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In round 3 of the DELO EHF Champions League, Brest and Odense will look to strengthen their grip on group B’s standings as they take on tough opponents in their home games this weekend.
In the first Match of the Week this season, Brest host Györ in the battle between the two most effective attacks in the competition, while Buducnost search their first points of the season against Odense, who boast a 100 per cent record.
In group A, Vipers look to pile the pressure on a winless Bietgheim side, while the other three games have been postponed.
GROUP A
SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) vs Vipers Kristiansand (NOR)
Saturday 26 September, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
- Bietigheim won only once in their past 12 DELO EHF Champions League games and could be looking at starting the group phase with three losses in a row for the second consecutive season
- Vipers are the only team in the competition against whom Bietigheim have a positive record, as the German side have won two of the four mutual games
- only BV Borussia 09 Dortmund have conceded more goals than Bietigheim (69) in the first two rounds of the European competition, with 73 against
- if they win on Saturday, Vipers will have started the DELO EHF Champions League with two wins in a row for the first time ever
- last week, the Norwegian champions had their game against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria postponed. They count two points thanks their 27:26 win against Krim in the first round
GROUP B
CSKA (RUS) vs SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU)
Saturday 26 September, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
- last week, CSKA celebrated their maiden win in the competition, making a strong comeback away against Buducnost. They now have three points after two matches
- the Russian team will now try for their first ever win at home, after surprisingly splitting the points with Györ in the opening round
- Valcea are yet to claim their first points, as they have lost both at Brest and at home against Odense
- the Romanian side scored only 21 goals in each of their matches and have the least efficient attack in competition when considering the teams that have played two games
- seven CSKA players have been called up to Russia’s national team by Ambros Martin. They will have a training camp next week
HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER)
Saturday 26 September, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
- Podravka have two points after two matches, while the debutants Dortmund have lost both games so far
- the previous round was unfortunate for both teams, as Podravka lost 43:28 at Gyor, while Dortmund were defeated by Brest 29:41 in their debut home game in the DELO EHF Champions League
- Dortmund have the least effective defensive record in the tournament, with 73 goals conceded
- in contrast, the German team have been doing well in their domestic league, winning all three matches. On Wednesday, they comfortably defeated Buxtehuder SV, 36:19
- on the same day, Podravka opened their Croatian league campaign with an even bigger win, 36:13 against ZRK Murvica
MOTW: Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) vs Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)
Sunday 27 September, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
- this is the competition's first Match of the Week in the 2020/21 season
- Brest top group B with four points, while Gyor are third-placed on three points
- the two sides have been the most efficient attacking teams in the competition, as Brest have scored 69 goals and Györ 70
- last weekend, both sides hit the 40-goal mark as Brest won 41:29 at Dortmund, while Györ defeated Podravka 43:28
- the two teams have met four times in the DELO EHF Champions League, with Györ winning three games and one match ending in a draw
- both sides have a perfect record in their domestic league. On Wednesday, Brest were too strong for Nice (29:22), while Györ defeated Siofok 30:21
Odense Handbold (DEN) vs Buducnost (MNE)
Sunday 27 September, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
- the two sides have only met twice before, in the DELO EHF Champions League 2018/19 season, when Buducnost won both matches, 31:28 and 26:22
- Odense are one of three teams in the current competition with a 100 per cent record after two matches
- in contrast, Buducnost have lost both their games, even though they enjoyed a very good start both times
- however, the match with CSKA was a nice debut for Buducnost’s 19-year-old Russian back Valeriia Maslova, who scored six goals against the team from her home country
- Odense are fifth-placed in the Danish league, with 10 points after six games and just two points behind fellow Champions League team Esbjerg, who lead the competition
TEXT: Adrian Costeiu / Sergey Nikolaev
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