21.11.2014, 05:10
Unanswered questions remain in Group C

GROUP C PREVIEW: The duel for the third position is not the only exciting aspect of the last round

Unanswered questions remain in Group C

Two things have been already decided in Group C of the Women’s EHF Champions League.

Györ Audi ETO have been sure of winning the group for a long time already and since Sunday we know that Viborg HK will follow them to the main round from second position.

However, the battle for the third and last main round berth from the group is still an open battle between IK Sävehof and HC Lokomotiva Zagreb, and in the matches against those two teams, Györ and Viborg will still have to work hard to ensure they bring as many points with them to the main round as possible.

Women’s EHF Champions League Group C

Viborg HK (DEN) vs HC Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO)

Sunday 23 November at 13:40 hrs local time live on ehfTV

Viborg are sure to follow Györ to the main round from second position in the group, but the match is still extremely important to the Danish champions.

If they lose to Lokomotiva, and the Croatian champions qualify for the main round, Viborg will only have two points with them from the group, while they will get three in case Sävehof qualify.

However, the situation is far from good for Viborg as they are bothered by an injury to an already narrow squad.

On Wednesday they lost the top match in the Danish league at home against Team Esbjerg 32:21 despite help from the veterans Henriette Mikkelsen and Heidi Astrup.

“The players are sorry, but there are times when you end up in situations like this. Now we are looking forward to the Zagreb match and to our continuation in the Champions League,” Viborg coach Christian Dalmose said.

The problems by Viborg are causing optimism in Zagreb. Lokomotiva will need a win in Viborg and hope for Sävehof to lose in Györ in order to proceed to the main round.

“We have positive expectations ahead of this game. We are going for a win, because it will mean so much to us. Sanja Damnjanovic will not be playing and that is an advantage for us, as she means so much to them. Our recipe for winning this match will be strong defence and fast breaks,” line player Sanja Rajovic tells ehfCL.com.

Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) vs IK Sävehof (SWE)
Sunday 23 November 17:00 hrs local time live on ehfTV

Györ wasted no time in securing top spot in the group and in the “old days” they could have approached this match simply as a test match. This year they cannot.

Due to the new competition format, the ruling champions have to be aware of how many points they take with them to the main round.

If they defeat Sävehof in this last match of the group, they will take a maximum of eight points with them to the next round.

However, if they lose and Sävehof qualify for the main round, Györ will only take six points with them.

To Sävehof, the match is even more important. The Swedish champions are in a direct duel with Lokomotiva Zagreb for the third and final main round ticket, and as Sävehof are one points ahead of the Croatian champions, a win in the brand new Audi Arena Györ will make everything clear for them.

Even without winning, as long as the Swedes match Zagreb’s result, they will qualify.

TEXT: Peter Bruun / cor