Women's EHF Cup group phase gets underway on Saturday

Just like in the previous season, 16 teams from 10 countries are set to start in the Women’s EHF Cup group phase. Two matches will take place on Saturday, and six more games are scheduled for Sunday.

The opening round offers some exciting games as the title holders Siófok KC Hungary host Kobenhavn Handball in group B, while SG BBM BIetigheim face Handball Club Lada in group D. Seven matches will be streamed live on ehft.

GROUP A
Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) vs DVSC Schaeffler (HUN)
Saturday 4 January, 15:00 local time, live on ehfTV.com

• the two teams have never met in a European club competition

• in qualification round 3, Kastamonu won 58:56 on aggregate against another Hungarian side, Vaci NKSE

• on their way to group phase, Schaeffler defeated Germany’s TSV Bayer 04 – Werkselfen in qualification round 2 and Serbia’s ZORK Jagodina in round 3

• Schaeffler are in fifth place in the Hungarian league

DHK Banik Most (CZE) vs Thüringer HC (GER)
Sunday 5 January, 19:00 local time, live on ehfTV.com

• Most start their EHF Cup campaign after elimination from the DELO WOMEN’S EHF Champions League

• in their turn, Thüringer played in the Europe’s premier club competition in the eight previous seasons

• the German side beat Byasen Handball Elite (NOR) and Astrakhanochka (RUS) in qualification rounds 2 and 3 respectively

• one of Thüringer’s leaders, Iveta Koresova, is Czech, but she has never played for Most

GROUP B
HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs Magura Cisnadie (ROM)
Sunday 5 January, 15:30 local time, live on ehfTV.com

• the two teams have never met in European club competitions

• Podravka begin their EHF Cup campaign after being eliminated from the DELO WOMEN’S EHF Champions League

• Magura Cisnadie are looking for their first ever win in EHF Cup as they had six losses in the previous season

• while the Croatian champions lead their domestic championship, Magura are only in eighth position

Siófok KC Hungary (HUN) vs Kobenhavn Handball (DEN)
Sunday 5 January, 17:00 local time, live on ehfTV.com

• Siófok's EHF Cup win last season was the club’s first international trophy

• the Hungarian side are currently in second spot in the domestic league, behind only Győri Audi ETO KC

• after reaching the EHF Champions League main round last season, Kobenhavn Handball are back in the Women’s EHF Cup this season

• Kobenhavn goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen and right back Anne Cecilie de la Cour are both on maternity leave

GROUP C
ÉRD (HUN) vs Odense Håndbold (DEN)
Saturday 4 January, 18.00 local time, live on ehfTV.com

• with Dutch world champion goalkeeper Tess Wester in their ranks, Odense are eyeing the trophy this season

• ÉRD beat Russian side Kuban 64:62 on aggregate to progress to the group phase, returning to this stage after a three-year hiatus

• Odense lost the Danish cup final one week ago, 33:25, against Herning-Ikast, while ÉRD enjoyed a 35:25 win in the domestic league against Alba Fehervar to cap off 2019

• the two teams have never met before in a European competition

MKS Lublin S.A. (POL) vs CS Gloria 2018 Bistrita-Nasaud (ROU)
Sunday 5 January, 17:00 local time, live on ehfTV.com

• Lublin finished fourth in group B of the DELO WOMEN'S EHF Champions League, earning zero points

• Gloria have qualified for the Women’s EHF Cup group phase for the first time in their history

• the Romanian side were eliminated by fellow Romanian side Corona Brasov in qualification round 3, but progressed after Corona were suspended

• the two teams have never met in a European competition

GROUP D
Herning-Ikast Handbold (DEN) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR)
Sunday 5 January, 15:00 local time

• Herning-Ikast will enter the court on the back of a fresh triumph in the Danish cup last Sunday

• Storhamar will meet several familiar faces as Herning-Ikast have five Norwegian players in their squad

• both clubs proceeded from the group matches last season: Herning-Ikast made it to the semi-finals, while the quarter-finals marked the end for Storhamar

SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) vs Handball Club Lada (RUS)
Sunday 5 January, 19:00 local time, live on ehfTV.com

• just like last season, Bietigheim join the EHF Cup group phase after finishing fourth in their DELO WOMEN'S EHF Champions League group

• Lada have a proud EHF Cup record, winning the competition in 2012 and 2014

• two of Bietigheim's players, Angela Malestein and Laura Van der Heijden, were part of the Dutch team that won the 2019 IHF Women´s World Championship in Japan in December

• except for Belarusian Viktoryia Shamanouskaya, Lada's roster consists entirely of native Russians