High anticipation in Lisbon as leaders take on group favourites
Action in Groups C & D gets underway on Saturday with two matches on the opposite sides of Europe. Sporting CP will cross paths with Bjerringbro-Silkeborg to remain undefeated, whilst joint leaders of Group C Tatran Presov pay visit to Skopje a day later. The Group D schedule for this round will be concluded in Norway as Elverum hunt the first points of the campaign against Ademar Leon.
GROUP C
Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) vs Besiktas Mogaz (TUR)
Saturday, 29 September, 15:00 hrs CET (16:00 hrs local time), live on ehfTV.com
• Medvedi have a chance to prove themselves after unlucky one goal defeat to Sporting CP last week at home
• Turkish top flight got finally underway in midweek to add playing practice for Besiktas
• last season Besiktas won both head-to-head encounters with the Bears
Sporting CP (POR) vs Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (DEN)
Saturday 29 September, 19:30 hrs CET (18:30 local time), live on ehfTV.com
• will be the first European encounter between these two sides
• Sporting top the group and excel on domestic level as well, cruising on a winning wave
• Bjerringbro-Silkeborg will count mostly on Johan Hansen, with 15 goals the joint top scorer of the competition after Round 2
• Sporting coach Hugo Canela believes João Rocha Pavilion needs to become their fortress: “The Danes have a lot of culture and are one of the candidates to go to the next stage, we know that if we also want to catch that dream, we have to win the games at home.“
HC Metalurg (MKD) vs TATRAN Presov (SVK)
Sunday 30 September, 17:00 local time, live on ehfTV.com
• TATRAN surprisingly top the group with four points alongside Sporting
• Slovakian side will be the favourites against the young team of Metalurg, who pay the price for inexperience, lost opening two matches by eight goals each
• both teams know each other well from SEHA League; overall head-to-heads read six wins each
• Metalurg struggle in domestic competition, are winless while TATRAN are on a five-game winning streak in all competitions
GROUP D
Elverum Handball (NOR) vs Abanca Ademar Leon (ESP)
Sunday 30 September, 18:10 local time, live on ehfTV.com
• surprisingly, Elverum are the only team in Group D yet to collect a point
• The Norwegian side can count themselves unlucky to have lost both matches by two goals and need a win to remain in contention in a wide-open group
• Ademar in hunt of a victory to remain in the top two and to stay in touch with group leaders Wisla Plock
• they met twice last season, sharing a victory each, but oddly the away team won comfortably on both occasions
TEXT: Tomas Cuncik / br
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