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Just one berth in the Last 16 remains ahead of the final group phase matches in the EHF European League Men – and it all comes down to a direct duel between Toulouse and Fivers.
Both Toulouse and Fivers can hope to be the fourth qualified team in group A. The French side are currently fifth, two points behind Fivers, and need a clear victory to pass the Austrian team. Elsewhere, Leon and Chekhov will battle for second place.
In the remaining groups, all Last 16 tickets are confirmed and the final round focuses solely on table ranking.
Group B looks to be the most hotly disputed, as all the qualified teams are playing against each other this week and all four can still hope to take the first spot. The current leaders, Berlin, will host Sporting in Plock.
In group C, CSKA have the chance to surprise Magdeburg and snatch the leading position. On the other hand, Nexe will try to continue their winning streak and pass Montpellier on the table.
In group D, Rhein-Neckar Löwen are already confirmed as group winners. GOG, Kadetten (both on 12 points) and Eurofarm Pelister (11) all have the chance to finish second. Meanwhile, Tatabanya hope to win their first group phase points in Slovenia.
GROUP A
HC Metalurg (MKD) vs Abanca Ademar Leon (ESP)
Tuesday 2 March, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- Metalurg, ranked last of the group, are already out of the race for the Last 16, while Leon are still in the battle for second place
- the Spanish side need to take a point in Skopje to secure second place
- Leon took four points in their four away games this season, with one win (in Chekhov) and two draws (in Toulouse and at Fivers)
Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) vs Chekhovskie medvedi (RUS)
Tuesday 2 March, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- the Polish side secured first place as early as round 8
- Chekhov are currently third in the group, but can hope to take second spot. They need to win in Poland on Tuesday and hope for Leon not to take any points in Skopje
- overall, Plock won two of the three clashes between the two sides, including the first leg this season (28:27)
Fenix Toulouse Handball (FRA) vs Fivers (AUT)
Tuesday 2 March, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- Fivers are fourth in the group with six points, while Toulouse are fifth with four
- the French side can still hope to qualify for the Last 16, but they need to beat Fivers by six goals, as the Austrian side won the first leg 37:32
- Toulouse lost their four Lidl Starligue games so far in 2021, including the last one at home against Chambéry on Sunday (25:26)
GROUP B
Füchse Berlin (GER) vs Sporting CP (POR)
Tuesday 2 March, 17:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- this game will be played in Plock (Poland)
- the German side are on top of the group with 12 points, while Sporting are third with 10
- the Portuguese side have the chance to climb to first on the table with a win, depending on the result in Sweden. For Füchse, a draw will be enough to secure first, no matter the result in the other match
- Füchse Berlin are currently in fifth place in the Bundesliga
IFK Kristianstad (SWE) vs USAM Nimes Gard (FRA)
Tuesday 2 March, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- both teams are through to the next stage and fighting to finish as high as possible on the table. Nimes could take first position with a victory
- the Swedish team are fourth with 10 points, while Nimes are second with 11 points
- IFK Kristianstad defeated USAM Nimes 24:25 in the reverse fixture in France
TATRAN Presov (SVK) vs Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU)
Tuesday 2 March, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- in the reverse fixture, Dinamo defeated Presov 32:30 in Bucharest
- Presov have four points and Dinamo have seven. Both teams are out of the race for the Last 16
- Dinamo Bucuresti remain undefeated in the Romanian championship (16 wins in 16 games)
GROUP C
HC CSKA (RUS) vs SC Magdeburg (GER)
Tuesday 2 March, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- this match is the battle for first place in the group
- Magdeburg won against CSKA in round 3, 37:30
- the Russian team await Magdeburg after a draw in a domestic league match against Dinamo Astrakhan, placing them second
- Magdeburg won against Melsungen and are now fourth in Bundesliga
Alingsas HK (SWE) vs Besiktas Aygaz (TUR)
Tuesday 2 March, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- neither team can progress to the Last 16
- Besiktas, still without points, aim to take their first in the last match
- Fredrik Teern is making a comeback in the Swedish team, after ending his career in August 2020
- Besiktas won in the home league against Beykoz Bld Sk and are currently third, while Alingsas overran Ystads IF for fourth place
Montpellier HB (FRA) vs RK Nexe (CRO)
Tuesday 2 Match, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- Montpellier and Nexe will face each other for third position
- in the first match, Montpellier had a narrow win in Nasice, 22:21
- Nexe’s coach Branko Tamse has four consecutive wins in the EHF European League
- Patrice Canayer’s team’s latest result was a 10-goal victory against Besiktas. The French club are currently second in the French league
GROUP D
RK Trimo Trebnje (SLO) vs Grundfos Tatabanya KC (HUN)
Tuesday 2 March, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- neither team can qualify for the knockout stage and both already know their final positions: Trebnje will finish fifth and Tatabanya sixth
- the 28:26 result in Tatabanya in the first leg was one of Trebnje’s two victories. The Hungarian side still have no points in their account
- Trebnje did not have a match in Slovenian league last weekend, while Tatabanya had an easy-going 33:16 victory against Csurgoi in Hungarian league
Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) vs GOG (DEN)
Tuesday 2 March, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- if GOG win, they are sure to secure second position as they won the direct encounter with their closest rivals, Kadetten
- Löwen won the first leg in Denmark 37:32 and have lost only the assessed match against Bitola
- group winners Löwen will face either Montpellier or Nexe in the Last 16
- both sides drew their last domestic matches: Löwen in Bundesliga 26:26 at GWD Minden; GOG 28:28 at Ribe-Esbjerg
- the teams have never met in an official match
Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI) vs HC Eurofarm Pelister (MKD)
Tuesday 2 March, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV
- the first leg was a true thriller, when Kadetten took a 25:25 result from Bitola after Eurofarm Pelister were ahead constantly until the final buzzer
- it is the fourth match overall between the sides – and the historical balance is equal, with one home victory each and a draw
- Kadetten can only finish second if they finish with more points than GOG; Eurofarm can only finish second if they win and Löwen beat GOG
- Eurofarm Pelister took confidence by beating Tatran Presov 28:16 in the multinational SEHA League, while Kadetten won 37:25 at St. Gallen in the Swiss league
TEXT: Kevin Domas / Björn Pazen / Danijela Lemaic / Tiago Noquiera
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