 Preview for Round 9 of the VELUX EHF Champions League
The Group Phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League is coming to an end.
With only 24 matches to be played, some decisions have already been made, some will be made in this round, but a number of the final positions will not be confirmed until the final match day.
Astonishingly, after 96 matches have been played, no team is out of the race to reach the last 16, which speaks for the high quality and how close each of the games have been this season.
In Round 9, three teams have the chance to clinch their berths in the last 16, depending on how certain games go.
In Group A, León need to win at Flensburg and have to hope for a Montpellier defeat to reach the knock-out stage on Sunday, 17 February.
The final Last 16 place in Group B will definitely not be secured until the tenth and final round of the group phase, with Celje, Constanta, and Sävehof all in contention.
In Group C, the situation for Danish side Bjerringbro Silkeborg appeares to be easier, as they only need one point at home against Velenje to secure fourth place.
Kadetten can proceed from Group D with one round to go, if they beat Füchse, and Szeged and Zagreb lose their respective matches.
Another important question in Group A is whether Medvedi, HSV, or Flensburg will finish as number one, although that will not be answered until 24 February.
In contrast, Veszprém, Kielce, and Barcelona can be confirmed as winners of their groups this weekend.
Group A:
SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs. Reale Ademar León (ESP)
Wednesday, 20:30 hrs. local time
First leg: 29:29
Two winners from Round 7 face each other in two completely different situations.
Flensburg-Handewitt can take a huge step towards group victory by beating the Spaniards, while León need every point they can salvage to remain ahead of Montpellier in fourth place after beating the French team in their last match.
León have their final encounter at home against Partizan and are the favourite there, Flensburg have their final group match in the “bear’s den” in Chekhov.
In the first leg, Flensburg threw way a clear lead and had to settle for a draw in the tension filled match.
RK Partizan Beograd (SRB) vs. HSV Hamburg (GER)
Saturday, 19:00 hrs. local time
First leg: 24:30
If Partizan do not win this encounter, the Serbs are out of the race for the last 16 regardless of other results. Partizan will be aiming high, but still are the underdogs against the Germans.
Hamburg have their final encounter at home against Montpellier – and four points in the final two matches would at least guarantee them second place in this group, so every point counts for them.
At home, Hamburg were made to work hard before finally securing a clear 24:30 victory against Partizan.
Montpellier MAHB (FRA) vs. Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS)
Sunday, 19:00 hrs. local time
First leg: 29:35
In the case of a home defeat and a Leon away win at Flensburg, Montpellier would be out of the race for the knock-out stage – so the psychological momentum will be decisive against the Russians.
Three years ago, Chekhov made their dream of reaching the VELUX EHF FINAL4 come true by winning a penalty shoot-out at Montpellier.
The Russians arrive at France on a run of five unbeaten matches in the competition (four victories, one draw) and are keen to remain on top position.
Montpellier gave away fourth position by losing at Leon, in the first international encounter after Nikola Karabatic left MAHB.
Losing against Chekhov could mean the end of the road for Montpellier, but a win will make their final encounter in Hamburg all the more interesting.
 Group B:
RK Pivovarna Laško Celje (SLO) vs. HCM Constanta (ROU)
Saturday, 16:30 hrs. local time
First leg: 17:22
RK Pivovarna Lasko Celje have their fate in their own hands, as the Slovenians face both opponents for the final last 16 spot in their group in their final two games.
First up is Constanta, followed by Sävehof – and all three teams are currently equal on four points.
The defeat in the first leg was a clear setback for the hopes of Celje, and if they want to have the potentially vital head to head advantage against the Romanians, they at least need to win by six goals, a tough task, as Constanta have strengthened their squad over the winter break.
While the Romanians were hopeless at Veszprem, Celje showed a great performance, nearly causing a major upset at Madrid, but finally ended up with nothing in their hands.
Constanta have their final Group Match in Kiel, which simply means that they need a win this weekend to claim fourth place in the group.
Atlético Madrid (ESP) vs. IK Sävehof (SWE)
Sunday, 17:00 hrs. local time
First leg: 30:35
The Sävehof victory in the first leg was one of the biggest surprises in the whole Group Phase, but since the 35:30 win, the Swedish champions have not won a single point in the competition.
Madrid have already qualified for the last 16, but have yet to hit top form, but their fortress Vistalegre might be too strong to conquer for Sävehof.
The Swedes have their final ace in their pocket by facing Celje an home.
The significance for Madrid is not that high, they cannot finish second anymore and they need just one point from the final two matches to finish third.
THW Kiel (GER) vs. MKB Veszprém (HUN)
Sunday, 19:00 hrs. local time
First leg: 30:31
The ehfTV.com Match of the Week (live streamed free of charge and with live English commentary from Tom Ó Brannagáin) will let us know if Veszprém are already strong enough to take on the home of the defending VELUX EHF Champions League winners.
After a top class match in the first leg, Kiel are eager to be the team to defeat the Hungarians for the first time in this competition.
On the other hand, a draw is enough for Veszprem to be confirmed as group winner. Kiel can only take first place if they win by at least two goals, then win their final match at Constanta and Veszprem lose their final match at home against Madrid.
Group C:
St. Petersburg HC (RUS) vs. HC Metalurg (MKD)
Saturday, 19:00 hrs. local time
First leg: 19:32
Metalurg are still hoping for the second position in this group, but to achieve this they have to beat St. Petersburg.
For St. Petersburg, a defeat against the Macedonians would end any hope of the Russians reaching the last 16.
The first leg was a demonstration of power by Metalurg as they cruised to a comprehensive victory.
They have their final match against Bjerringrbo – and they only need to be equal in points with the currently second ranked team of Velenje to finish ahead of them, as they won the head to head with a better aggregate goal difference.
However, if Metalurg lose and Velenje win in Denmark, the Slovenians have already secured the second position.
 KS Vive Targi Kielce (POL) vs. Chambéry Savoie (FRA)
Saturday, 17 :00 hrs. local time
First leg: 36:26
A draw is enough for Kielce to secure the group victory, although coach Bogdan Wenta knows that he wants to have a clear victory after the weak performance against St. Petersburg in Round 7.
Chambéry have shown a sign of life by taking their first victory against Bjerringbro in the previous round and the French team can only hope for the last 16, if they win their both final matches, and Bjerringbro do not take any points.
The Polish champions are favourites after their run of eight straight victories in eight matches.
Bjerringbro Silkeborg (DEN) vs. Gorenje Velenje (SLO)
Sunday, 17:00 hrs. local time
First leg: 23:31
Bjerringbro need one single point from their final two matches to qualify for the first time ever for the last 16 of this competition.
If Metalurg lose the previous day at St. Petersburg, a draw would also already mean second position for Velenje.
In case of a defeat and a Metalurg victory, the Slovenians will have the tough task of facing Kielce (ehfTV.com Match of the Week in Round 10), a game which they need to take points in.
Group D:
Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI) vs. Füchse Berlin (GER)
Thursday, 20:00 hrs. local time
First leg: 27:31
Füchse have a big say in who comes in fourth position in this group, as they first play at Schaffhausen, then host Pick Szeged (both on four points).
But the Germans cannot afford to give anything away against either of their opponents, as they themselves can still can hope to overtake Barcelona, as well as needing to stay ahead of Minsk, who are only one point below, in the fight for the second position.
Schaffhausen gained a lot of confidence with their clear victory against Szeged and can take an important step towards the next round.
If they beat Füchse and Szeged lose against Minsk, they will remain ahead of the Hungarians due to their head to head record.
Pick Szeged (HUN) vs. Dinamo Minsk (BLR)
Saturday, 15:30 hrs. local time
First leg: 24:29
Another potentially decisive match sees Minsk, who are in good form and have qualified for the next round for the first time in their history.
Szeged need every single point they can manage, to clinch their top four finish after losing at Schaffhausen in Round 7.
Bearing in mind that they need to have at least one point more than Kadetten to progress, they urgently need their third home victory of the campaign.
 FC Barcelona Intersport (ESP) vs. Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb (CRO)
Saturday, 16:15 hrs. local time
First leg: 32:21
A victory would already confirm first position in Group D for Barcelona, regardless of the other results in the upcoming matches.
Zagreb need another sensation, like last season when they won 30:29 at Palau Blaugrana, because if the Croats lose and either Schaffhausen and/or Szeged win their matches, the dream is over for Slavko Goluža’s young team.
TEXT: Björn Pazen / cor
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