the newcomers Astrakhanochka, FTC Rail-Cargo Hungaria and the winners of Qualification Group 2. In the “Scandinavian” Group D the 2011 title holders Larvik will meet another debutants in the group matches Team Esbjerg, IK Sävehof and the winners of Qualification Group 3.

The last three participants will battle out the group matches tickets on 10-11 September in qualification tournaments. The first round of the group matches is scheduled for 14-16 October. Top three teams of each group will qualify for the main round starting 27 January 2017.

Photo: Courtesy of Claus Andersen, Bodhi Visuals