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Nine matches in three days – and then the group phase of the EHF Champions League Men 2020/21 will be history. On Thursday night, the final decisions towards the Last 16 will be taken.
In group A, Kielce and Flensburg can both hope to finish first in the group – and the teams will play a true final in Poland in the Match of the Week on Thursday.
While Elverum cannot finish better than last, everything remains open for places four to seven.
In group B, defending champions THW Kiel have two matches ahead (against Celje and Zagreb) and have the chance to finish on the third position if they win both. The first two spots are already reserved for Barça and Veszprém as well as the last two spots for Zagreb and Celje.
Kiel, Aalborg and Motor fight for the third position, while Nantes will only leave their sixth spot, if they win at Veszprém and Kiel lose both matches.
GROUP A
Elverum Handball (NOR) vs Paris Saint-Germain HB (FRA)
Tuesday 2 March, 18:45 CET, live on ehfTV.com
- this game was rescheduled from round 11 and will be played in Paris
- Elverum are last in the group with five points and no hope to catch Vardar, ranked seventh. PSG are third and will secure their position if they take one point in this game
- Paris took the points in the first leg of the confrontation, 35:29, back in October
- the French side suffered their first defeat since October in Flensburg last week (27:28), while Elverum have not won a Champions League game in 2021
HC Vardar 1961 (MKD) vs HC Meshkov Brest (BLR)
Thursday 4 March, 18:45 CET, live on ehfTV.com
- Meshkov Brest are currently fifth in the group, with the hope to finish fourth if they win at Vardar this week. The side from North Macedonia hope to leapfrog Porto in this last round
- Vardar won their first Champions League game since mid-October last week against Elverum (35:32)
- Vardar took all their points in the Champions League at home, while Meshkov took just one of their 11 points away from home
Lomza Vive Kielce (POL) vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER)
Thursday 4 March, 18:45 CET, live on ehfTV.com
- this game is the final of the group, as the teams are currently tied at the top with 19 points
- the German side won the first leg of the confrontation at home, 31:30
- Kielce have won all their six homes games in the Champions League this season, while Flensburg emerged victorious in three away games this season
- Kielce’s Alex Dujshebaev is currently the top scorer of the Champions League, with 74 goals. Flensburg’s Goran Johannessen has netted 55 times
Elverum Handball (NOR) vs FC Porto (POR)
Thursday 4 March, 20:45 CET, live on ehfTV.com
- the first confrontation between the two sides, played in September in Portugal, was won by Elverum (30:28)
- this game, originally scheduled to be played in Norway, will take place in Portugal
- the Portuguese side lost goalkeeper Alfredo Quintana last week, following a tragic accident at training
GROUP B
THW Kiel (GER) vs RK Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO)
Tuesday 2 March, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- Celje are confirmed to finish in seventh place, while Kiel could still finish third
- Kiel won the first leg in Celje by 35:24 for their seventh victory in 11 matches against the Slovenian champions
- Slovenian international Miha Zarabec, playing his third season for Kiel, will face many fellow-countrymen
- Kiel’s Swedish right wing Niclas Ekberg, CL top scorer in 2019/20, has just extended his contract until 2022
- Kiel star Sander Sagosen returned from injury in a Bundesliga match against Füchse Berlin (32:26) on Sunday
- Kiel are ranked second in the German league, behind Flensburg; Celje are leading in Slovenia with 16 wins from as many matches
Telekom Veszprém HC (HUN) vs HBC Nantes (FRA)
Wednesday 3 March, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- Veszprém have locked up second place in the group, Nantes are sixth and have a slim chance of overtaking Kiel
- after losing the double-header against Barça in early February, Veszprém have won the next three matches
- Nantes took seven points from the last five matches, defeated only by Barça
- Veszprém won the reverse fixture by 28:24 in the team’s first ever official duel
- Nantes left wing Valero Rivera is third on the CL scorers’ list with 66; Petar Nenadic netted 54 times for Veszprém
Barça (ESP) vs HC Motor (UKR)
Wednesday 3 March, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- Barça are unbeaten in their last 42 home matches, including 24 straight victories
- Barça have won the group, winning all 13 matches so far, while Motor are ranked fourth with 14 points
- Motor have lost all three matches they played so far in 2021
- Barça won the reverse fixture in Ukraine 30:25
- the leading scorers for both teams are equal on 56 goals: Aleix Gomez (Barça) and Viachaslau Bokhan
THW Kiel (GER) vs HC PPD Zagreb (CRO)
Thursday 4 March, 17:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Domagoj Duvnjak, EHF EURO 2020 MVP and two-time CL winner, will face his former club
- Kiel won the first meeting this season 31:21 in Zagreb, for their seventh victory in 15 matches against the Croatian champions
- Ivica Obrvan is the third coach on Zagreb’s bench this season, after Vlado Sola and Igor Vori
- Zagreb have no points after 13 matches and their last win in Kiel came 19 years ago - 28:24 in 2002
Aalborg Håndbold (DEN) vs RK Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO)
Thursday 4 March, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- if Aalborg, on 14 points, beat Celje and Kiel fail to win both matches against Celje and Zagreb, the Danish side will finish third
- Celje got two of their three wins this season in away matches, against Nantes and Zagreb, while they also beat Zagreb at home
- Aalborg won the reverse fixture 31:29 in Slovenia and have two wins and two defeats in the CL in 2021
- Second-ranked Aalborg lost 34:31 against Bjerringbro in the Danish league on Saturday
TEXT: EHF / Kevin Domas, Björn Pazen
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