29.03.2017, 03:30
Seven clubs vying for three remaining quarter-final places

NEWS REPORT: A detailed guide for each contending team before the last round of the Men's EHF Cup Group Phase on how they can reach the quarter-finals.

Seven clubs vying for three remaining quarter-final places

Only four teams out of 16 in the Men's EHF Cup Group Phase have nothing but pride and prestige to play for in the last round. For the bottom ranked side in each group, RD Riko Ribnica, HC Midtjylland, Maccabi CASTRO Tel Aviv and Cocks, the upcoming game will be their European farewell for this season. Midtjylland can still propel themselves to second place in Group B, but their four points will not to be enough for a quarter-final ticket.

While defending champions Frisch Auf Göppingen have already clinched a direct passage to the LIQUI MOLY EHF Cup Finals, which they will host on 20/21 May, three more teams have confirmed their quarter-final places before the last round - Group A winners Füchse Berlin and two teams from Group C, SC Magdeburg and Grundfos Tatabanya, who will decide top spot in a direct encounter in Hungary on Saturday.

That leaves only three quarter-final spots open for seven contenders as the lowest ranked second-placed club will be eliminated. Fans of each club can find a detailed description on what it takes to reach the knockout stage in the last round further below.

All games can be followed live via the ticker and four matches will be also streamed live on ehfTV.com.

Even before the final group phase round it is clear that three group winners will face three second ranked teams after the quarter-final draw in Vienna on Tuesday 4 April at 11:00 hrs.

Current ranking of all teams who can finish in second place in their respective group:

GROUP A

Saint-Raphael Var Handball

• any win or draw against Füchse Berlin (live on ehfTV)

• if they lose, they not only need GOG to drop at least a point in Ribnica, but also at least one second ranked team from other groups to finish either with fewer points than them or with six points and a worse goal difference.

GOG

• only if Saint-Raphael lose to Füchse and GOG beat Ribnica (live on ehfTV), the Danish club will proceed to the quarter-finals as the away goals rule in direct encounters with Saint-Raphael will speak in their favour with teams deadlocked on same points and a same goal difference (64:64). They also need at least one second ranked team from the other groups to finish either with fewer points than them or with six points and a worse goal difference.

GROUP B

Fraikin BM Granollers

• have to take both points from the away game at HC Midtjylland and hope at least one second ranked team from the other groups will finish with six points and a worse goal difference

Futebol Clube do Porto

• have to take both points from the away game at Göppingen and not only hope that Granollers (who have a better goal difference from the direct enounters than Porto) lose at least one point at Midtjylland but also that there will be at least one second ranked team from the other groups with six points and a worse goal difference

(Midtjylland can still finish second in Group B if they beat Granollers by ten or more goals and Porto lose to Göppingen, but with four points they would become the worst second ranked team and miss the quarter-finals. If that is the case on Saturday late afternoon the second ranked teams from Group A, C and D would be qualified no matter further results.)

GROUP C

Both Magdeburg and Tatabanya have secured their place in the quarter-finals, but they have to determine in their direct game on Saturday afternoon (live on ehfTV) which team will be drawn from a pot of group winners and which from a pot of second ranked teams. One point will be enough for Tatabanya to stay on top of the group.

GROUP D

SL Benfica

• if they beat or tie with Anaitasuna in the away game on Saturday evening they will top the group

• if they lose by less than five goals and Melsungen do not win at home against Cocks, they win the group

• if they lose by five goals and Melsungen do not win at home against Cocks, the away goals rule will decide whether Benfica or Anaitasuna will be crowned as the group winners, both both teams will be through to the quarter-finals

• if they lose by more than five goals and Melsungen do not win at home against Cocks, they finish second and still qualify for the quarter-finals

• if they lose by less than four goals and Melsungen win at home against Cocks, they finish second and still qualify for the quarter-finals as the internal ranking of top three teams and their six matches (with all three teams at eight points) will have to decide the final standings

MT Melsungen

• if they beat Cocks and Benfica lose at Anaitasuna, they will win the group courtesy of the best goal difference in direct matches with Benfica and Anaitasuna (with all three teams on eight points)

• if they beat Cocks and Benfica do not lose at Anaitasuna, they will finish second and reach the quarter-final

• if they tie with Cocks and Benfica do not lose at Anaitasuna, they will finish second and reach the quarter-final

• if they lose to Cocks they not only need Anaitasuna to lose at home against Benfica but also at least one second ranked team from other groups to finish with fewer points than them or on six points but with a worse goal difference

Helvetia Anaitasuna

• if they beat Benfica by more than five goals and Melsungen do not beat Cocks, they win the group

• if they beat Benfica by five goals and Melsungen do not beat Cocks, then the away goals rule will decide whether Benfica or Anaitasuna will be crowned as the group winners, both both teams will be through to the quarter-finals

• if they beat Benfica by fewer than five goals and Melsungen do not beat Cocks, they finish second and qualify

• if they win by at least four goals and Melsungen beat Cocks, they will finish second as the internal ranking of top three teams and their six matches (with all three teams at eight points) will have to decide the final standings

• if they tie with Benfica and Melsungen lose to Cocks, they finish second and make it to the quarter-finals.

Find the standings oeverview of the Men's EHF Cup Group Phase here

TEXT: EHF / br