Blockbusters in Presov and Bucharest mark halfway point in Groups C/D

Round 5 of the VELUX EHF Champions League 2018/19 is coming up. So after the weekend, all teams in Groups C/D will have played each other once.

The last round before that halfway mark features a full portion of six exciting matches over the two days.

Group C fans will eye on Presov vs Sporting, which can tell a lot about both teams’ chances of progression, while Group D fans will look forward to Dinamo Bucuresti hosting leaders Orlen Wisla Plock.

GROUP C

Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) vs HC Metalurg (MKD)
Saturday, 13 October, 16:00 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

• Metalurg travel to Russia to play for their first points in the campaign, while Medvedi surprisingly beat Presov last week

• Metalurg will be without their coach, Danilo Brestovac, who has been suspended for one match by the Court of Handball following his aggressive behaviour during last week's match against BSV

• In the all-time head-to-head stats, Medvedi lead 4:2; last season, both teams shared a group as well and they each won the away game

• Medvedi top their domestic league, while Metalurg have not won a competitive match since May 2018

Besiktas Mogaz (TUR) vs Bjerringro-Silkeborg (DEN)
Saturday, 13 October, 16:00 hrs local time, live on ehftv.com

• Bjerrinbro top the group with six points but Besiktas on four points can close the gap with a win

• Both teams have not met before in a European Cup tie

• Bjerringbro rely on right wing Johan Hansen again, who has 28 goals from four games so far

• Besiktas right back Ramazan Döne will be sitting out a one-match suspension after his expulsion from last week's game against Sporting CP

TATRAN Presov (SVK) vs Sporting CP (POR)
Saturday, 13 October, 18:00 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

• Key match between two teams on six points each and with same goal difference of +12

• Carlos Ruesga and Martin Stranovsky have played together for Ademar Leon

• First European Cup meeting between the two meets, though Sporting played (and won) the qualification tournament in Presov last year

• Presov have lost only one game in their last 10 matches in all competitions, Sporting two as they surprisingly lost to Maia-Ismai 26:25 in a midweek match, their first domestic defeat of the season

GROUP D

Wacker Thun (SUI) vs Abanca Ademar Leon (ESP)
Saturday, 13 October, 17:30 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

• First meeting between the teams since 2002, when Leon won both legs of a Cup Winners’ Cup tie

• Home side Thun are one of just six teams still in search of a victory this season

• The Swiss side lost 33:19 to Otmar St. Gallen on Wednesday, while Leon beat Puente Genil 24:20

• Leon’s win over Plock last week puts them back in the hunt for a play-off place, another win Saturday should see them entering the top two

Elverum Handball (NOR) vs Riihimäen Cocks (FIN)
Sunday, 14 October, 18:10 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

• This Nordic derby is the first competitive meeting between the two sides

• Following two losses in their opening pair of matches, Elverum have bounced back with consecutive victories

• Cocks are still in search of their first win, having let a four-goal lead disappear for the third time this season in Round 4 against Dinamo

• Cocks have netted only 94 times this season, and just two players scored exactly half of their tally - Nico Rönnberg and Teemu Tamminen

Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) vs Orlen Wisla Plock (POL)
Sunday 14 October, 21:00 local time, live on ehfTV.com

• Two teams tied at the top of the group on six points clash in Round 5’s final match

• The first competitive meeting of these sides could prove to be crucial as Dinamo aim to capitalise on Plock’s first defeat of the season last weekend

• Both sides have been equally efficient in attack, but Plock’s defence has been superior, conceding just 97 goals, the fewest in the entire competition

• Plock got back to winning ways with a midweek league victory away to Gdynia, while Dinamo beat Bacau 36:28 on Tuesday