|
In the last round of the EHF European League Women group phase, many questions are still not answered.
In group A, Herning-Ikast have secured a ticket for the quarter-finals, but still have to win against Paris to finish first. The French side can win or lose everything, with a chance to either finish on top of their group or be eliminated.
In group B, all four teams are still in the race for the quarter-final spots, so the matches in Togliatti and Kastamonu will name the two progressing teams. In group D, Siófok have a ticket to the quarter-finals, while Dunarea Braila can advance at home against Kuban – although Kuban also have the chance to follow the Hungarian club through.
GROUP A
Vaci NKSE (HUN) vs HC Zvezda (RUS)
Saturday 20 February, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Vaci won the first leg of the confrontation between the two teams this season 33:29
- the Hungarian side are already out of the race for the quarter-finals
- Zvezda still have a chance to book their ticket to the quarter-finals. They must win in Vac and hope that Paris 92 lose in Herning on Sunday
- Zvezda lost their domestic matchup versus Rostov-Don on Wednesday
Herning-Ikast (DEN) vs Paris 92 (FRA)
Sunday 21 February, 14:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Paris 92 won the clash between the two teams in round 2 – 26:23 on their home court
- Herning-Ikast have already secured their quarter-final ticket and only need one point to finish first
- Paris now have six points and stand in second position. The French club will finish first if they win in Herning, but they can also be eliminated if they lose in Denmark and Zvezda win in Vac on Saturday
GROUP B
Handball Club Lada (RUS) vs MKS Perla Lublin (POL)
Sunday 21 February, 14:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- in the reverse fixture, Lublin defeated Lada 28:23 in Poland
- the Polish side kept their chances to reach the next round alive with a clear win against Kastamonu, 35:26, on Monday
- Lublin are second-placed in the group with five points, while Lada have four and occupy last position
- a victory will secure a quarter-final ticket for Lublin, while Lada will go through with win – unless Kastamonu and Nantes draw
- on Wednesday, Lada beat Dinamo-Sinara 34:18 in the Russian league, with Valeriia Kirdiasheva netting 12 times
Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) vs Nantes Atlantique Handball (FRA)
Sunday 21 February, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Kastamonu had a chance to book an early quarter-final ticket on Monday, but lost in Lublin
- the Turkish side are ranked third on the table with five points, while Nantes have six and lead the group
- whichever team wins will proceed to the quarter-final
- in the reverse fixture, Amanda Kurtovic scored nine goals for Kastamonu, yet Nantes celebrated a comfortable win, 35:26
- Kurtovic is still Kastamonu’s lethal weapon, having scored as many as 38 goals in five group matches
GROUP D
H.C. Dunarea Braila (ROU) vs Kuban (RUS)
Saturday 20 January, 14:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- the hosts won against Fleury in round 5, while Kuban lost to Siófok KC
- the Russian club are second with six points while Dunarea Braila are third with five
- in their last rendezvous, the sides split the points after Braila wing Jovana Sazdovska equalised in the final seconds
- the Romanian side needs to win in order to advance, while a draw will be enough for Kuban
Siófok KC (HUN) vs Fleury Loiret HB (FRA)
Saturday 20 January, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- after five rounds, the Hungarian powerhouse are still unbeaten and have secured their position at the top of group D. The French squad have not collected any points yet
- in the previous bout between the sides, Siófok won confidently, 35:24
- Fleury are in bad shape as they lost their last 11 matches, while Siófok triumphed during the week in the Hungarian Cup
- Fleury’s right back Alexandra Lacrabere is among the top scorers of the competition, with 35 goals, which means she has scored almost 50 per cent of the club’s group phase goals
TEXT: Bela Müller, Kevin Domas, Sergey Nikolaev, Adrian Costeiu / cg
|
