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Round 6 of the EHF European League will see two undefeated teams in group A, Orlen Wisla Plock and Abanca Ademar Leon, playing at home in what possibly be tight matches. Leon only came back from Vienna last week with a draw against Fivers, while Plock had to wait until the last second to grab the win in Toulouse.
In groups B and C, there is the potential for many tight duels, but Füchse Berlin and Montpellier will want to maintain their unbeaten records.
In group D, GOG and Tatabanya will face each other twice, with both matches taking place in Denmark, while Trebnje will try to continue their winning streak.
GROUP A
Abanca Ademar Leon (ESP) vs Fivers (AUT)
Tuesday 8 December, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV.com
- the first match between the two sides, played last week, ended in a 33:33 draw, which was the third draw in the competition for Ademar Leon
- since then, Leon have played two games in the Liga Asobal, winning against Puerto Sagunto (29:27) and losing to Barça (26:35)
- Fivers won their last game in the Austrian league in Krems (32:29) on Saturday
- Leon are currently second in the group with five points, while Fivers are in fourth place with three points
Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) vs Fenix Toulouse HB (FRA)
Tuesday 8 December, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV.com
- Plock won the first confrontation 26:25 thanks to a last second goal from former Toulouse player Alvaro Ruiz Sanchez
- Plock have taken the maximum six points from three matches and are therefore top of the group before round 6
- with four points from five games, Toulouse are in third place
- Plock have not won against a French team at home in a European competition since beating Dunkerque in 2014. Since then, Paris-Saint Germain (twice) and HBC Nantes have taken the points on the Polish side’s court
- both teams won their domestic games last weekend: Toulouse in Ivry (27:26) and Plock took the points in Gdansk (31:16)
GROUP B
Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) vs Füchse Berlin (GER)
Tuesday 8 December, 16:30 CET, live on EHFTV.com
- Füchse Berlin won the first meeting by four goals, 33:29, last Tuesday
- Füchse Berlin, winners of the EHF Cup in 2015 and 2018 and runners-up in 2019, have a 100 per cent record in the EHF European League
- Dinamo Bucuresti have only one victory from four matches in group B
- Dejan Milosavljev (Füchse) and Stefan Vujic (Dinamo) usually play together for Serbia
Tatran Presov (SVK) vs IFK Kristianstad (SWE)
Tuesday 8 December, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV.com
- IFK Kristianstad won by seven goals, 32:25, against Presov last week
- Tatran Presov, Slovakian champions since 2006/07, have 11 wins from 11 games in their domestic championship
- in contrast, IFK Kristianstad have already lost five times in the Swedish league this season
- Tatran Presov have an incredible heterogeneity in their squad, with players from nine different countries
- Gregor Ocvirk (Kristianstad) will face two fellow Slovenian players, Nino Grzentic and Lucijan Fizuleto, at Presov
USAM Nimes (FRA) vs Sporting CP (POR)
Tuesday 8 December, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV.com
- USAM Nimes earned an impressive away win at Sporting last week
- the loss against Nimes was Sporting's first in the EHF European League this season
- Sporting CP recorded a 33:20 win in the Portuguese championship against Belenenses on Saturday
- USAM Nimes lost by the same margin versus AIX (30:17) in the French league on the same day
- Sporting's French right wing, Arnaud Bingo, will play against many compatriots
GROUP C
Besiktas Aygaz (TUR) vs HC CSKA (RUS)
Tuesday 8 December, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV.com
- last week’s defeat is still fresh for Besiktas, but they are third in the Turkish league after their win against Antalyaspor
- after two consecutive wins in the EHF European League, CSKA are on a good run and they now have five consecutive wins in the Russian League
- Dmitry Ilchenko, who suffered a injury in round 3 against Magdeburg, is back for CSKA
- led by captain Ramazan Döne, Besiktas are still waiting for their first points in group C this season
Alingsas HK (SWE) vs Montpellier HB (FRA)
Tuesday 8 December, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV.com
- having lost 32:21 in their first clash, Alingsas's young side will try to step up in their second match against Montpellier
- the French side are seeking their fourth consecutive win in group C
- Alingsas defeated Eskilstuna Guif 29:21 in the Swedish league on Friday
- Montpellier earned their sixth victory in the French league this season, beating Chambery Savoie 42:27, and currently sit in second place behind PSG
SC Magdeburg (GER) vs RK Nexe (CRO)
Tuesday 8 December, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV.com
- this will be the sixth meeting between Magdeburg and Nexe, with Magdeburg leading the head-to-head record four wins to one
- after a few losses, both in Europe and in the Bundesliga, Magdeburg won 32:24 against Nexe in round 5 and then earned an important domestic win against Lemgo
- Nexe are currently only competing in the EHF European League, as the SEHA League did not start and they are not playing in the Croatian championship until the play-offs
- Nexe will try to be more competitive than last week, as only Marko Buvinic is missing
- the German club are aiming for their fourth win in group C
GROUP D
Grundfos Tatabanya KC (HUN) vs GOG (DEN)
Tuesday 8 December, 17:00 CET (in Gudme), live on EHFTV.com
GOG (DEN) vs Grundfos Tatabanya KC (HUN)
Wednesday 9 December, 17:00 CET, live on EHFTV.com
- it is the first-ever duel between both sides, and both matches will be staged in Denmark within 24 hours
- GOG have beaten Eurofarm Pelister, but lost against Rhein-Neckar Löwen and Kadetten
- Tatabanya have played only twice and were defeated by Löwen and Trebnje
- in the Danish league, GOG just won the top duel against Bjerringbro, 34:33, to remain unbeaten after 13 rounds
- Tatabanya beat Konloi in the Hungarian league 30:24, their third victory in five matches so far
HC Eurofarm Pelister (MKD) vs RK Trimo Trebnje (SLO)
Tuesday 8 December, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV.com
- last week Trebnje took a 28:24 home win against Eurofarm, in their first ever meeting, and remain unbeaten in this season.
- including qualification, Trimo have won all five of their EHF European League matches this season
- since being renamed, Eurofarm Pelister are still waiting for their first international win
- Trebnje won their last domestic match 28:22 against Loka – their ninth victory from 10 matches in the Slovenian league
- Trebnje right wing Gal Cirar and Pelister left back Stipe Mandalinic (both 23 goals) are among the competition's top scorers
TEXT: European Handball Federation
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