05.12.2013, 11:47
Sävehof meet Victory in Challenge Cup Last 16

DRAW REVIEW: The eight pairings of the Men's Challenge Cup Last 16 have been drawn in Vienna. Teams have more than two months to prepare for the matches.

Sävehof meet Victory in Challenge Cup Last 16

A February trip to Belarus awaits the hottest contenders of the Men's Challenge Cup starting grid as IK Sävehof will meet the Belarusian side in the Last 16 tie. The draw at the Gartenhotel Altmannsdorf 2 defined all eight pairings of the first playing round in the new year.

The first leg matches will be played on 15/16 February, the second leg is scheduled for one week later.

The only team who does not know their opponents is Greece's AC Doukas, as they were drawn against the winners of the postponed Round 3 tie between Ukraine's ZTR Zaporozhye and Moldovan side Olimpus-85 USEFS. This match will be played over 14/15 December due to the participation of a number of Olimpus-85 players in the Moldova team at the Challenge Trophy.

Portugal's Aguas Santas Milaneza will play against Kosovo's KH Besa Famiglia, while Nilufer BK from Turkey will clash with Poland's Azoty-Pulawy. In other pairings Belgium's UHC Tongeren will face SPE Strovolos from Cyprus, Bulgarian team HC Spartak Varna have been drawn against Baltic league runners-up Riihimäki Cocks from Finland, former winners Champions Cup (forerunner of the EHF Champions League) Metaloplastika Sabac from Serbia will encounter HRK Karlovac from Croatia in the ex-Yugoslavian derby and European debutants Górnik Zabrze from Poland will meet Romania's HC Odorhei.

The 2013 Challenge Cup winners SKA Minsk entered the EHF Cup in this season and have already been eliminated in the second qualification round. Also the European campaign of last season's surprising runners-up Handball Esch ended early as the Luxembourgish side have been first ousted from the VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification and then from the EHF Cup Qualification Round 2 as well.

Men's Challenge Cup Last 16 pairings:

Aguas Santas-Milaneza (POR) vs KH BESA Famiglia (KOS)

Nilüfer BK (TUR) vs KS Azoty-Pulawy (POL)

HC Spartak (BUL) vs Cocks (FIN)

HC Victory Regia Minsk (BLR) vs IK Sävehof (SWE)

Górnik Zabrze (POL) vs HC Odorhei (ROU)

RK Metaloplastika Sabac (SRB) vs HRK Karlovac (CRO)

United HC Tongeren (BEL) vs SPE Strovolos (CYP)

AC Doukas (GRE) vs winner of ZTR Zaporozhye/Olimpus-85 USEFS

TEXT: EHF / br