07.11.2014, 11:20
Krim and Leipzig eye early main round spots

GROUP A PREVIEW: If both teams win their Sunday's Round 4 matches, they are through in the European top 12.

Krim and Leipzig eye early main round spots

Leipzig travel to Austria in the Round 4 of the Women's EHF Champions League Group A, where Hypo will try to get even for the record defeat in the last round.

Krim host Dinamo and are hoping to repeat the performance that brought them a shock victory in Volgograd. Both teams sit on top of the group with four points and can clinch their main round berths already on Sunday.

GROUP A
Hypo Niederösterreich (AUT) v HC Leipzig (GER)
Sunday 9 November at 17.10 hrs local time, live on ehfTV

It was not a pretty sight when these two teams last met on Halloween. Leipzig demolished the Austrians 42:22 and that was the biggest defeat ever for the former champions. Hypo's fans hope that coach Ferenc Kovacs has managed to lift the spirits and that the debacle is forgotten.

Gorica Acimovic desperately needs the help of her teammates, because obviously she cannot win the game all on her own. Hypo are a different animal on home court, though, and have already createt an upset this season with that 25:25 draw against Dinamo-Sinara.

Spirits are high in Saxony after two home victories and a first place in the group. In order to secure a long European spring Leipzig, who have had to secure their place among the best in qualification, simply have to bag another pair of points before the last two rounds.

Norman Rentsch's girls are in good shooting form, as the last score against Bad Wildungen suggests (34:26). Karolina Kudlacz remains the most dangerous shooter and Hypo also have to be wary of the quick German counter-attack, lead by Alexandra Mazzucco.

RK Krim Mercator (SLO) v Dinamo-Sinara (RUS)
Sunday 9 November at 19.00 hrs local time, live on ehfTV

The Slovenian champions shocked Dinamo in Volgograd in Round 3 and will hope to make a double on their Russian opponents. The young and inexperienced squad from Ljubljana played at a very high level, and there will not be many changes in tactics.

"I hope that this will be enough for a good result," says coach Marta Bon.

The Macedonian back Mirjeta Bajramoska will try to maintain her shooting rhythm, while Alja Koren is shaping in a formidable threat on the right wing. Krim's goalkepeers Misa Marincek and Sergeja Stefanisin are in excellent form since the start.

Dinamo have now lost two in a row. During the week they were bested by Astrakhanochka 27:25 in the Russian League. The silver lining for Dinamo is the fact that Daria Dmitrieva was the best scorer.

She has obviously shaken off the knock which caused her to leave the court prematurely against Krim. She is expected to be the engine for the visitors, who will have to better their scoring percentage in order to avoid three consecutive defeats.

TEXT: Grega Sever / br