22.03.2019, 11:58
Brest debut or Flensburg series?

LAST 16 PREVIEW: Flensburg want to make it among the best eight for the 12th time, while Brest hope to reach the quarter-finals for the first time ever

Brest debut or Flensburg series?

2014 Champions League winners SG Flensburg-Handewitt finished in third position in Group B, while HC Meshkov Brest took the final Last 16 ticket by beating Kristianstad in Round 14 to snatch sixth place in Group A. Now, for the second time, this Belarusian and German sides duel in the Last 16.

LAST 16, FIRST LEG
HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER)
Saturday 23 March, 20:00 local time, live on ehfTV.com

• Two years ago, the same pairing met in the Last 16, with Flensburg taking narrow wins in both legs – 26:25 and 28:26

• Brest won their last match against a German side, beating Rhein-Neckar Löwen in the group phase

• Brest’s Serbian left back Petar Djordjic previously played for Flensburg

• Since 2012, Flensburg only missed the quarter-finals of the VELUX EHF Champions League once: in 2014/15, when they lost in the Last 16 to their local rivals Kiel. In total, SG have ranked among the best eight teams of this competition 11 times

• Brest have reached their fourth Last 16 in a row, but they have never managed to proceed further

• Brest have enjoyed a brilliant run in the SEHA - Gazprom League, winning their last nine matches to book a ticket to the final tournament

• Flensburg’s have won 36straight Bundesliga matches and not let a single point slip through their hands since 22 March 2018

• The winner of this Last 16 duel will face the victor of the Veszprém versus Sporting CP encounter in the quarter-final

TEXT: Björn Pazen / cg