Seven talking points to reflect on round 9
The VELUX EHF Champions League will take a two-month break after next weekend - but the last round of matches in the calendar year 2019 promises a lot of drama following last week’s action in round 9.
Groups C and D will be completed, with one team for the group phase play-off still to be found. And things are also getting hot in groups A and B after some surprising results.
Here is an analysis with seven talking points on what happened in round 9.
Who will complete the play-off table?
Three teams have already secured their places in the elimination play-off after round 9. Bidasoa Irun and Dinamo Bucuresti – the only unbeaten teams in the competition, each with six wins and three draws – have been confirmed as group winners. With their 27:24 win against GOG on Saturday, Wisla Plock have also progressed to the next phase, as they seek their fifth Last 16 berth in the past seven seasons. The Polish side will face Bidasoa in February, while Dinamo must be patient until the final round before learning their opponents for a maiden Last 16 berth. It will be either Sporting or Sävehof, as the two sides are now tied at 12 points with their mutual encounter standing in the way. Sävehof will own the tiebreaker if the game ends in a draw, therefore Sporting have only one chance – win the game and they are through. If that happens, it would set up another play-off clash between Dinamo and Sporting, just like last season. A year ago the Portuguese side earned two wins by the slimmest of margins for a 59:57 aggregate win.
Who are the in-form teams with one round to go this year?
Barça’s best winning run in the VELUX EHF Champions League lasted for 12 games between April 2011 and February 2012. But right now the Spanish side embarked on another superb run that propelled them to the first place in Group A. Xavi Pascual’s side threw off the season with a loss against Szeged, but since that game, they won the next eight. It is their superb attack carrying them once again, as Barça scored 321 times in the first nine games, an average of 35.6 goals per game. Closely behind, Szeged are on their own six-game winning streak, tying the club record in the European premium competition, as they linger behind Barça and PSG. In groups C and D, Bidasoa Irun and Dinamo Bucuresti may be the only unbeaten teams, they gatheres ‘just’ eight points from their past five games with three wins and two draws.
Still everything to play for at the top of group A
Talking about Barça and their superb form, the Spanish champions are still first in the group, tied with PSG at 16 points after nine rounds, with both teams having lost only one game. The deadlock could be broken on Sunday when the two powerhouses meet in Paris for the Match of the Week. Szeged also monitor closely, being one point behind. The French side has a superb home record – 41 consecutive unbeaten games in the VELUX EHF Champions League – which will definitely be tested against Barça. This MOTW could be pivotal for the outcome pf the group, especially as Barça won the first game 36:32 at home in October.
What can Flensburg do to improve a record skid?
With three wins and a draw to throw off the season, Flensburg looked like a worthy challenger for one of the first places in the group. Yet their schedule stiffened and everything went sideways for the German champions. Flensburg are now on a record five-game losing streak and dropped to the fifth place in the standings, as their last win came in mid-October. Their usual reliable defence collapsed, conceding at least 31 goals in all of their last five games - against Barça, PSG and Aalborg - while Flensburg can only target the fourth place which is now held by Aalborg. There looks to be no easy fix, only the break could not come handy enough for the German side as their schedule once again eases. But the question lingers: are Flensburg strong enough to compete with the toughest opponents for a VELUX EHF FINAL 4 berth? Right now, the answer looks to be negative.
The surprising Dragons
There is no doubt that the biggest surprise package of the competition has been Porto’s ascension to challenge for one of the top places in group B. The Portuguese side is back to the VELUX EHF Champions League after a four-year hiatus and does not boast experience or stars, yet their Portuguese core has been working wonders in the past games. Their usual great home form has been doubled up by two superb away wins, against Kiel and Montpellier, teams which were the top two in the group at the moment when Porto faced them. Magnus Andersson’s side has been dominant neither in attack, nor in defence, but their gritty style of playing handball has made victims. Right now, Porto are fifth in the standings, but only four points behind Kiel and two points behind second-placed Veszprém. Can they pull off more surprises in the next rounds?
A challenge for Veszprém
Three weeks ago, Veszprém were five points behind Kiel, sitting on fourth place and with no ambitions for the first place in the group. Fast-forward to this Monday and the Hungarian champions are only two points behind. Despite losing playmaker Kentin Mahe for four months due to a knee injury, Veszprém sit only two points behind Kiel after three wins in a row. Their home form has been superb since losing against Kiel and they could take advantage of the German side’s woes after the break in January and February. The mutual game is in Germany and Veszprém must win that if they are to finally win a group and proceed to the quarter-finals for the first time since the introduction of this competition format.
Eurofarm Rabotnik and Alushovksi part ways
Ranked bottom of the table in group C with just four points, HC Eurofarm Rabotnik know that the club’s maiden Champions League adventure will be over after round 10. The club has now decided to part ways with coach Stevce Alushovski after just nine months, also because results in the regional SEHA League have been disappointing. The former wing player had taken over from Djordje Cirkovic in February 2019. Alushovski had an outstanding playing career as one of the legends of the Macedonian national team with more than 900 goals, but his coaching experience had been limited to just two years when he started at the Bitola-based club. Eurofarm Rabotnik, who said farewell to Alushovski with a "Thank you Stevce!" post on their Facebook page, are yet to announce a successor.
TEXT:
Adrian Costeiu / ew