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Can Rostov bounce back from their first defeat of the season? Hosting Bietigheim, the Russian side are clear favourites but will have to show mental strength in order to reignite their momentum. Behind them, Metz and CSM Bucuresti could make decisive steps towards the quarter-finals by winning their respective games this weekend.
In group B, the undefeated leaders Györ will be challenged at Odense, who won four of their five home matches in the current season. Meanwhile CSKA seem to be strong favourites in Moscow against BV Borussia 09 Dortmund and Brest Bretagne Handball, who narrowly lost in the Russian capital last week, hope to bounce back on home court against Buducnost.
Rostov-Don (RUS) vs SG BBM Bietigheim (GER)
Saturday 16 January, 12:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- this is the clash of the extremes as Rostov currently stand on top of group A with 13 points while Bietigheim are last with three points
- Rostov suffered their first defeat since February 2020 in Metz last weekend (27:26), the last team which beat them was also Metz
- Bietigheim are currently top of the Bundesliga with twelve wins in fourteen games
- in the reverse fixture, Rostov won 32:31 in Bietigheim
CSM Bucuresti (ROU) vs Vipers Kristiansand (NOR)
Saturday 16 January, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- in the reverse fixture, Kristiansand won 30:25 at home in round 3
- before this weekend’s confrontation, Bucharest won three of the two teams’ five previous clashes
- this will be the first time Nora Mørk visits Bucharest since leaving the club last summer
- Bucharest are currently second in group A, with eleven points in nine games played, while Vipers only played five games and gathered eight points to sit fifth
- Vipers are one of only two only undefeated teams alongside Györ
FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs Team Esbjerg (DEN)
Saturday 16 January, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- both teams crossed paths last season, in the group phase. Each won the home game, with FTC taking the two points thanks to a 26:25 victory
- FTC won the reverse fixture this season in round 4, with a 24:21 victory in Denmark
- FTC are currently fourth in the group with ten points across eight games, while Esbjerg are seventh with four points in nine games
- Esbjerg recently announced the signings of German goalkeeper Dinah Eckerle, who plays in Metz, and Henny Reistad, currently at Vipers
RK Krim Mercator (SLO) vs Metz Handball (FRA)
Saturday 16 January, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Metz won the first leg against Krim by six goals, 33:27.
- it was announced this week that Tjasa Stanko, who made the move from Podravka Vegeta to Metz last summer, will head to Krim in June
- Metz inflicted Rostov their first defeat this season last weekend while Krim shared points in Bietigheim
- the French side currently sit third in the group with seven games played, while Krim are sixth with nine games played
GROUP B
CSKA (RUS) vs BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER)
Saturday 16 January, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- CSKA will play their second straight home match in the competition, as last week they snatched a hard-fought 25:24 win against Brest
- however, the Russian side were not able to leapfrog their French rivals, as they are third-placed in the group with 13 points, one point behind Brest and three behind Györ
- similar to CSKA, Dortmund are playing their debut season in the continental top flight, yet they are far less successful, gaining just two points after eight matches
- in the reverse fixture against CSKA, the German side fought hard but ultimately lost 29:28 despite Alina Grijseels’ ten goals
- that game on 11 October started Dortmund’s ongoing five-match losing run; their most recent defeat happened last week at Buducnost (31:27)
Odense Håndbold (DEN) vs Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN)
Sunday 17 January, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- Odense started 2021 on a good note, claiming a comfortable home victory against Podravka, 35:20
- the Danish team are fourth in the table with 12 points; at home, they won four of five matches, losing only to Brest
- Györ top the group with 16 points after nine matches; they have the best attack in the whole competition with 308 goals scored (34.2 per game)
- last Sunday, Gabor Danyi’s team claimed their biggest win in the current season, 37:20 at Valcea
- Györ won all three encounters with Odense in Europe’s premier club competition, including the reverse fixture last October, 32:25
HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU)
Sunday 17 January, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- the two rivals will meet for the first time this season, as their reverse match, originally scheduled for 11 October, was postponed
- in the past, they met eight times in the European club competitions, with Valcea winning five games and Podravka three; however, their most recent encounters took place in the 2008/09 season
- both sides desperately need points, as they occupy the two bottom positions in the group; while Podravka have two points, Valcea remain the only team in the whole competition without points
- last week, both teams suffered heavy defeats, as Podravka lost 35:20 at Odense, while Valcea were defeated at home by Györ even bigger, 37:20
- Dejana Misoslavljevic, the only Podravka player in the bronze-winning Croatian squad at EHF EURO 2020, is the competition’s third highest scorer with 47 goals
Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) vs Buducnost (MNE)
Sunday 17 January, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV
- last Saturday, Brest suffered their second defeat in the competition and again against CSKA; that result ended the French team’s four-game winning run
- with 14 points after ten encounters, the French team are second in the group, two points behind Györ
- Brest’s Ana Gros, who scored five goals in Moscow and continues to lead the scoring chart with 72 goals, is set to join CSKA this summer
- Bojana Popovic’s debut at the helm of Buducnost was successful, as the Montenegrin side defeated Dortmund 31:27 last Sunday
- in the reverse fixture in Podgorica, the two sides did not determine a winner, ending in a 22:22 draw
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