01.03.2019, 05:00
A Hungarian derby and a crunch battle for second place

GROUP 2 PREVIEW: As Györ host FTC in another Hungarian classic, Vipers Kristiansand and CSM are locked in for a battle for second place, with FTC looming just behind them

A Hungarian derby and a crunch battle for second place

Györ already secured first place in the group with their ninth win of the Women’s EHF Champions League season against CSM last Saturday, but the Hungarian side will surely be pumped up ahead of the visit of FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, their domestic rivals.

The title holders are close to tying their best ever unbeaten streak in the competition, but FTC have their own fight for position with CSM and Vipers in trying to secure a better position in the rankings.

Elsewhere, the Romanian powerhouse is still struggling with an injury crisis, but faces a Krim side they defeated in all five games in the last two seasons, while Vipers Kristiansand must win their last two games to finish second in the group.

Currently, Vipers and CSM are tied at 10 points, with the Norwegian side holding the tiebreaker, while FTC are only one point behind after a four-game unbeaten streak in the main round.

RK Krim Mercator (SLO) vs CSM Bucuresti (ROU)
Saturday 2 March, 15:00 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

• CSM are without Amanda Kurtovic, Cristina Neagu and Majda Mehmedovic, while Andrea Lekic has back problems and is not at 100 per cent

• Krim are already out, CSM could close in second place

• CSM have won all five previous games against Krim, including the 32:26 win in the earlier match this season in Bucharest

• in the last two seasons, CSM won away against Krim by 33:30 and 24:21, respectively

Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) vs FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN)
Saturday 2 March, 19:30 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

• Unbeaten for 19 straight CL games, Györ are closing in of the club record of 22, set between May 2013 and November 2014

• It is the 199th CL game for Györ, which hold the all-time record for most wins in the competition, 145

• Györ have won nine of their 10 CL games this season but dropped a point against FTC (32:32)

• In the Hungarian league, Györ defeated FTC 39:33

• A loss would see FTC forced to rely on other results to make the quarter-finals

Thüringer HC (GER) vs Vipers Kristiansand (NOR)
Sunday 3 March, 14:00 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com

• Vipers would lock up second place with wins against THC and Györ

• Winning just once this CL season, THC were the first team to drop out of the race for the quarter-finals

• THC are on a four-game losing streak, still three short of their worst series from 2016

• Both THC (33:27 against Buxtehuder SV) and Kristiansand (33:19 against Molde) secured midweek wins in their domestic leagues

TEXT: Adrian Costeiu / ew