Metz seek to avenge last year’s elimination
Metz Handball were eliminated in the Women’s EHF Champions League Quarter-finals last season with an aggregate 54:48 score by CSM Bucuresti, yet the outlook is much different this time when both teams meet again at the same stage of the competition.
Things are looking bleaker for CSM as the season progresses, as injuries are mounting for the Romanian side. After losing Cristina Neagu and Amanda Kurtovic to season-ending injuries in December, the Romanian side will have only one available line player, Oana Manea, as Dragana Cvijic’s recurrent knee problems seem to sideline the Serbian player for the quarter-final.
Metz, which won Group 1 in the main round, are increasingly looking confident to earn their first ever DELO WOMEN’S EHF FINAL 4 berth. However, the French side failed to win their last two games in the domestic league - a 34:34 draw with Besancon and a 36:33 defeat against Brest - after winning the first 20.
QUARTER-FINAL, FIRST LEG
CSM Bucuresti (ROU) vs Metz Handball (FRA)
Friday 5 April, 19:00 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com
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CSM will miss backs Cristina Neagu and Amanda Kurtovic and line player Dragana Cvijic, while playmaker Andrea Lekic suffers from a back injury
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CSM claimed an aggregate 54:48 win over Metz in last year’s quarter-final
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Metz boasted the second-best attack (299 goals) and second-best defence (242 goals) of the main round
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CSM have the oldest squad (28.9 years on average), Metz the second-youngest (22.7) of the eight teams left in the competition
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while CSM have been at the EHF FINAL4 for past three editions, Metz could their first ever ticket to Budapest
TEXT: Adrian Costeiu / ew
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