2013 finalists in early Last 16 start

The Last 16 of the Men´s Challenge Cup get off to an early start, as Handball Esch from Luxembourg are receiving Romanian AHC Potaissa Turda for the first leg Saturday afternoon.

It will be the current number two in the Luxembourg league against number three in Romania who meet in the Centre Omnisport H. Schmitz Saturday.

Handball Esch have fine tradition in the Challenge Cup, where they reached the final in the 2012/13 season, where they were defeated by Belarusian SKA Minsk, though.

In the meantime, Esch have been in the qualifiers for the VELUX EHF Champions League as well as in the EHF Cup but are now back in the Challenge Cup.

There opponents are only playing in Europe for the second time in their history.

In the 2014/15 season, Turda were in the EHF Cup, where the Romanian side reached the third and last qualification round for the group phase.

This season, they are chasing success in the Challenge Cup. The return match between Turda and Esch is taking place next weekend, when the remaining seven ties of the Last 16 also launch.