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After creating surprises both in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, can Aalborg go even further and win the trophy? No Danish side has ever reached the final before, so lifting the trophy would make even more history.
But Barça, a club which has won the Champions League nine times already, have a lot to make up for, including their 2020 loss in the final.
If the Spanish side look like the clear favourites on paper, Aalborg has proven lately that being the outsiders suits them perfectly.
Prior to the final, familiar rivals HBC Nantes and Paris Saint-Germain will play an all-French placement match.
FINAL
Barça (ESP) vs Aalborg Handbold (DEN)
Sunday 13 June, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
- Barça defeated Nantes in the semi-final on Saturday (31:26) while Aalborg beat Paris (35:33)
- since 2015, the last time they won the Champions League, Barça only played one final, in 2020, and lost it to THW Kiel
- Barça have not lost a single game in the Champions League this season, with a perfect 19 wins out of 19 games. Aalborg, on the other end, have already lost eight
- the two sides played against each other in the group phase this season, with Barça winning both contests (42:33 and 35:32)
- since 2013, Aalborg and Barça have faced each other eight times in the Champions League, four times over the last two seasons. The Spanish side won them all, scoring over 40 goals twice
- Barça’s Dika Mem is challenging for the best scorer trophy of the season, with 91 goals so far this season including six in the semi-final. He is two behind Meshkov Brest’s Mikita Vailupau (93 goals)
- Nikolaj Christensen is Aalborg’s top scorer this season with 66
- Barça coach Xavier Pascual is joining Dinamo Bucuresti next season, but before then could be the first coach to win three times in Cologne
- Vaclav Horacek and Jiri Novotny, the two Czech referees, will be taking charge of the first Champions League final in their career
3/4 PLACEMENT MATCH
HBC Nantes (FRA) vs Paris Saint-Germain HB (FRA)
Sunday 13 June, 15:15 CEST, live on EHFTV
- Paris have played the 3/4 place game three times over the years and have won them all. The last time was in 2020, when they defeated Veszprém 31:26
- Nantes left wing Valero Rivera is currently one goal behind current top scorer Mikita Vailupau. With 92 goals scored, the Spaniard has netted six times more than Paris’ best scorer, Mikkel Hansen
- the last time the two sides played each other in the French league was on 25 April in Paris, when Nantes won 25:24, inflicting PSG their only domestic defeat of the season
- in their only match in Cologne Nantes eliminated PSG 32:28 in the semi-final, going on to lose to Montpellier in the final
- Paris have won three of the other four Champions League meetings between the two sides, with one game ending in a draw
- this game will be the last of Nantes captain Rock Feliho’s career, while Viran Morros will play his last game with Paris Saint-Germain
TEXT: EHF / Kevin Domas
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