Table of contents. Foreword 4. Media contacts 6. Map of clubs 2013/14 7. Playing system diagram - stages and dates 8

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3 Table of contents Foreword 4 Media contacts 6 Map of clubs 2013/14 7 Playing system diagram - stages and dates 8 Facts and figures of the Group Phase 10 CL current top scorers 12 Important regulations scoring of the matches 14 HC Motor Zaporozhye vs THW Kiel 15 Aalborg Handball vs FC Barcelona 24 HC Vardar PRO Skopje vs HSV Hamburg 33 Orlen Wisla Plock vs MKB MVM Veszprem 43 RK Gorenje Velenje vs PSG Handball 52 Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs SG Flensburg Handewitt 61 HC Metalurg vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 70 KS Vive Targi Kielce vs Rhein Neckar Löwen 79 VELUX EHF FINAL4 countdown 90 Media accreditation for VELUX EHF FINAL4 opens 91 Appendix 1 Qualification results Appendix 2 Group Phase results Appendix 3 Last 16 schedule 3

4 Foreword On behalf of the European Handball Federation, I cordially welcome you to the Last 16 of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Twenty-four teams had their mettle tested during the Group Phase of the competition as 120 matches were carried out over a period spanning six months. No team exited the Group Phase without a blemish; each and every team suffered a minimum of one defeat. With the requisite thrills and revelations, we witnessed the very best teams strive to be amongst the top four in their respective groups; we also saw the honourable exit of eight more teams. Now, as we stand on the eve of the matches of the Last 16, it is with great interest that we see that all four participants of the last VELUX EHF FINAL4 made it through the Group Phase. In the next round, we also have seven new clubs compared to the previous season; and from the six Group Phase debutantes, only one remains - HC Motor Zaporozhye. The upcoming matches are set to be exciting; from the eight pairings, one of the most anticipated matches is Rhein Neckar Löwen and KS Vive Targi Kielce as five former lions will face their former teammates in Kielce s uniforms. In the history of their Champions League participation, the best result of the teams of HC Metalurg and HC Vardar-Skopje from FYR Macedonia remains reaching the Last 16. When KIF Kolding Kobenhavn and HC Metalurg meet in the Last 16, it is set to be a battle of two best defences emerging from the Group Phase. The defending Champions, HSV Hamburg, might be in for a tough time in Skopje, when they meet HC Vardar on their home turf. Another not to be missed match is the line-up of MKB-MVM Veszprem and Orlen Wisla Plock; here we look forward to a duel of the two Spanish coaches, Carlos Ortega and Manolo Cadenas. And the other four matches will also have you on the edge of your seat. As always, there is something for everyone; the Last 16 is just one more step that will take eight teams closer to the 2013/2014 season finale that is the VELUX EHF FINAL4. As the teams take to the court in venues across Europe - win, lose, or draw I wish them all a most enjoyable and successful Last 16. May the best teams win! Jean Brihault EHF President 4

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6 EHF/M Media contacts Media matters Vlado Brindzak Media and Communications European Handball Federation brindzak@eurohandball.com TV and Radio Akos Moczan Media Manager EHF Marketing GmbH moczan@ehfmarketing.com Clubs Media contacts MKB-MVM Veszprém KC (HUN) Zsolt Sevinger mkbveszprem@chello.hu Rhein Neckar Löwen (GER) Ute Krebs krebs@rhein-neckar-loewen.de HC Metalurg (MKD) Zoran Cvetanovski zoran.cvetanovski@gmail.com Aalborg Handball (DEN) Poul Madsbjerg pm@aalborghaandbold.dk THW Kiel (GER) Christian Robohm christian.robohm@thw-handball.de PSG Handball (FRA) Louise Cosnard +33 (0) lcosnard@psg.fr Vive Targi Kielce (POL) Sebastian Kozubek s.kozubek@vivetargi.pl Orlen Wisła Płock (POL) Piotr Raczkowski Tel: sekretariat@sprwislaplock.pl FC Barcelona (ESP) Gustau Galvache gustau.galvache@fcbarcelona.cat KIF Kolding København (DEN) Thomas Christensen tc@kif.dk Gorenje Velenje (SLO) Tanija Rednak tanija.rednak@rk-gorenje.com RK Vardar PRO Skopje (MKD) Marko Savovski markosavovski@live.com HSV Hamburg (GER) Oliver Junggeburth presse@hsvhandball.com SG Flensburg Handewitt (GER) Sandra von Wallis s.vonwallis@sg-flensburg-handewitt.de RK Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO) Nejc Ajdnik nejc.ajdnik@rk-celje.si HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) Dmitriy Karpushchenko hkmotor@yandex.ru 6

7 VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Season 2013/14 Teams qualified for the Last16 Teams eliminated after the Group Phase VELUX EHF FINAL4 Host City Cologne, GER Dunkerque HB G. Littoral, FRA Rhein-Neckar Löwen, GER PSG Handball, FRA FC Porto Vitalis, POR F.C. Barcelona, ESP Naturhouse La Rioja, ESP Aalborg Handbold, DEN THW Kiel, GER SG Flensburg- Handewitt, GER HSV Hamburg, GER Wacker Thun, SUI RK Celje Pivo. Lasko, SLO HK Drott Halmstad, SWE HC Croatia O. Zagreb,CRO RK Gorenje Velenje, SLO KIF Kolding Kobenhavn, DEN HC Metalurg, MKD St. Petersburg HC, RUS HC Dinamo Minsk, BLR Orlen Wisla Plock, POL KS Vive Targi Kielce, POL HC Motor Zaporozhye, UKR MKB Veszprem, HUN HC Vardar Pro Skopje, MKD 7

8 Qualification Tournaments Qualification/ Wild Card Matches vs. vs. vs. vs. Qualification Tournaments Qualification and Wild Card Matches VELUX EHF Champions League 2013/14 playing system Group Phase Last 16 Quarter-finals FINAL4 4 vs. 1 vs. vs. 3 vs. 2 vs. vs. 2 vs. 1 vs. vs. Semi-finals vs. vs. 3 rd Place Match vs. vs. vs. vs. Home Matches 5 Total Matches Final vs. Season 2013/14 playing dates Group Phase Last first leg second leg Quarter-finals first leg second leg FINAL /

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10 Facts & figures of the Group Phase Barcelona, Hamburg, Persson and KIF top the rankings 16 of the 24 teams have survived the group phase and made it into the four pots of the draw for the VELUX EHF Champions League Last16. We delved into the stats to find out who and which team scored the highest number of goals, how many nations are still represented and which was the group match with the highest attendance, as well as many other interesting facts and figures. 0 teams had a perfect record of ten victories in the group phase unlike Kielce in the previous season. Barcelona and Veszprém were unbeaten until their final matches, but lost in Kharkov and Skopje. 0 teams finished the group phase with 0 zero points, but unlike last season, when each of the 24 teams at least had one victory on their accounts, St. Petersburg, Thun and Halmstad ended up with just one point each. 1 match ended with less than 40 goals: Dunkerque vs. KIF Kolding- Kobenhavn (18:20) 1 for the first time ever since the implementation of the recent playing system in the 2009/10 season a team from Ukraine made it to the Last 16: Motor Zaporozhye. 2 teams are debutants in the knock-out stage of the EHF Champions League: Aalborg and Zaporozhye. 3 matches were attended by 10,000 or more spectators. 3 nations are represented by the four group winners: Germany (Kiel and Hamburg), Hungary (Veszprém) and Spain (Barcelona). 4 teams (all) who were part of the VELUX EHF FINAL are still in the race for the tournament in Cologne on 31 May/1 June: Barcelona, Hamburg, Kielce and Kiel. 4 teams arriving from qualification have made it to the knock-out stage: Zaporozhye, the only winner of a qualification tournament to clinch their berth, and the three winners of the wild-card play-offs: Hamburg, Metalurg and Plock. 6 matches ended with 70 or more goals scored. 6 times Barcelona won their matches by a difference of ten or more goals. 8 matches ended with one-goal victories. 8 matches ended with 45 or less goals scored. 8 pairings will follow in the Last 16; the teams ranked first and second have the home right in the second leg. And none of them will be a pairing of two teams from the same nation due to the final rankings of the group phase. 8 straight victories was the brilliant run of form by FC Barcelona from Rounds 2 to 9, before they were defeated by Metalurg on Sunday. 9 nations are represented by those 16 remaining teams: Germany (4 teams), Slovenia (2), Denmark (2), Poland (2), FYR Macedonia (2), Hungary, Ukraine, Spain, France (each 1). In the previous season it had been the same number. In contrast to 2012/13, Russia and Belarus are out, France and Ukraine are in. 9 teams, who were part of the Last 16 in the 2012/13 season return to the knock-out stage: Barcelona, Veszprém, Kielce, Celje, Hamburg, Kiel, Metalurg, Velenje and Flensburg. 11 of 120 group phase matches ended in a draw. 18 points, reached by defending champions Hamburg, was the highest number in the group phase. 19 goals were the biggest difference in a single match, when Barcelona beat Wacker Thun 45: matches ended with a difference of ten or more goals. 35 goals were the overall biggest aggregate goal difference in the two matches of Barcelona vs Wacker Thun (39:23 and 45:26). 41 away victories occurred in the group phase. 42 matches ended with 60 or more goals scored. 67 times Magnus Persson (DROTT Halmstad/SWE) found the net to become top scorer of the group phase, but he and his club bow out of the competition at this stage. 68 times the home team left the court victorious. 73 goals were scored in the match HSV Hamburg vs Gorenje Velenje (41:32) the group phase match with the highest number of goals was the best goal difference of all teams, reached by FC Barcelona. 120 matches were played in the group phase. 16 more will follow in the Last 16, followed by eight matches in the quarter-finals and four at the VELUX EHF FINAL goals were scored in both encounters of Hamburg vs Velenje (41:32 and 36:29 for HSV). 240 conceded goals was the lowest number of all teams, KIF Kolding- Kobenhavn had the best defence. 348 goals were scored by FC Barcelona was the best attacking return of all 24 teams. 7,200 minutes of handball was played in the group phase. 15,320 spectators attended the match Dinamo Minsk vs. FC Barcelona the highest attendance of all the group matches. 10

11 Facts & figures of the Group Phase The top three lists Best attack 348 goals FC Barcelona 330 goals HSV Hamburg 315 goals PSG Handball Best defence 240 goals KIF Kolding-Kobenhavn 243 goals MKB-MVM Veszprém 252 goals Rhein Neckar Löwen Best goal difference +92 goals FC Barcelona +64 goals HSV Hamburg +60 goals MKB-MVM Veszprém Top scorers 67 goals Magnus Persson (DROTT Halmstad) 65 goals Gasper Marguc (RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko) 62 goals Momir Ilic (MKB-MVM Veszprém) 62 goals Renato Vugrinec (Metalurg Skopje) Matches with the highest number of goals 73 goals - HSV Hamburg vs. Gorenje Velenje (41:32) 72 goals - DROTT Halmstad vs. Gorenje Velenje (32:40) 72 goals - Naturhouse La Rioja vs. DROTT Halmstad (38:34) 71 goals - MKB-MVM Veszprém vs. Motor Zaporozhye (44:27) 71 goals - FC Barcelona vs. Wacker Thun (45:26) Matches with the lowest number of goals 38 goals - Dunkerque vs. KIF Kolding-Kobenhavn (18:20) 43 goals - FC Porto vs. Dunkerque (22:21) 44 goals - FC Porto Orlen Wisla Plock (20:24) 44 goals - Vardar Skopje vs. Metalurg Skopje (18:26) Biggest goal difference in a single match 19 goals - FC Barcelona vs. Wacker Thun (45:26) 18 goals - FC Barcelona vs. HC Metalurg (35:17) 17 goals - MKB-MVM Veszprém vs. Motor Zaporozhye (44:27) Spectators 15,320 - Dinamo Minsk vs. FC Barcelona 11,000 - RK Zagreb vs. MKB-MVM Veszprém 10,200 - THW Kiel vs. Vive Targi Kielce 11

12 VELUX EHF Champions League Current Top Scorers No. Player Club Goals 1. Magnus Persson (SWE) HK DROTT Halmstad (SWE) Gasper Marguc (SLO) Celje Pivovarna Lasko (SLO) Momir Ilic (SRB) MKB-MVM Veszprém (HUN) 62 Renato Vugrinec (SLO) HC Metalurg (MKD) Petar Nenadic (SRB) Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) Stas Skube (SLO) RK Gorenje Velenje (SLO) Timur Dibirov (RUS) HC Vardar Skopje (MKD) Gilberto Duarte (POR) FC Porto Vitalis (POR) 56 Albert Rocas (ESP) KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (DEN) 56 Marko Vujin (SRB) THW Kiel (GER) Uwe Gensheimer (GER) Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) Klemen Cehte (SLO) RK Gorenje Velenje (SLO) 54 Havard Tvedten (NOR) Aalborg Handball (DEN) Sergiy Onufryienko (UKR) HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) Kiril Lazarov (MKD) FC Barcelona (ESP) 51 Philip Stenmalm (SWE) HK DROTT Halmstad (SWE) Mads Larsen Mensah (DEN) Aalborg Handball (DEN) Filip Jicha (CZE) THW Kiel (GER) 49 Michal Jurecki (POL) KS Vive Targi Kielce (POL) Bo Spellerberg (DEN) KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (DEN) 48 Bold text indicates players of teams qualified for the Last 16 12

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14 Important regulations Scoring of the matches in the Last 16 and quarter-finals If, after completion of the two matches, both clubs have won the same number of points (no extra time will be played), the teams standings shall be determined by the following criteria: a) goal difference b) Higher number of plus goals scored in away match c) penalty throws Rules for execution of penalty throws Prior to the penalty throws, each team shall name five players eligible to play at the end of the match by handing the referees a list of numbers. These players shall then take one throw each, alternating with their opponents. Each team is free to determine the sequence in which throwers will take their throws. The goalkeepers may be freely selected from the match report and exchanged in accordance with the Rules of the Game. Goalkeepers may take throws and throwers may perform as goalkeepers. The referees shall choose the goal at which throws are taken. The team taking the first penalty throw shall be determined by the referees by drawing lots. The team winning the draw may choose whether it wishes to throw first or last. If the scores are equal after the first round of penalty throws, it shall be continued until a decision is reached. In the second round, the other team shall start. Again five players shall be named who are eligible to play (the players named before may be named once again). In the second round, a decision is reached when a goal difference arises after both teams have taken one throw each. Eligible players are players entered in the match report that have not been disqualified or suspended at the time of the final whistle. Serious infractions committed during penalty throws shall be sanctioned by disqualification. If a thrower is disqualified or suffers an injury, an eligible substitute player shall be supplementary named. While the throws are being taken, only the player taking the throw, the current goalkeeper and the referees may enter the respective half of the playing court. If the number of eligible players falls below five, players may be named to take a second throw in the same round. 14

15 HC Motor Zaporozhye vs THW Kiel First leg Thursday 20 March 19:15 hrs. local time in Györ, HUN Second leg Sunday 30 March, 17:15 hrs. local time in Kiel Four days after the main round of the Women s EHF Champions League came to an end in Györ, the Last16 of the men s competition starts at the same venue. Due to political reasons, EHF had decided to play this game on neutral ground and not in Ukraine, so the fans in Györ will see their first men s match at this level in the fortress of the reigning women s champions. Both teams never faced before in any competition, as Motor Zaporozhye are a debutant in the top flight, but the Ukrainians have already the experience of facing a German side, as they tied at Rhein Neckar Löwen in their group phase opener, and later lost on their own home court. THW Kiel missing injured left back Rasmus Lauge after a cruciate ligament rupture should be aware, bearing in mind last season when they were defeated by Russia s Chekhovskie Medvedi in their Last 16 first leg. The current goalkeeper of Motor Richard Stochl played for Medvedi last year. Kiel are the favourites, with a stronger team on paper and the threetime Champions League winner have the home right in the second leg, but Motor are confident of causing another upset, akin to beating Veszprem in their final and crucial group phase match. Head-to-head stats no previous encounters Expert s view Francois Xavier Houlet From the sporting point of view, THW Kiel are the clear favourites, as number 1 in the German Bundesliga and after winning their group and dropping just three points along the way, a draw and a defeat against Kielce. Despite losing some world class players like Omeyer, Ilic, Ahlm and Narcisee, the new THW have fit together quite quickly. Despite being eliminated from the final tournament of the German cup, Kiel are on course for domestic success and it will be interesting to see if they will be as successful in the VELUX EHF Champions League as they have been in previous seasons. The 44-year-old has more than 20 years of handball experience under his belt. He played for ten seasons each in France (mainly at Créteil and Montpellier) and Germany (mainly at VfL Gummersbach) as well as eighty times for the French national team, winning several national and international titles. Following his active handball career, he was VfL Gummersbach s general secretary from 2008 until 2010 and now works as a players consultant and TV-expert for bein Sport. HC Motor Zaporozhye clinched their berth for the Last 16 with a surprising win on home court against Veszprem, who had already been confirmed winner of the group at that time. With that win, Motor snatched the spot for the Last 16 from RK Zagreb after four wins, five defeats and the sensational opening draw at Rhein Neckar Löwen. Can history repeat itself in Germany? To me it looks unlikely. The experience, the quality, the routine and having the second leg at home are clear advantages for Kiel, as the Ukrainians do not even have home advantage in the first leg. Maybe their heads are not 100% focused on handball which would be absolutely understandable 15

16 HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) There were six newcomers at the start of this season, but only one of them made it through to knock-out stage. After just two rounds, the Ukrainian champions seemed to have the potential of becoming a dark horse not only in Group A, but in the whole competition, as they claimed a precious away point at Rhein Neckar Löwen in the first round and survived a thrilling finish against Zagreb in their home opener in Kharkov. The dream start was given a rude awakening in the third round when Zaporozhye lost by 17 goals at Veszprém and launched the downswing in form. Motor earned the compulsory four points against ex-soviet rivals from St. Petersburg, but only their stunning victory over the previously unbeaten Veszprém in the last round gave them a berth in the Last 16. During the group phase the team of Sergey Bebeshko acquired two major foreign reinforcements as Spanish centre back Angel Perez followed Russian international Egor Evdokimov in January and both played an important part in the final round success. Playing hall Szechenyi Istvan Egyetem Sportcsarnok Egyetem ter Györ Hungary Capacity: 3,000 GROUP A Final Table: 1. MKB-MVM Veszprém :243 (60) Rhein-Neckar Löwen :252 (53) Celje Pivovarna Lasko :272 (-3) 9 4. HC Motor Zaporozhye :296 (-19) 9 5. HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb :282 (-15) 8 6. St. Petersburg HC :292 (-76) 1 Club Address: HC Motor Zaporozhye Ivanova Str Zaporozhye Ukraine Media contact: Dmitriy Karpushchenko hkmotor@yandex.ru Online information: Website: Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - Rhein-Neckar Löwen D31:31 (13:15) vs HC Croatia O. Zagreb W31:30 MKB-MVM Veszprém L27:44 (13:20) vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko L29:32 (14:11) vs St. Petersburg HC W29:24 St. Petersburg HC W24:18 (14:10) vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen L26:32 HC Croatia O. Zagreb L27:33 Celje Pivovarna Lasko L27:30 (15:19) vs MKB-MVM Veszprém W26:22 (13:13) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14season): 1 Other EHF Cup: Group Phase 2012/13 Cup Winners Cup: Quarter-finals 2011/12 Ukrainian league: 1 title (2013) Ukrainian Cup winner: once Kit colours Light Player shirt: white/red Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: yellow/black Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: red/black Top scorers: 1. Sergiy Onufryienko (UKR) Oleg Skopintsev (RUS) Sergii Burka (UKR) Vladislav Ostroushko (UKR) Inal Aflitulin (RUS) 25 16

17 HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) Club records VELUX EHF Champions League Biggest win: 24:18 () v St. Petersburg HC RUS (a), Biggest defeat: 27:44 () v MKB MVM Veszprem HUN (a), Longest winning run: 2 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 3 matches ( ) Most goals: 31 v Rhein Neckar Löwen GER 31:31D (a), v HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb CRO 31:30W (h), Most goals opponent: 44 v MKB MVM Veszprem HUN 27:44D (a), Most goals both teams: 71 v MKB MVM Veszprem HUN 27:44D (a), Fewest goals: 24 v St Petersburg HC RUS 24:18W (a), Fewest goals opponent: 18 v St Petersburg HC RUS 24:18W (a), Fewest goals both teams: 42 v St Petersburg HC RUS 24:18W (a), Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) Motor are a class of their own in the Ukrainian league as they won all 14 matches this season with an impressive score 518:314. Six rounds before the end of the regular season all seems to be set for a final against their city rivals ZTR Zaporozhye, who reached the Challenge Cup quarter-finals. Motor are the greatest favourites for a double in the national cup they cruised past CSKA Kiev and will face Yuzhnyi Portovik in the semi-final. Injury report Alexander Titov meniscus injury - doubtful 17

18 HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 13 Inal Aflitulin RUS Centre Back 22 Mar Andrey Bespalov RUS Left Wing 29 Jan Sergii Burka UKR Left Back 9 Jun Vitaliy Gorbachov UKR Right Wing 13 Aug Yevgeny Gurkovsky UKR Line Player 5 Nov Alexey Kamanin RUS Centre Back 6 Jun Valentyn Koshovy UKR Goalkeeper 5 Feb Iurii Kubatko UKR Right Wing 28 Aug Kostyantyn Kurylenko UKR Left Back 10 Jul Sergiy Onufryienko UKR Right Back 31 Jan Vladislav Ostroushko UKR Left Back 5 Mar Yevgen Sapun UKR Goalkeeper 11 Jun Alexander Semikov UKR Right Back 9 Jul Yuriy Shamrylo UKR Goalkeeper 5 May Olexandr Shevelev UKR Line Player 2 Dec Oleg Skopintsev RUS Right Wing 15 Apr Richard Stochl SVK Goalkeeper 17 Dec Mykhaylo Tsap UKR Centre Back 28 May Aliaksandr Tsitou BLR Line Player 28 Oct Ievgen Zhuk UKR Left Wing 4 Aug Stanislav Zhukov UKR Left Back 26 Mar

19 Serhiy Bebeshko coach A surprising phone call changed the life of Sergij Bebeshko: In December 2009 the former Ukrainian international, who was living in Ciudad Real at that time, was asked on the phone to become new coach of Dinamo Minsk. Bebeshko agreed and led Minsk to three straight championships including the first ever double and to the Last 16 in the previous season. After 20 years in different countries mainly Spain - the 1992 Olympic champion returned to Ukraine last summer as he sign to new champions Motor Zaporozhye. Richard Štochl goalkeeper The Motor s last moment reinforcement is one of the most experienced goalkeepers in Europe. The eight-time player of the year in Slovakia is only the second foreigner in Ukraine from outside of the former Soviet Union area. Within his over 200 international matches for Slovakia he participated in two world championships 2009 and 2011 and also three EHF EURO tournaments (2006, 2008, 2012). At club level he won seven championships in five different countries Slovakia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, France and Russia. Oleg Skopintsev left wing The Russian newcomer in Motor s squad arrived from Dinamo Minsk and without doubt he has become a key player in Zaporozhye. The fast winger is technically skillful and frequently used in the 5:1 defence. Despite being just a few month in the new team Skopintsev is considered as the main specialist from the seven-metre spot. His first playing season for Chekhovskie Medvedi in the CL was unforgettable as he reached the VELUX EHF FINAL4. He has been a regular part of the Russian national team. Sergey Burka left back After four-year absence the tallest (208 cm) player of the Ukrainian championship is finally back in the CL. He joined Motor just in 2012 from the city rivals of ZTR. He collected four national titles with his former club ZTR and added one with Motor last year. Burka, together with his current teammates Onufryienko, Shevelev and Ostroushko, has been among players of the national team of Ukraine at their last major tournament - EHF EURO Since then he has been a regular fixture in the Ukrainian selection. Alexey Kamanin centre back Motor s Russian central defender is only one player in the team who took part in the Olympic Games. In 2008 the player with a fearsome nickname Kamaz helped Russia to finish on the 6th place at the Beijing Olympics. He is 12-time champion of Russia with Chekhovskie Medvedi and he scored more than 170 goals in the CL. He is also the only player of his team who played at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 as he finished fourth with Chekhov in Back in 2006 he won the Cup Winners Cup with bears. Alexandr Shevelev line player There are not too many Ukrainians who played in the European leagues recently. But Motor s pivot, who arrived from Dinamo Minsk (BLR), has already played in the Danish club Aalborg and for the former Spanish club Ciudad Real scored his first goals in the CL in But his premiere appearance in the CL was in the 2006/07 season with Ukrainian club Portovik. Besides he played in Russia for Astrakhan side Zarya Kaspia. With great experience and physical strength Shevelev became a crucial figure in the center of defense and attack. Sergey Onufryienko right back Previous CL experience of the Ukrainian national team right back dates back to his stints with ZTR Zaporozhye and HC Dinamo Minsk. The left-hander remains one of the top-scorers in the CL among Ukrainians. He won five national championships with ZTR and another four plus two domestic cups with Belarusian Dinamo alongside current Motor s coach Sergey Bebeshko, with whom he transferred to the new club over the last summer. On the national team level he was part of the EHF EURO Iurii Kubatko right wing This is the third high-level season for 25-yearold winger who joined HC Motor in 2011 from the city rivals ZTR. One of the youngest players in a roster managed to maintain his place on the court even though the team have been bolstered by several top signings over this summer. He showed some reliable perfomrances already in the EHF Cup Group Phase last season and he has been rewarded with his first titles in domestic tournaments scoring 14 goals in one match. Physically tough playing winger will certainly show more of his talent in the CL now. 19

20 THW Kiel (GER) There have might been voices out there among the handball experts that uttered concern about THW Kiel s ability to play yet another dominant season, after the German side had to cope with the departure of French internationals Thierry Omeyer and Daniel Narcisse, Swede Markus Ahlm and Serb Momir Ilic. However, the German national champions proved their critics wrong, not only in the VELUX EHF Champions League, where they topped Group B at the end of the group phase with eight wins from 10 matches, but also in the domestic league in which they equally rank first after two thirds of the season have been played. Head coach Alfred Gislason has once more forged a strong team that is ready to reach the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne for the third consecutive time. To reach the FINAL4 is always one of our main goals. We are a top club in Europe, so we should aim high all the time, says goalkeeper Johan Sjöstrand, one of the players started playing for THW Kiel at the beginning of this season. Playing hall Sparkassen-Arena-Kiel Europaplatz 1, Kiel Germany Capacity: 10,000 GROUP B Final Table: 1. THW Kiel : KIF Kolding Kobenhavn : KS Vive Targi Kielce : Orlen Wisla Plock :277 (-2) 8 5. FC Porto Vitalis :278 (-37) 5 6. Dunkerque HB G.L :268 (-31) 3 Club Address: THW Kiel Ziegelteich Kiel Germany Media contact: Christian Robohm christian.robohm@thw-handball.de Online information: Website: Facebook:thwhandball Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: green Dark Player shirt: black Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: red Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - Orlen Wisla Plock W34:33 (14:14) vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn W29:26 FC Porto Vitalis W31:27 KS Vive Targi Kielce L29:34 Dunkerque HB Littoral W29:21 (19:13) vs Dunkerque HB Littoral W28:25 (15:12) vs Orlen Wisla Plock W34:25 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn W26:24 (13:13) vs KS Vive Targi Kielce D28:28 (13:16) vs FC Porto Vitalis W30:25 (17:11) Top scorers: 1. Marko Vujin (SRB) Filip Jicha (CZE) Niclas Ekberg(SWE) Gudjon Sigurdsson (ISL) Rene Toft Hansen (DEN) 25 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 17 Winners (3): 2006/07, 2009/10, 2011/12 Runners-up (3): 1999/2000, 2007/08, 2008/09 Semi-final (3): 1996/1997, 2000/01, 2012/13 Quarter-final (5): 1998/99, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2010/11 Group Phase (2): 1994/95, 1995/96 Other EHF Cup: Winners 1997/98, 2001/02, 2003/04 German league: 18 titles (1957, 1962, 1963, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) German Cup winners: 9 times 20

21 THW Kiel (GER) Biggest win 26:50 (13:24) v Banik OKD Karvina CZE (a), Biggest defeat 22:13 (12:8) v Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO (a), Longest winning run 10 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 17 matches ( ) Longest losing run 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win 3 matches ( ) Most goals 50 v Banik OKD Karvina CZE 26:50W (a), Most goals opponent 44 v FC Barcelona ESP 44:37L (a), Most goals both teams 81 v FC Barcelona ESP 44:37L (a), Fewest goals 18 v Elgorriaga Bidasoa ESP 25:18L (a), Fewest goals opponent 15 v SKA Minsk BLR 15:27W (a), v SKA Minsk BLR 21:15W (h), Fewest goals both teams 35 v Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO 22:13L (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 1994/95 THW Kiel GER : nd Gr. B 1995/96 THW Kiel GER : nd Gr. A 1996/97 THW Kiel GER : /2-finals 1998/99 TKW Kiel GER : /4-finals 1999/00 THW Kiel GER : Runner-up 2000/01 THW Kiel GER : /2-finals 2002/03 THW Kiel GER : /4-finals 2004/05 THW Kiel GER : /4-finals 2005/06 THW Kiel GER : /4-finals 2006/07 THW Kiel GER : Winner 2007/08 THW Kiel GER : Runner-up 2008/09 THW Kiel GER : Runner-up 2009/10 THW Kiel GER : Winner 2010/11 THW Kiel GER : /4-finals 2011/12 THW Kiel GER : Winner 2012/13 THW Kiel GER : Fourth Place Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) With eight rounds to go to the end of the bundesliga season Kiel are on the right track to defend their titles as they lead the standings. However in their last three matches they gained only three points as they lost by one goal at Melsungen and surprisingly tied Magdeburg at home. Their mission in the DHB Cup is already over as they were eliminated by Rhein Neckar Löwen in the last 16. Injury report Rasmus Lauge Schmidt torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee out for season Johan Sjöstrand severe brain concussion questionable Christian Sprenger ligament rupture in his right ankle - some chance of playing 21

22 THW Kiel (GER) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 15 Rune Dahmke GER Left Wing 10 Apr Niclas Ekberg SWE Right Wing 23 Dec Wael Jallouz TUN Left Back 3 May Filip Jicha CZE Centre Back 19 Apr Dominik Klein GER Left Wing 16 Dec Moritz Krieter GER Goalkeeper 5 Feb Rasmus Lauge Schmidt DEN Centre Back 20 Jun Tjark Müller GER Centre Back 2 Jun Andreas Palicka SWE Goalkeeper 10 Jul Aron Palmarsson ISL Centre Back 19 Jul Fynn Ranke GER Line Player 5 Jan Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson ISL Left Wing 8 Aug Johan Sjöstrand SWE Goalkeeper 26 Feb Christian Sprenger GER Right Wing 6 Apr Rene Toft Hansen DEN Line Player 1 Nov Marko Vujin SRB Right Back 7 Dec Patrick Wiencek GER Line Player 22 Mar Christian Zeitz GER Right Back 18 Nov

23 Alfreð Gíslason coach The Icelander is the only current coach, who has won the CL with two different clubs - in 2002 with SC Magdeburg and in 2010 and 2012 with THW Kiel. His current team have become five-time German champions, fourtime German cup winners, five-time German supercup winner, two-time EHF Trophy winners, collected an EHF Cup along with an IHF Super Globe title. THW missed only one edition of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 under his leadership. In his active career Gislason played 190 matches for Iceland and became German champion twice with Essen. Johan Sjöstrand goalkeeper Swedish is the new language between the THW goalposts. After Thierry Omeyer returned to Montpellier, Sjöstrand was brought in to replace the legend together with close friend and international colleague Andreas Palicka. Although Sjöstrand is only 26, he has already got a journey through European handball behind him, with spells at Skövde, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, Barcelona and then Danish side Aalborg before his latest move. Gudjón Valur Sigurdsson left wing After only one year away from the Bundesliga, the 2011/12 season was spent at AG København, Sigurdsson returned to Germany again before the start of last season. The former Tusem Essen, VfL Gummersbach and Rhein-Neckar Löwen player had some outstanding performances in Europe and really appeared to have got the joy of playing handball back. With his enormous experience from top handball and his equally large talent, 2008 Olympic silver medallist Sigurdsson is a real key player. Filip Jícha left back The left and centre back was the first Czech player to be World Handball Player of the Year in Jícha, two time VELUX EHF Champions League winner in 2010 and 2012 and was twice top scorer of the competition as well. He is a danger to all defences with his one-against-one action and tough shots, but he is also a strong defender. Jícha was in the only active VELUX EHF FINAL4 participant on Ultimate Selection from 20 years of the EHF Champions League named in June Aron Pálmarsson centre back Despite his young age, this versatile and tactically as well as technically skilled playmaker has actually been with Kiel for four years now. In competition with so many world class backcourt players, match practice was scarce in his first years. However, after the departure of Momir Ilic and Daniel Narcisse, Palmarsson will be more in focus. Palmarsson is expected to become the mastermind of the THW attack with his well-known array of passing and his powerful shots. Rene Toft Hansen line player The Danish international is even better in defence than on the line in attack, but after Marcus Ahlm s departure, the learning period in attack is over for Toft Hansen, who will share the position with Patrick Wiencek. Rene Toft Hansen is a regular in the competition, where he has been playing every year since 2007, with former clubs KIF Kolding and AG København. His greatest personal achievement is an EHF EURO 2012 gold, a tournament in which he was part of the All-Star Team. Marko Vujin right back One year ago the Serbian shooter arrived in Kiel to fill the gap after the departure of Kim Andersson to KIF Kolding. After an uneasy beginning, he grew and grew and the twometre tall right back from Bačka Palanka (Serbia) scored 76 goals in Europe, scoring over 0 for the third year running. Vujin has won six consecutive national championships with Veszprém and Kiel. In the Serbian national team he is one of the stalwarts who were key to winning a silver medal at the EHF EURO Christian Sprenger right wing 30-year-old Sprenger worked under coach Alfred Gislason at former club SC Magdeburg and after seven years, including one EHF Cup title in 2007, the former German international transferred to THW Kiel in Since then, Sprenger has won eleven titles: two CL trophies, three German championships, three German cup titles, the Super Globes and the German super cup twice. His international achievements include selection on the EHF EURO 2012 All-Star team. 23

24 Aalborg Handball vs FC Barcelona First leg Sunday 23 March 15:00 hrs. local time in Aalborg Second leg Saturday 29 March 20:30 hrs. local time in Barcelona For the third straight time FC Barcelona face a Danish club in the knock-out stage and for the third time it is a different club. After being dumped out of the competition by AG Kobenhavn in the 2011/12 quarter-finals, Bjerringbro-Silkeborg were no match for them last season in the Last 16, and now the Catalans travel to Aalborg. The first leg will be something special for line player Jesper Noddesbo, a member of the Danish national team. Aalborg finished fourth in their group and now hope to cause a major sensation and a draw or even victory against Barca would definitely cause shockwaves around European handball. The Catalans are without goalkeeper Arpad Sterbik, but welcome newcomer Michael Robin, who signed from Montpellier and will partner Danijel Saric. Many Barca players know Aalborg well, as six of them played their preliminary round of the EHF EURO 2014 with Spain in the Gigantium arena. Aalborg have former Asobal players such as Havard Tvedten in their squad, who will try to use inside knowledge to expose any weaknesses in the Barca side, of which there are arguably very few. The Catalans were unbeaten until the final group match, when they lost at Skopje and even go into the first leg away as favourites. These encounters against Barcelona could prove to be the last international matches for Nikolaj Jacobsen as Aalborg s coach, as he takes the reigns at Rhein Neckar Löwen next season. Head-to-head stats no previous encounters Expert s view Francois Xavier Houlet It was a really close final for Aalborg, finishing the group phase level with Velenje and La Rioja, but the Danish champions made it to the Last 16 as the fourth ranked team in their group. Four victories and six defeats including two very close games against the big German sides Hamburg and Flensburg meant a good result in their first appearance in this competition. Aalborg consists of a strong Scandinavian mixture of players, including four Swedes, two Norwegians and the rest from Denmark. Besides some experienced players like Tvedten, Erevik, Slundt and Bagerstedt, they have highly talented young guns like Mads Mensah Larsen, who will transfer to Rhein Neckar Löwen at the end of this season. The whole team fits quite well together and they play attractive and modern handball. But will this be enough to beat Barcelona? Can mere human beings beat a machine? FC Barcelona are strong, really strong! In every position they have at least two world class players, the team of head coach Xavi Pascual has no weakness. However, they are not unbeatable, as proven by the teams from Skopje, as Vardar tied with them and Metalurg beat them. If the fans in Aalborg can make the same noise as those in Skopje, the Danes might have a chance. The quality of the squad is extremely high, the coach has a huge number of options and all new players are up to speed now. The team understand that the star is the team and the super star is the club. In my opinion Aalborg vs Barcelona is a duel with a clear favourite in which we can expect brilliant handball. The Danes have to prove that they can bother the Catalans, but I do not think they can eliminate Barcelona. 24

25 Aalborg Handball (DEN) Aalborg went into the group phase as first seeds, but few expected the Danes to challenge the German duo of HSV and Flensburg for top spot. Despite losing to the German sides, Nikolaj Jacoben s men put themselves in a very strong position going into the winter break, with four wins against the other three sides in the group. They almost managed to grab a point at home to Flensburg, but that was the last strong performance in the group. Defeats to La Rioja and Gorenje left them in a three-way tie on eight points with the Spanish and Slovenian sides, and although qualification was guaranteed, a final day defeat to HSV left them in fourth place and facing a difficult pairing with one of the top seeds in the Last 16. Harvard Tvedten and Mads Mensah Larsen accounted for 104 of Aalborg s goals, while their defence was the most effective in Group D, even with six losses to their name. Playing hall Gigantium Arena Olimpiaparken Aalborg Ost Denmark Capacity: 4,666 GROUP D Final Table: 1. HSV Hamburg :266 (64) SG Flensburg-Handewitt :272 (42) RK Gorenje Velenje :320 (-13) 8 4. Aalborg Handball :265 (10) 8 5. Naturhouse La Rioja :320 (-28) 8 6. HK DROTT Halmstad :364 (-75) 1 Club Address: Aalborg Håndbold A/S Willy Brandts Vej 31 DK-9220 Aalborg Øst Denmark Media contact: Poul Madsbjerg pm@aalborghaandbold.dk Online information: Website: Facebook: aalborghaandbold Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - SG Flensburg-Handewitt L27:31 (12:15) vs Naturhouse La Rioja W28:24 (16:10) vs HSV Hamburg L26:28 RK Gorenje Velenje W30:25 HK DROTT Halmstad W35:26 (15:8) vs HK DROTT Halmstad W37:23 (17:7) vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt L26:27 Naturhouse La Rioja L23:25 (10:13) vs RK Gorenje Velenje L23:28 HSV Hamburg L20:28 (9:12) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 2 Group Phase (1): 2010/11 Other Danish league: 2010, 2013 Danish Cup winner: 2012 Super-Cup winner Kit colours Light Player shirt: Lime Player short: White Goalkeeper shirt: Blue Dark Player shirt: Red Player short: White Goalkeeper shirt: Black Top scorers: 1. Havard Tvedten (NOR) Mads Mensah Larsen (DEN) Morten Andreas Slundt (DEN) Jacob Bagersted (DEN) Johan Mikael Jakobsson (SWE) 19 25

26 Aalborg Handball (DEN) Biggest win 37:23 (17:7) v HK DROTT Halmstad SWE (h), Biggest defeat 39:29 (20:14) v Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS (a), Longest winning run 3 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 3 matches ( ) Longest losing run 4 matches ( still active) Longest run without win 5 matches ( ) Most goals 37 v HK DROTT Halmstad SWE 37:23W (h), Most goals opponent 39 v Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS 39:29L (a), Most goals both teams 68 v Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS 39:29L (a), v Cuatro Rayas BM Valladolid ESP (h) 32:36L (h), v Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS 30:38L (h), Fewest goals 20 v HSV Hamburg GER 20:28L (a), Fewest goals opponent 23 v HK DROTT Halmstad SWE 37:23W (h), Fewest goals both teams 48 v HSV Hamburg GER 20:28L (a), v Naturhouse La Rioja ESP 23:25L (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 2010/11 AaB Handball DEN : th Gr. C Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) It is always more difficult to defend the title than to win one and Aalborg s current season has been proving it so far. Only in the main round they were defeated six times and finished fourth five points below Kolding. In the championship Group A they are also lost in their first two matches. In the Danish Cup they made an early exit in the first round as they suffered a narrow defeat by FC Midtjylland. Injury report Stig Bugge Jensen - broken hand - out for approximately 3 weeks Martin Larsen - torn cruciate ligament - out for season Tobias Aren back injury end of career 26

27 Aalborg Handball (DEN) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 15 Tobias Aren SWE Left Back 16 Mar Jacob Bagersted DEN Line Player 25 Mar Niclas Barud SWE Line Player 22 Mar Ole Erevik NOR Goalkeeper 9 Jan 1981 Casper Lindgaard Holmen DEN Left Back 16 Apr Johan Jakobsson SWE Right Back 12 Feb Christian Jensen DEN Right Wing 15 Nov 1995 Simon Jensen DEN Line Player 28 Sep 1994 Stig Bugge Jensen DEN Right Wing 9 Sep 1992 Buster Juul Lassen DEN Left Wing 31 Mar Richard Kappelin SWE Goalkeeper 30 Sep Jeppe Green Krejberg DEN Right Wing 19 Dec 1992 Marcus Daniel M. Kristiansen DEN Left Back 20 Oct Mads Mensah Larsen DEN Centre Back 12 Aug Martin Larsen DEN Right Back 19 Sep Nicolaj Lund Nielsen DEN Left Wing 23 Apr Rasmus Norgaard Haagensen DEN Right Back 18 Oct Nicolai Nygaard Pedersen DEN Left Back 15 Feb Morten Andreas Slundt DEN Centre Back 26 May Frederik Fuglsang Torp DEN Goalkeeper 9 May 1995 Havard Tvedten NOR Left Wing 29 Jun

28 Nicolaj Jakobsen coach Six times national champion and seven times cup winner in Denmark and Germany, CL finalist and twice EHF Cup winner with THW Kiel were his biggest successes as a player. The former left wing (Danish player of the year 1993 and 1999) still holds the goal record in an international match of Denmark scoring 15 times against Greece in After he had finished his career in 2007 he first became an TV expert and assistant coach in Viborg and Bjerringbro. In 2012 he took over Aalborg steering them to a surprising title. Ole Erevik goalkeeper Erevik started his career in his home town of Stavanger, and has played in Spain for Reale Ademar Leon and Bidasoa Irun, in Germany for SC Magdeburg before joining KIF Kolding in He moved in 2011 to Aalborg, where he won his second Danish league title. The temperamental Norwegian goalkeeper has very fast reactions and great flexibility. He has been the first choice goalkeeper for the Norwegian national team since Steinar Ege ended his career in He has played 147 internationals for his country. Håvard Tvedten left wing Norwegian international Tvedten is in Aalborg for the second time. After playing in Spain with no fewer than three clubs - Logroño, Naturhouse La Rioja and BM Valladolid - he returned to Aalborg in Despite being 35, Tvedten has not lost much of his speed, and his scoring percentage from the wing as well from the penalty line and fast breaks is as high as ever. Despite his long previous stay in Aalborg he has never played in the Champions League for the club before, but he brings experience from his time with Valladolid. Mads Mensah Larsen centre back Mads Mensah Larsen is considered one of Denmark s greatest back court talents. He joined Aalborg in the summer of 2012 after AG København s bankruptcy. In Copenhagen he mainly played at left back, but this meant reduced court time due to a certain Mikkel Hansen. For parts of his time with AGK, Mensah was loaned out Nordsjælland Håndbold but this season he will undoubtedly be a key player for Aalborg. He can also play left back, which will help cover the loss of Norwegian star Kristian Kjelling to Bjerringbro-Silkeborg. Richard Kappelin goalkeeper Together with Norwegian international Ole Erevik, Kappelin has formed one of the strongest goalkeeper duos in the Danish league this season, and also in the group phase of the CL has he been crucial to the Aalborg team, and he can take a big part of the credit for the fact that the Danish champions have reached the knock-out phase of the competition. With his typically Swedish, upright and awaiting style, he is a great supplement to Erevik s more aggressive style. After arriving from Al Gharafa in Qatar last summer, he will be moving on the French Sélestat Alsace Handball after this season. Jacob Bagersted line player When 111 kg heavy Bagersted joined Aalborg in 2011, it was his first stay outside Copenhagen, where he started his career in Ajax, then moved on to FCK Håndbold and finally to AG København. The 194 cm tall line player has 28 internationals on his CV, and through his experience and high scoring percentage from the line he is one of Aalborg s most important key players. He has found a fine partner in the line position in Niclas Barud who joined Aalborg in the summer of Johan Jakobsson right back After a career in the Swedish clubs HP Warta and IK Sävehof, Aalborg is the Swedish international s first club outside his native country. Jakobsson joined Aalborg in 2011 and became a key player right from the start. This versatile left-handed player, played a big role in Aalborg winning the Danish championship last season. During Kim Andersson s and Oscar Carlén s injury breaks, Jakobsson s skills have also made him first choice on the right back position in the Swedish national team. Stig Bugge Jensen right wing Bugge joined Aalborg before the start of the season from fellow Danish league competitors, TMS Ringsted, and is a huge talent which he proved at the U21 World championship in Bosnia this summer. He has stepped into the shoes of the former Swedish international Jan Lennartsson, who returned home at the end of last season. An injured foot has troubled him at the start of the season, but once he is fully fit and in shape, he will be a valuable asset to the team. 28

29 FC Barcelona (ESP) No team in the group phase managed to avoid a defeat at least once. Even FC Barcelona, a team that boasts stars like Arpad Sterbik, Siarhei Rutenka, Kiril Lazarov and Nikola Karabatic did not. Their group phase was like a burger - eight victories covered on both ends by two stumbles in Skopje. In the first round Xavi Pascual and his team only tied RK Vardar, while in the last round they were defeated by Metalurg. In the Spanish Asobal they have won all their matches so far. The sheer dominance is one of the reasons that makes the EHF Champions League record winners of the red-hot favourite to win their eighth title come the end of May and the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne. However, if Barcelona want go all the way the Last 16 and the quarter-finals are still hurdles to clear and there are many teams out there that will truly love to be the Spanish side s stumbling stone. One very recent damper to Barcelona s campaign has been an injury to their goalkeeper Arpad Sterbik who is expected to be sidelined at least until the FINAL4. However, the club was quick in signing Mickael Robin from Montpellier HB as replacement. Playing hall Palau Blaugrana Av. Aristides Maillol, s/n Barcelona Spain Capacity: 7,250 GROUP C Final Table: 1. FC Barcelona :256 (92) PSG Handball :288 (27) HC Metalurg :265 (-9) HC Vardar - Skopje :263 (6) HC Dinamo Minsk :295 (-29) 7 6. Wacker Thun :329 (-87) 1 Club Address: FC Barcelona Intersport Avda. Aristides Maillol, s/n Barcelona Spain Media contact: Gustau Galvache gustau.galvache@fcbarcelona.cat Online information: Website: Facebook: FCBHandbol Kit colours Light Player shirt: red and yellow Player short: red Goalkeeper shirt: green/grey Dark Player shirt: blue and red Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: black/dark red Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - HC Vardar - Skopje D29:29 (15:19) vs Wacker Thun W45:26 (21:14) vs HC Metalurg W35:17 PSG Handball W33:29 HC Dinamo Minsk W35:25 (16:15) vs HC Dinamo Minsk W35:25 (13:9) vs HC Vardar - Skopje W30:23 Wacker Thun W39:23 (17:13) vs PSG Handball W38:28 HC Metalurg L29:31 (11:15) Top scorers: 1. Kiril Lazarov (MKD) Nikola Karabatic (FRA) 47 Siarhei Rutenka (BLR) Victor Tomas (ESP) Jesper Nöddesbo (DEN) 32 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 17 Winner (7): 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2004/05, 2010/11 Final (3): 2000/01, 2009/10, 2012/13 Semi-final (1): 2007/08 Quarter-final (3): 2005/06, 2006/07, 2011/12 Last 16 (1): 2003/04 Main Round (1): 2008/09 Other EHF Cup: Winners 2002/03, Runners-up 2001/02 Cup Winners Cup: Winners 1993/94, 1994/95 Spanish league: 20 titles (1969, 1973, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013) Spanish Cup winner: 17 times Asobal Cup winner: 9 times 29

30 FC Barcelona (ESP) Biggest win 17:43 (9:21) v HC Bosna BH Gas Sarajevo BIH (a), Biggest defeat 31:21 (13:10) v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER (a), :31 (20:15) v THW Kiel GER (a), Longest winning run 12 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 16 matches ( ) Longest losing run 2 matches (6 times) Longest run without win 3 matches ( ) Most goals 46 v KIF Kolding DEN 46:36W (h), Most goals opponent 41 v THW Kiel GER 41:31L (a), Most goals both teams 82 v KIF Kolding DEN 46:36W (h), Fewest goals 21 v ABC Braga POR 21:21D (a), v SC Pick Szeged HUN 22:21L (a), v Portland San Antonio ESP 25:21L (a), v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER 31:21L (a), Fewest goals opponent 12 v Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD 12:26W (a), Fewest goals both teams 38 v Elgorriaga Bidasoa ESP 23:15W (a), v Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD 12:26W (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 1995/96 FC Barcelona ESP : Winner 1996/97 FC Barcelona ESP : Winner 1997/98 FC Barcelona ESP : Winner 1998/99 FC Barcelona ESP : Winner 1999/00 FC Barcelona ESP : Winner 2000/01 FC Barcelona ESP : Runner-up 2003/04 FC Barcelona ESP : /8-finals 2004/05 FC Barcelona Cifec ESP : Winner 2005/06 FC Barcelona-Cifec ESP : /4-finals 2006/07 FC Barcelona-Cifec ESP : /4-finals 2007/08 FC Barcelona ESP : /2-finals 2008/09 FC Barcelona Borges ESP : rd MR Gr /10 FC Barcelona Borges ESP : Runner-up 2010/11 FC Barcelona Borges ESP : Winner 2011/12 FC Barcelona Intersport ESP : /4-finals 2012/13 FC Barcelona Intersport ESP : Runner-up Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) Barca lack a worthy rival in this season of Asobal. The defending champions won all 23 matches so far in the league and they reign the ranking with a plus 300 goals difference. They can win the title in the upcoming two or three rounds. Already in December they claimed the Asobal Cup and they are also the hottest candidate to earn Copa del Rey trophy too after successfully passing the quarter-final recently. Injury report Arpad Sterbik (GK) - out for the rest of season Late entry Mickael Robin (GK) from Montpellier Agglomeration HB 30

31 FC Barcelona (ESP) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 13 Aitor Arino Bengoechea ESP Left Wing 5 Oct David Balaguer Romeu ESP Right Wing 17 Aug Ignacio Biosca Garcia ESP Goalkeeper 17 Jul Raul Entrerrios Rodriguez ESP Centre Back 12 Feb Juan Garcia Lorenzana ESP Left Wing 28 Aug Eduardo Gurbindo Martinez ESP Right Back 8 Nov Nikola Karabatic FRA Left Back 11 Apr Michal Kasal CZE Left Back 3 Apr Kiril Lazarov MKD Right Back 10 May Viran Morros de Argila ESP Left Back 15 Dec Jesper Brian Nöddesbo DEN Line Player 23 Oct Siarhei Rutenka BLR Left Back 29 Aug Danijel Saric BIH Goalkeeper 27 Jun Daniel Sarmiento Melian ESP Centre Back 25 Aug Joan Saubich Mir ESP Right Wing 7 Nov Cedric Sorhaindo FRA Line Player 7 Jun Arpad Sterbik ESP Goalkeeper 20 Nov Martin Stranovsky SVK Left Wing 12 Sep Victor Tomas Gonzalez ESP Right Wing 15 Feb

32 Xavi Pascual coach The name is a double feature at FC Barcelona, as the coaches of both the handball and the basketball section hold the same name. Handball s Xavi Pascual played for a lengthy period Barcelona and some other Spanish clubs, before becoming the goalkeeper coach at the EHF Champions League record winners in 2005, where he started working with the legendary David Barrufet and others. In 2009 he succeeded Manolo Cadenas at Barcelona s helm and led the team to the Champions League victory in Danijel Šarić goalkeeper One of the best Barcelona players for his incredible quality in goal and for the joy he brings to the team. Nowadays he will be more important because of the injury to Arpad Sterbik. The Bosnian goalkeeper won the VELUX EHF Champions League in 2011 with Barcelona, awarded the best goalkeeper of the ASOBAL Spanish league in 2011 and 2012, and the best player overall in He joined Barça in 2009, after spells with Spanish clubs San Antonio, León, Alcobendas and Cantabria, but began his career in Serbia with RK Crvena Zvezda and RK Sintelon. Juanin Garcia left wing The all-time record scorer of the Spanish ASOBAL league is still one of the most talented wing players in Europe. He joined the Spanish powerhouse at the start of the 2005/06 season and was part of the Barcelona squad that won the EHF Champions League in He also won gold with the Spanish national team at the 2005 World Championship. His speed on the counterattack, his athletic game and his ability to shoot in so many different ways are both fundamental aspects of Juanin Garcia s style. Siarhei Rutenka left back In 2011 the Belarusian became the second player to win five EHF Champions League titles with three clubs after Jose Javier Hombrados (with Santander, San Antonio, Ciudad Real) completed this feat as the first one. After lifting the trophy in 2004 with Celje, Rutenka won three titles with Ciudad Real, followed by the victory with Barcelona. No matter what competition, Rutenka is among the top scorers, e.g. at the 2006 EHF EURO and in 2003/04 and the 2004/05 Champions League season. Nikola Karabatić centre back / left back The former World Handball player of the Year has been one of Barcelona transfer coups this summer, with Kiril Lazarov being another one. Karabatic has already won everything there is to win, as he has triumphed at Olympic Games, World Championships and EHF European Championships with the French national team. The left back is one of the most complete handball players with strengths in attack and defence. He has also won the EHF Champions League twice in 2003 with Montpellier and 2007 with THW Kiel. Jesper Nøddesbo line player Noddesbo started his career at Team Tvis Holstebro long before the Danish club made it as far as the EHF Cup semi-final in the 2012/13 season. His career started spiralling upwards when he joined KIF Kolding in Since then, he has been among Europe s elite year after year with Kolding from 2004 to 2007, and ever since with FC Barcelona, whom he joined in the summer of He is an imposing presence on the court and is not afraid of anything when it comes to stopping opposing attackers. Kiril Lazarov right back The powerful back court shooter from FYR Macedonia is the most successful scorer at a single EHF EURO event (2012 Serbia, 61 goals) and also at World Championship level (2009 Croatia, 92 goals). He was also top scorer of the EHF Champions League twice (2005/06 and 2007/08) but still this title is missing in his trophy cabinet. In the 2012/13 ASOBAL season he converted 62 per cent of his shots, being particularly effective from the penalty line (76 per cent) and with counter (86 per cent). Victor Tomas right wing Following the victories in 2005 and 2011, the Barcelona-born Tomas will be hoping to lift his third EHF Champions League trophy at the FINAL4 in Cologne. He joined Barcelona s youth team in 1998 and has not played for any other club. In fact he is that loyal to Barça, he has always stated that if he were to leave the Catalan club he would only play outside of Spain. He biggest assets are his great pace and his impressive flexibility that make him a strong player in attack but also in defence. 32

33 HC Vardar PRO - Skopje vs HSV Hamburg First leg Saturday, 22 March, 18:00 hrs. local time in Skopje Second leg Sunday, 30 March, 18:45 hrs. local time in Hamburg Vardar can boast draws against PSG and Barcelona on home court prior to their first knockout match in the VELUX EHF Champions League and will be looking to continue their run of impressive results against HSV. The Boris Trajkovski Arena will be fully packed against the defending champions, who are clearly aware in their first match against Vardar. We know several key players, as we have faced their former club Medvedi quite often, said board member Matthias Rudolph after the draw. Both sides had duels with local rivals in the group phase, as Vardar faced Metalurg and HSV competed with Flensburg. The Macedonians can again count on Alex Dushebajev after his injury and in contrast to Metalurg they already reached one of their season goals by qualifying for the semi-final of the SEHA league (against Zagreb in Novi Sad). The first leg might already be crucial, as in away matches Vardar mostly showed a completely different face compared to their strong and successful performances in Boris Trajkovski. If Hamburg manage to stay in touch then they should hold a significant advantage at home in the second leg. If HSV fail to overcome the Skopje side, they will make unwanted history as the first VELUX EHF FINAL4 winner to be eliminated at the Last16 stage in the following season. Head-to-head stats no previous encounters Expert s view Francois Xavier Houlet This match is going to be a tough fight for the defending champions as during the group phase neither Paris nor Barcelona managed to win against Vardar at Skopje. Due to their massive fan support the Macedonian capital has become a true handball fortress. A lot has happened in and around the club since Sergei Samsonenko arrived last summer as sports director and main sponsor : 11 new players arrived and three different coaches have been in charge. The team showed mixed performances during the group phase, but they eventually qualified with two wins, two draws and four losses as the fourth ranked team from their group, making it to the Last 16 for the first time in the club s history. Vardar are building a team for the future, and their coach Raul Gonzalez already has a lot of top-class players at his disposal : Namely the Russians Chipurin, Dibirov and Rastvortsev, Brumen from Slovenia as well as Petric and Toskic from Serbia, they all are internationally well-known. Add to this young surprise packages such as Alex Dujshebaev and Strahinja Milic. Of course, the squad needs time to develop further, but Vardar are already competitive and are able to cause problems to Hamburg. HSV, who only conceded one defeat at the hands of Flensburg, became the group phase s best team overall with 18 points. It looks as if the defending champions feel much more comfortable in the VELUX EHF Champions League than in the Bundesliga., where they already lost four times and drew twice. Integrating the many new players (Mahé, Djordjic, Markovic, Pfahl, Toft-Hansen, Cleverly) was not easy at all, which is why head coach Martin Schwalb eventually opted to have more seasoned players in his starting line-up. There is a lot that speaks in Hamburg s favour in this encounter. If HSV live up to their abilities, they will go to the quarter-finals. But: They have to cope with the pressure that will come from the stands at the Boris Trajkovski Arena. This is a place where you can lose your plot very quickly 33

34 HC Vardar PRO - Skopje (MKD) The reigning Macedonian champions made several headlines early in the season as they not only stole the first point from the main group favourites FC Barcelona, but were also the first club to replace their head coach. Less than a week before their Round 3 match at home to PSG Handball they parted ways with Zoran Kastratovic. After just three months in the job, this decision was a surprise for many. Assistant coach Andon Boskovski took charge for the following game, but after the EHF EURO in Denmark the club announced the signing of Raul Gonzalez Gutierrez, a former Spanish national team player and member of team that won a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The 44-year-old has coached Valladolid and is a former assistant of Talant Dujshebaev at Ciudad Real and Atletico Madrid. The second club s connection to Dujshebaev, his son Alex, missed the final rounds of the group phase through injury. Playing hall Boris Trajkovski bul. 8 Septemvri bb Skopje FYR Macedonia Capacity: 7,000 GROUP C Final Table: 1. FC Barcelona :256 (92) PSG Handball :288 (27) HC Metalurg :265 (-9) HC Vardar - Skopje :263 (6) HC Dinamo Minsk :295 (-29) 7 6. Wacker Thun :329 (-87) 1 Club Address: HC Vardar - Skopje Marko Savovski BUL 8 mi Septemvri 20 FYR Macedonia Media contact: Marko Savovski markosavovski@live.com Online information: Website: Facebook: rkvardar Kit colours Light Player shirt: red/white Player short: red/white Goalkeeper shirt: red/black/yellow Dark Player shirt: black/red Player short: red/white Goalkeeper shirt: black/grey Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - loss) vs FC Barcelona D29:29 HC Dinamo Minsk L24:26 (11:11) vs PSG Handball D24:24 Wacker Thun W37:24 HC Metalurg W27:22 (14:9) vs HC Metalurg L18:26 FC Barcelona L23:30 (11:14) vs HC Dinamo Minsk W30:22 (14:11) vs Wacker Thun W32:25 PSG Handball L25:35 (12:15) Top scorers: 1. Timur Dibirov (RUS) Igor Karacic (CRO) Matjaz Brumen (SLO) Alex Dujshebaev (ESP) Mikhail Chipurin (RUS) 17 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 8 Last 32 (1): 1999/2000 Group Phase (6): 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2007/08, 2009/10 Other Cup Winners Cup: Semi-finals 1998/99, 2004/05, 2010/11, Quarter-finals 2006/07 SEHA league: 1 title (2012) Macedonian league: 8 titles (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2013) Macedonian Cup winner: 8 times 34

35 HC Vardar PRO - Skopje (MKD) Biggest win 37:24 (19:11) v Wacker Thun SUI (a), Biggest defeat 41:19 (19:8) v FC Barcelona ESP (a), Longest winning run 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 3 matches ( ) Longest losing run 7 matches ( ) Longest run without win 8 matches ( ) 8 matches ( ) Most goals 37 v Wacker Thun SUI 37:24W (a), Most goals opponent 41 v FC Barcelona ESP 41:19L (a), Most goals both teams 67 v Haukar Hafnarfjördur ISL 34:33L (a), Fewest goals 12 v FC Barcelona ESP 12:26L (h), Fewest goals opponent 22 v HCM Constanta ROU 22:22D (h), v GC Amicitia Zürich SUI 22:22D (h), v HC Metalurg MKD 27:22W (a), v HC Dinamo Minsk BLR 30:22W (h), Fewest goals both teams 38 v FC Barcelona ESP 12:26L (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 2001/02 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD : th Gr. D 2002/03 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD : th Gr. D 2003/04 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD : th Gr. B 2004/05 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD : rd Gr. A 2007/08 HC Vardar PRO Skopje MKD : th Gr. C 2009/10 HC Vardar PRO Skopje MKD : th Gr. D Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) Both Vardar and Metalurg join the Macedonian league only in the play-off phase. In the regional SEHA league Vardar made it to the final four tournament in Novi Sad as they finished third in the regular season behind the winners Tatran Presov and runners-up Zagreb. Injury report Alexey Rastvortsev shoulder injury out for season 35

36 HC Vardar PRO - Skopje (MKD) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 20 Ilija Abutovic SRB Left Back 2 Aug Matjaz Brumen SLO Right Wing 23 Dec Gradimir Chanevski MKD Goalkeeper 4 Mar Mikhail Chipurin RUS Line Player 17 Nov Zlatko Daskalovski MKD Goalkeeper 8 Dec Timur Dibirov RUS Left Wing 30 Jul Milos Dragas SRB Left Back 11 Jun Vlatko Jovchevski MKD Right Wing 20 Sep Igor Karacic CRO Centre Back 2 Nov Filip Lazarov MKD Left Back 21 Apr Dobrivoje Markovic SRB Left Wing 22 Apr Strahinja Milic SRB Goalkeeper 20 Dec Vlado Nedanovski MKD Left Wing 23 Jun Vladimir Petric SRB Right Back 5 Aug Nemanja Pribak SRB Centre Back 26 Mar Luka Rakovic CRO Right Wing 6 Jun Alexey Rastvortsev RUS Left Back 8 Aug Mitko Stoilov MKD Back 4 Feb Stojanche Stoilov MKD Line Player 30 Apr Stefan Terzic SRB Right Back 17 May Alem Toskic SRB Line Player 12 Feb

37 Raul Gonzalez coach The former Spanish national team player and member of team that won a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta signed a two-year contract with Vardar at the start of The 44-year-old has coached Valladolid and is a former assistant of Talant Dujshebaev at Ciudad Real and Atletico Madrid. After the departure of Zoran Kastratovic in October 2013, the club was led by Andon Boskovski, while the club owner Sergej Samsonenko joined him on the bench for all CL games. Gonzalez has been reinforced by a former Atletico player David Davis. Strahinja Milic goalkeeper The 22-year-old Serbian is regarded as one the biggest talents in Serbian handball. Being two metres tall and weighing more than 130 kg, some might tongue-in-cheek say that he resembles a small fortress. However, his range and his reflexes are impeccable. At the end of the past season he was voted Most Valuable Player at the SEHA League Final Four Tournament. This is his second VELUX EHF Champions League appearance after he had reached the group phase with Partizan in the 2011/2012 season. Timur Dibirov left wing Vardar Skopje is just the second club in the career of Dibirov who only played for Chekhovskie Medvedi before with whom he reached the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in At the 2013 World Championship the Russian international was voted best left wing of the tournament and it can be expected that the Vardar fast breaks will be more threatening and the team s defence will more aggressive with Dibirov on the court. In 2006 Dibirov won the EHF Cup with Chekhov, beating CMB Valladolid in the final. Igor Karačić centre back The 24-year-old Croatian was voted into the SEHA League All-star team at the end of the 2012/13 season. He is regarded as a fast and tough player who is brilliant when it comes to one-on-one situations. With his former club, HC Bosna BH Gas from Sarajevo, he reached the last 16 in the 2010/11 VELUX EHF Champions League season, scoring 62 goals on the way. Born in Mostar in 1988, he plays for the Croatian national team, while his brother Ivan Karacic plays for Bosnia- Herzegovina. Filip Lazarov left back The younger brother of the more famous Kiril Lazarov from FC Barcelona joined Vardar before the 2011/12 season after seven seasons at their city rivals from Metalurg. The importance and the playing time of the 197-cm tall left back has grown substantially after the Russian Alexey Rastvortsev got injured in the derby match against Metalurg in Group C and was out for the rest of the season. In contrast to his globetrotting brother Filip Lazarov spent almost the whole career in Skopje besides short spells with Hungarian PLER Budapest and even shorter with Pelister Bitola. Stojance Stoilov line player Stojance Stoilov is not only Vardar s first choice line player, but occupies the same position in the Macedonian national team. He joined Vardar three seasons ago from city rivals Metalurg a step that saw his career spiralling upwards. The spotlight was on him at the EHF EURO 2012 when FYR Macedonia finished 5th and Stoilov played a brilliant tournament. In May 2013 he was selected for the All-star team of SEHA League Final-Four tournament at which Vardar finished second. Alex Dujshebaev right back The son of Talant Dujshebaev joined Vardar at the beginning of the season. Playing for Spain at the Junior World Championship this summer, Dujshebaev was one of the best players, helped his team to win silver and was selected for the All-star team as best right back. He had achieved the same honours at the 2012 Men s 20 EHF EURO at which Spain topped the podium. In the two previous seasons during which he played for BM Aragon Dujshebaev became the Spanish ASOBAL s top scorer on both occasions. Matjaz Brumen right wing The 30-year-old Slovenian is the only Vardar player with a European Cup title under his belt. He won the EHF Champions League with Celje in 2004 and the Challenge Cup with Koper in He has been playing for Slovenian clubs Prule 67, Celje and Koper, but this is the first time he plays outside of his home country. He played for Slovenia at several major tournaments and was part of the team which only narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth at the 2013 World Championship in Spain. 37

38 HSV Hamburg (GER) Despite losing one of their most influential characters on the court, Igor Vori, to PSG during the summer, there was still huge expectation on the shoulders of HSV Hamburg going into the group phase as defending champions. The northern German seemed to be dealing with the expectation with ease, as they made light work of all five group phase opponents, before eventually dropping points against local rivals Flensburg in their return fixture. That loss proved to be the only dip in form as they cantered to victory in their last four games by at least seven goals. The build-up to the final game against Aalborg was dominated by the news of the club director s departure and financial difficulties, but HSV were unaffected on the court, taking the two points and ending the group phase with the best overall record of 18 points and the second highest scoring return of 330 goals. Playing hall Sporthalle Hamburg Krochmannstrasse Hamburg Germany Capacity: 4,200 GROUP D Final Table: 1. HSV Hamburg :266 (64) SG Flensburg-Handewitt :272 (42) RK Gorenje Velenje :320 (-13) 8 4. Aalborg Handball :265 (10) 8 5. Naturhouse La Rioja :320 (-28) 8 6. HK DROTT Halmstad :364 (-75) 1 Club Address: HSV Hamburg Hellgrundweg Hamburg Germany Media contact: Oliver Junggeburth Tel: presse@hsvhandball.com Online information: Website: Facebook: HSVHandball Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: green/yellow/red Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: green/yellow/red Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - Naturhouse La Rioja W33:24 (14:8) vs RK Gorenje Velenje W41:32 Aalborg Handball W28:26 (14:14) vs HK DROTT Halmstad W39:30 (18:14) vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt W32:27 SG Flensburg-Handewitt L24:27 (13:11) vs Naturhouse La Rioja W34:27 RK Gorenje Velenje W36:29 HK DROTT Halmstad W35:24 (14:12) vs Aalborg Handball W28:20 (12:9) Top scorers: 1. Stefan Schröder (GER) Domagoj Duvnjak (CRO) 35 Kentin Mahe (FRA) Petar Djordjic (SRB) 28 Zarko Markovic (MNE) 28 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/2014 season): 7 Winners (1): 2012/2013 Semi-final (3): 2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2010/2011 Quarter-final (1): 2009/2010 Last 16 (1): 2011/2012 Other Cup Winners Cup: Winners 2006/2007 German champion: 1 title (2011) German Cup winner: twice German Super-Cup winner: four times 38

39 HSV Hamburg (GER) Biggest win 17:48 (10:25) v Fyllingen Handball NOR (a), Biggest defeat 35:27 (18:11) v BM Ciudad Real ESP (a), Longest winning run 9 matches ( ) 9 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 11 matches ( ) Longest losing run 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win 3 matches ( ) Most goals 48 v Fyllingen Handball NOR 17:48W (a), Most goals opponent 37 v Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS 37:37D (a), Most goals both teams 74 v Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS 37:37D (a), Fewest goals 23 v Füchse Berlin GER 23:24L (h), v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER 23:25L (h), Fewest goals opponent 17 v Fyllingen Handball NOR 17:48W (a), Fewest goals both teams 47 v RK Cimos Koper SLO 23:24W (a), v Füchse Berlin GER 23:24L (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 2007/08 HSV Hamburg GER : /2-finals 2008/09 HSV Hamburg GER : /2-finals 2009/10 HSV Hamburg GER : /4-finals 2010/11 HSV Hamburg GER : Third Place 2011/12 HSV Hamburg GER : /8-finals 2012/13 HSV Hamburg GER : Winner Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) The race for the champion title in the German bundesliga is still wide open and Hamburg are still part of this race trailing just three points behind the leaders and defending champions from Kiel. In 26 rounds they suffered four defeats and tied two other games. They were less successful in the German Cup as they were eliminated by Göppingen in the second round. Injury report Hans Lindberg torn finger ligaments questionable Adrian Pfahl torn muscle fiber (chest) questionable Petar Djordjic bruised ankle possible 39

40 HSV Hamburg (GER) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 1 Johannes Bitter GER Goalkeeper 2 Sep Tim-Oliver Brauer GER Line Player 15 May Joan Canellas Reixach ESP Centre Back 30 Sep Oscar Carlén SWE Right Back 11 May Marcus Cleverly DEN Goalkeeper 15 Jun Petar Djordjic SRB Left Back 17 Sep Davor Dominikovic CRO Left Back 7 Apr Domagoj Duvnjak CRO Centre Back 1 Jun Matthias Flohr GER Left Wing 19 Mar Pascal Hens GER Left Back 26 Mar Kevin Herbst GER Right Wing 7 May Max Henri Herrmann FRA Goalkeeper 24 Feb Torsten Jansen GER Left Wing 23 Dec Kristof Krohn GER Left Back 14 Jul Blazenko Lackovic CRO Left Back 25 Dec Hans Lindberg DEN Right Wing 1 Aug Kentin Mahe FRA Centre Back 22 May Zarko Markovic MNE Right Back 1 Jun Felix Mehrkens GER Centre Back 20 Sep Florian Meier GER Goalkeeper 26 Feb Andreas Nilsson SWE Line Player 12 Apr Adrian Pfahl GER Right Back 30 Jul Justin Merlin Rundt GER Goalkeeper 14 Nov Marcel Schliedermann GER Centre Back 2 Jan Stefan Schröder GER Right Wing 17 Jul Timm Schröder GER Left Back 28 May Robert Schulze GER Left Wing 14 Jun Tim Stefan GER Centre Back 3 Jul Henrik Toft Hansen DEN Line Player 18 Dec Tim Witte GER Left Back 23 Mar

41 Martin Schwalb coach Since 2005 he has been working for HSV. He (49) also coached Wallau-Massenheim, where he had played before and became three-time German champion. In scoring 2272 goals he is the 4th best all time scorer in Bundesliga. With the national team he became silver medallist at the 1984 Olympics and won bronze at the 1998 EHF EURO. His greatest achievement with HSV came in June 2013 when they won the VELUX EHF FINAL4. Other coaching successes were the German title in 2011, the Cup Winners Cup title in 2007, two German cup titles. Johannes Bitter goalkeeper Jogi was one of the of Hamburg s first ever Champions League title. In the 2011/12 season he tore his cruciate ligament in the Last 16 match against Füchse Berlin. He was back in late November 2012 and brought with him an upswing in HSV s fortunes. He won the World Championship in 2007, with HSV he won the Bundesliga title in 2011 and the German Cup twice. He also won the EHF Cup winner with SC Magdeburg. He also has responsibilities off the court as spokesman of German handball players union Goal. Torsten Jansen left wing The HSV left winger played his 400th match for HSV last season and has scored a total of 1444 goals for the Champions League title holders. He joined the squad in 2003 and is one their most experienced players. In nearly 200 matches for Germany he scored over 500 goals. His achievements include World Championship gold in 2007, the EHF EURO in 2004 as well as silver medals at EHF EURO 2002 and the Olympics in At club level, he won the Bundesliga title in 2011, EHF Cup Winners Cup in 2007 and the German Cup twice. Pascal Hens left back The HSV captain is back on track following injury problems over the past few seasons. He was one of the main factors behind Hamburg s VELUX EHF FINAL4 victory against FC Barcelona. The 2007 world champion, 2004 EHF EURO champion and 2004 Olympic silver medallist now focusses only on club handball after stepping down from the national team in Nicknamed Pommes he started his career with his current coach Martin Schwalb at SG Wallau-Massenheim, before joining HSV in He is now playing his 11th season. Domagoj Duvnjak centre back The Croatian is the key to the Hamburg squad. Not just a typical playmaker, Duvnjak is also a scorer and is an essential part of the middle block in defence. He has World and European silver medals to his name as well as bronze medals from EHF EURO 2012, Olympic Games in 2012 and 2013 World Championship. Last season he helped his team to win the Champions League title and was also named the best player of the German Bundesliga. Duvnjak will leave HSV at the end of the season to join THW Kiel. Andreas Nilsson line player The Swedish international was part of Sweden s silver medal winning team at the London Olympic Games in He joined the team in the summer of 2012 from Swedish league club IFK Skövde, helping HSV to their Champions League title. Following the departure of Igor Vori to Paris Handball, HSV obviously see Nilsson as one of their key players for the future in the line position, which he now shares with the Danish player, Henrik Toft Hansen. Off the court, he is a keen golfer. Žarko Marković right back The 27 year old Montenegrin international was a late arrival at HSV this summer. When it became obvious that Oscar Carlen would finish his career and newcomer Adrian Pfahl would be out for month after a surgery, Hamburg needed a replacement in the right back position. The left handed started his international career at Veszprem, before returning to Podgorica. After one year in Dubai, he signed for one season at Metalurg Skopje, then joined Göppingen for one year, before arriving in Hamburg. Hans Lindberg right wing The 2012/13 season was personal highlight for the Danish right winger. He was top scorer in the Bundesliga, cup and Champions League, which he won for the first time. The two-times EHF EURO champion (2008, 2012) and two-times World Championship runnerup (2011, 2013) is the team s highest scorer. In six years he has scored 689 goals just in the Bundesliga. Lindberg is also a fan of beach handball and during summer he is part of the Danish beach national team, which won the bronze medal in Randers. 41

42

43 Orlen Wisła Płock vs MKB-MVM Veszprém First leg Sunday 23 March, 19:00 hrs. local time in Plock Second leg Saturday 29 March, 14:00 hrs. local time in Veszprém After nearly eleven years since their last encounter, they meet again. In the group matches of the 2002/03 season, Veszprém took two clear victories against the current Polish runners-up, but things are expected to be closer this time around. With Laszlo Nagy back to his old strength again after suffering from a long-term injury, the Hungarian side are favourites in this duel, despite some strong results for Plock, achieved mainly at home. The first leg could be a tight affair, as Veszprém dropped their only points of the campaign so far in away matches (in Germany and Ukraine). After failing four straight times to qualify, it is the clear goal of Veszprém to be at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne. Head-to-head stats MKB-MVM Veszprém vs Orlen Wisla Plock (68:49) Wisla Plock SSA POL-Fotex KC Veszprém HUN EHF Champions League Group A 25:30 (09:13) Fotex KC Veszprém HUN-Wisla Plock SSA POL EHF Champions League Group A 38:24 (20:14) All stats by Roy Knoppert Expert s view Francois Xavier Houlet Spain vs. Spain! Believe me, this match is the battle of the coaches, Cadenas vs. Ortega. Due to the difficult circumstances in the Asobal, some Spanish coaches have moved abroad. For Ortega this is the second season with Veszprem and no one in the team has forgotten the disappointing elimination they suffered at the hands of THW Kiel in last season s quarter-final. So during the summer Veszprem further strengthened themselves by signing Momir Ilic. They then dominated their group and took first rank in convincing fashion. Veszprem pride themselves of world-class players such as Nagy and Ilic. With Fazekas and Alilovic between the posts they have one of the best goalkeeping duos at their disposal. Their defence is exceptional, their spectators are phenomenal They have literally everything it takes to finally make it to Cologne for the first time. I even say, they are one of the favourites to win the entire competition. But first of all they have to beat Plock and that ll be far from easy. The Polish vice-champions have an ambitious and well-rehearsed team. It s now up to head coach Cadenas to integrate the new players quickly and share his philosophy of the game with his team. Even though they only qualified as fourth ranked, Plock continously showed progress. They have furthermore players at their disposal who possess the necessary experience for the knockout stages. And I m sure head coach Cadenas will have the one or the other tactical surprise up his sleeve. I also want to point out the individual performance of Petar Nenadic: the Serbian left back has played as well at the EHF Champions League as never before. If Plock want to keep their chance to advance, they have to win by some goals at home, as I don t expect them to come up with a miracle at Veszprem. But if you asked me honestly, I see Veszprem going through. 43

44 Orlen Wisła Płock (POL) The Polish runners-up bolstered their team before the new season by several big names like Mariusz Jurkiewicz and Marcin Lijewski and also managed to get the Spanish national team coach Manolo Cadenas on board. The reinforced squad sent the first shockwaves through European handball when they eliminated the 2003 EHF Champions League winners Montpellier in the Wild Card Play-off. Mainly because of two major injuries, first Valentin Ghionea (top scorer of the competition at the time) and later Jurkiewicz, Plock failed to impress more in the Group Phase. The Oilers recorded no points against teams from the big three (Kiel, Kolding and Kielce), but lost four of those six matches only by one or two goals. Against the other two teams (Porto and Dunkerque) they had a perfect record and gave them no chance in the race for the last knockout ticket in Group B. Before the action resumes in March two main questions in Plock need to be answered how quickly will Jurkiewicz recover from his injury and how fast can their latest signing Angel Montoro can be integrated into the team. Playing hall Orlen Arena Pl. Celebry Papieskiej Płock Poland Capacity: 5,467 GROUP B Final Table: 1. THW Kiel : KIF Kolding Kobenhavn : KS Vive Targi Kielce : Orlen Wisla Plock :277 (-2) 8 5. FC Porto Vitalis :278 (-37) 5 6. Dunkerque HB G.L :268 (-31) 3 Club Address: Orlen Wisła Płock Plac Celebry Papieskiej Płock Poland Media contact: Piotr Raczkowski Tel: sekretariat@sprwislaplock.pl Online information: Website: Facebook: sprwisla Kit colours Light Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: lemon green Dark Player shirt: white Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: orange Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - loss) vs THW Kiel L33:34 Dunkerque HB G.L. W28:25 (15:13) vs KS Vive Targi Kielce L28:30 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn L22:23 FC Porto Vitalis W24:20 (14:9) vs FC Porto Vitalis W28:22 THW Kiel L25:34 (11:16) vs Dunkerque HB G.L. W32:25 (16:13) vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn L25:26 KS Vive Targi Kielce L30:38 (12:20) Top scorers: 1. Petar Nenadic (SRB) Valentin Ghionea (ROU) Marcin Lijewski (POL) Ivan Nikcevic (SRB) Mariusz Jurkiewicz (POL) 23 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 9 Last 16 (2): 1995/96, 2011/12 Group Phase (5): 2002/03, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2008/09 Qualification (1): 2012/13 Other EHF Cup: Quarter-finals 1993/94, Group Phase: 2012/13 Polish league: 7 titles (1995, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011) Polish Cup winner: 10 times 44

45 Orlen Wisła Płock (POL) Biggest win 42:26 (19:11) v Crvena Zvezda Beograd SCG (h), Biggest defeat 35:18 (19:4) v KIF Kolding Elite A/S DEN (a), :17 (15:7) v HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb CRO (a), Longest winning run 2 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest losing run 6 matches ( ) Longest run without win 6 matches ( ) Most goals 42 v Crvena Zvezda Beograd SCG 42:26W (h), Most goals opponent 40 v Sportclub Magdeburg GER 40:32L (a), Most goals both teams 72 v Sportclub Magdeburg GER 40:32L (a), Fewest goals 13 v Chambery Savoie HB FRA 21:13L (a), Fewest goals opponent 19 v Crvena Zvezda Beograd SRB 31:19W (h), v HCM Constanta ROU 19:34W (a), Fewest goals both teams 34 v Chambery Savoie HB FRA 21:13L (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 2002/03 Wisła Płock SSA POL : rd Gr. A 2004/05 Wisła Płock SSA POL : th Gr. D 2005/06 Wisła Płock SSA POL : rd Gr. E 2006/07 Wisła Płock SA POL : rd Gr. C 2008/09 Wisła Płock SA POL : th Gr. H 2011/12 Orlen Wisła Płock POL : /8-finals Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) Two rounds before the end of the regular season Plock are confirmed as runners-up trailing nine points behind Kielce and leading by eight ahead of Gornik Zabrze. Apart from both matches against their arch rivals from Vive they unexpectedly also lost to Azoty Pulawy. They are bound to face Stal Mielec in the quarter-final. In the Polish Cup they made their way through Zaglebie Lubin and Kwidzyn to the final four. Injury report Eklemovic shoulder problems possible Marcin Lijewski bruised ribs questionable Kwiatkowski knee ligaments questionable 45

46 Orlen Wisła Płock (POL) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 24 Nikola Eklemovic HUN Centre Back 8 Feb Valentin Marian Ghionea ROU Right Wing 29 Apr Mateusz Goralski POL Right Wing 17 Jan Mariusz Jurkiewicz POL Left Back 3 Feb Bostjan Kavas SLO Right Back 13 Sep Zbigniew Kwiatkowski POL Line Player 2 Apr Marcin Lijewski POL Right Back 21 Sep Ivan Milas BIH Left Back 15 Oct Adam Morawski POL Goalkeeper 17 Oct Petar Nenadic SRB Left Back 28 Jun Ivan Nikcevic SRB Left Wing 11 Feb Pawel Paczkowski POL Right Back 14 Jun Mateusz Piechowski POL Left Back 1 Mar Marin Sego CRO Goalkeeper 2 Aug Kamil Syprzak POL Line Player 23 Jul Muhamed Toromanovic BIH Line Player 9 Apr Marcin Wichary POL Goalkeeper 17 Feb Adam Wisniewski POL Left Wing 24 Oct

47 Manolo Cadenas coach Before he signed to Orlen he had made a short return to León, where he was the coach from 1995 to 2007, in the golden era of the club. He led Ademar to their only national championship title in 2001, two cup titles and two titles in the Cup Winners Cup. He also coached in Santander, where he won the Spanish cup and the Cup Winners Cup, and Valladolid ( ). After his first stint at Leon he changed to Barcelona and Granollers. Besides Polish runners-up he also took over the Spanish national team. Marin Sego goalkeeper When he came to Wisła from Zagreb in 2012, Marin Sego had strong competition in goal, in the form of Polish international, Marcin Wichary. Sego soon began to adapt to his new and has become a major presence in the team. Before joining Płock, he spent half of his career in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and half in Croatia. He was most successful with Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb, where he helped his club to progress twice to the EHF Champions League quarter-finals (2008/09 and 2011/12). Ivan Nikcević left wing Wisła s experienced left winger has many titles to his name. Raised in Crvena Zvezda Belgrad, he moved to Spain in 2005 where he played for the likes of Portland San Antonio, Reyno de Navarra San Antonio and Cuatro Rayas Valladolid, achieving his best European performance with Navarra in the EHF Cup Winners Cup semi-final in Nikcević is also an important Serbian national team player, winning an EHF EURO silver medal and scoring 377 goals in 77 international appearances. Mariusz Jurkiewicz left back Wisła Płock 2013 signing spent most of his career in Spain playing for BM Ciudad Real, JD Arrate, Portland San Antonio and Atletico Madrid. Since his international debut in 2002, he played 102 games in the national team, and won a bronze medal at the 2009 World Championship. He was more successful in club competitions, playing in the VELUX EHF Champions League Final in 2012 and later that year becoming Super Globe champion. Nikola Eklemović centre back Born in Belgrade and former Serbia international, Eklemović has played with Hungary since With the latter he played at two EHF EURO events (2008 and 2010), and once at the World Championship in In the club competitions Nikcević was a Cup Winners Cup finalist with MKB Veszprém (2007/08). With the same club he played in the EHF Champions League semi-final (once) and quarter-finals (three times), before joining Wisła two seasons ago. Muhamed Toromanović line player The Bosnian line player joined Wisła in 2011 after spending three seasons with Danish side KIF Kolding and quickly became a consistent starter for the team. Toromanović is very important in Wisła s offensive play and has scored 237 goals in 85 appearances over his two seasons at the club. In Bosnia he won three domestic championships with HC Bosnia Sarajevo and played in the semi-final of Cup Winners Cup in Marcin Lijewski right back The extremely experienced player returned to Wisła Płock over the summer as a VELUX EHF Champions League winner with HSV Hamburg. Lijewski left Wisła in 2001 after spending one season and winning a Polish championship with the club. Since then he played with German side SG Flensburg-Handewitt ( ) and HSV Hamburg ( ). He played twice in the EHF Champions League final with Flensburg (2004 and 2007), and won the competition with HSV in June. Valentin Ghionea right wing Romanian Handballer of the Year in 2008, and two-time top scorer in Romania (2005, 2007), joined Wisła Płock in 2012 and during his first season, he showed his great goalscoring ability. Ghionea quickly became a very important Wisła Player and his team s top scorer. In the 2012/13 season he scored 215 goals in 41 appearances. In the two-legged VELUX EHF Champions League Wild Card tie against Montpelier, Ghionea was Wisła s top scorer with 17 goals over the two games. 47

48 MKB-MVM Veszprém (HUN) Momir Ilic, who arrived from German national champions THW Kiel at the beginning of the season, promised that MKB-MVM Veszprem would take Europe and in that respect the VELUX EHF Champions League by storm. And the Hungarian side gave everything they had to fulfill the Serbian left back s promises at the start of the competition. With six consecutive wins in the first six matches of the group phase they became the first team to qualify for the Last 16, eventually also securing the top spot in Group A mid-february following 34:27 victory against Zagreb in Round 9. Early in 2014 Veszprem furthermore strengthened their squad with Hungarian international Tamas Mocsai, who returned from German side TSV Hannover Burgdorf to his native country to cover for the injured Laszlo Nagy. However, even the inspirational Nagy is expected to fully return, having recovered from a knee and shin injury as he already enjoyed appearances in the Veszprem team in February after he had missed the EHF EURO 2014 in January. Playing hall Veszprém Arena Külso Kadartai ut 8200 Veszprém Hungary Capacity: 5,020 GROUP A Final Table: 1. MKB-MVM Veszprém :243 (60) Rhein-Neckar Löwen :252 (53) Celje Pivovarna Lasko :272 (-3) 9 4. HC Motor Zaporozhye :296 (-19) 9 5. HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb :282 (-15) 8 6. St. Petersburg HC :292 (-76) 1 Club Address: MKB-MVM Veszprém Marcius 15. ut Veszprém Hungary Media contact: Zsolt Sevinger mkbveszprem@chello.hu Online information: Website: Facebook: mkbveszprem Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: grey Dark Player shirt: red Player short: red Goalkeeper shirt: black Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - St. Petersburg HC W28:15 (12:7) vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen W30:29 (17:14) vs HC Motor Zaporozhye W44:27 HC Croatia O. Zagreb W33:22 Celje Pivovarna Lasko W31:26 (15:14) vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko W27:26 (13:10) vs St. Petersburg HC W29:20 Rhein-Neckar Löwen D25:25 (13:12) vs HC Croatia O. Zagreb W34:27 HC Motor Zaporozhye L26:22 (13:13) Top scorers: 1. Momir Ilic (SRB) Renato Sulic (CRO) Iman Jamali Moorchegani (IRI) Peter Gulyas (HUN) 26 Laszlo Nagy (HUN) 26 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 19 Final (1): 2001/02 Semi-final (2): 2002/03, 2005/06 Quarter-final (9): 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2006/07, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2012/13 Last 16 (2): 1993/94, 2010/11, 2011/12 Group Phase (3): 1994/95, 1995/96, 2007/08 Other Cup Winners Cup: Winners 2007/08, Runners-up 1996/97 Hungarian league: 21 titles (1985, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013) Hungarian Cup winner: 22 times 48

49 MKB-MVM Veszprém (HUN) Club records VELUX EHF Champions League Biggest win 38:17 (18:9) v HC Granitas Kaunas LTU (h), Biggest defeat 30:18 (16:8) v Badel Zagreb CRO (a), Longest winning run 11 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 11 matches ( ) Longest losing run 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win 4 matches ( ) Most goals 46 v MSK SIRS Povazska Bystrica SVK 46:26W (h), v MSK SIRS Povazska Bystrica SVK 30:46W (a), Most goals opponent 39 v THW Kiel GER 39:32L (a), Most goals both teams 76 v MSK SIRS Povazska Bystrica SVK 30:46W (a), Fewest goals 15 v TEKA Santander ESP 25:15L (a), Fewest goals opponent 13 v SO Chambery FRA 29:13W (h), v Panellinios AC Athens GRE 19:13W (h), Fewest goals both teams 32 v Panellinios AC Athens GRE 19:13W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 1994/95 Fotex Veszprém HUN : rd Gr. A 1995/96 Fotex Veszprém HUN : rd Gr. A 1997/98 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : /4-finals 1998/99 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : /4-finals 1999/00 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : /4-finals 2001/02 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : Runner-up 2002/03 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : /2-finals 2003/04 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : /4-finals 2004/05 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : /4-finals 2005/06 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : /2-finals 2006/07 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : /4-finals 2007/08 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : rd Gr. F 2008/09 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : /4-finals 2009/10 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : /4-finals 2010/11 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : /8-finals 2011/12 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : /8-finals 2012/13 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : /4-finals Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) The defending champions topped the ranking of the Hungarian league s regular season. Veszprem won the same amount of points (46 from 24 matches) as Szeged, but thanks to a better aggregate score from their direct encounters (in which they exchanged home wins 23:22 in Szeged and 25:22 in Veszprem) they finished ahead of their arch rivals. Both teams avoided quarter-finals and are directly seeded for semi-finals. In Hungarian Cup Veszprem were directly seeded for the quarter-finals and easily sailed past Cegled to the final 4 tournament. Injury report no injuries reported 49

50 MKB-MVM Veszprém (HUN) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 32 Mirko Alilovic CRO Goalkeeper 15 Sep Adam Borbely HUN Goalkeeper 22 Jun Nandor Fazekas HUN Goalkeeper 16 Oct Mate Gulas HUN Centre Back 28 Jun Peter Gulyas HUN Right Wing 4 Mar Norbert Gyene HUN Right Wing 18 Apr 1994 Daniel Horvath HUN Line Player 16 Dec Momir Ilic SRB Left Back 22 Dec Gergö Ivancsik HUN Left Wing 30 Nov Tamas Ivancsik HUN Right Wing 3 Apr Moorchegani I. Jamali IRI Left Back 11 Oct Otto Kancel SVK Left Back 1 Feb Bence Kisek HUN Left Wing 4 Jul 1993 Patrik Ligetvari HUN Right Back 13 Feb 1996 Seyed Alireza Mousavi Ghalehmirz IRI Line Player 27 Apr Laszlo Nagy HUN Right Back 3 Mar Daniel Pocz Nagy HUN Right Back 1 Jun Jose Maria Rodriguez Vaquero ESP Centre Back 5 Jan Carlos Ruesga Pasarin ESP Centre Back 10 Mar Istvan Timuzsin Schuch HUN Line Player 5 Jun Janos-Tamas Stranigg HUN Centre Back 2 Feb Renato Sulic CRO Line Player 12 Oct Laszlo Szeitl HUN Line Player 1 Jun Mirsad Terzic BIH Left Back 12 Jul Cristian Ugalde Garcia ESP Left Wing 19 Oct

51 Carlos Antonio Ortega coach Six-time winner of the CL, five European Cup triumphs, sixtime Spanish champion, 14 different cup titles in Spain, a silver medallist at the EHF EURO 1998 and Olympic bronze medallist in 2000 Ortega s cabinet of medals and trophies is absolutely huge. As a player for Barcelona he won every possible title at least three times. In 2005 he started his coaching career in Antequera, in 2012 he left Spain for the first time to take on the challenge in Veszprém. His team was stopped just in front of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 gates by THW Kiel in the quarter-final. Mirko Alilović goalkeeper Like his predecessor Dejan Perić he belongs to the elite class of goalkeepers who can send the audience to their feet and inspire his teammates. He is a member of the Croatian national team and his medal tally consists of three silver medals (WCh in 2009 and the EHF EURO 2008 and 2010) and two bronze pieces (2012 Olympics and 2013 WCh). In Spain he played an important role as an attack-starter and recorded 11 goal assistances during the WCh. As he played for five years in Asobal he is very familiar with Spanish contingent in Veszprém. Cristian Ugalde left wing Veszprém caught a really big fish in him. He is a player who was brought up by Barcelona and who played regularly in the adult team since he was 18. He excelled at the international level in the 2007/08 season with his 34 goals and the participation in the national team. His biggest success with Barcelona was the CL title in 2011 but he won every possible title with Barca some of them more times. He found a new challenge in Veszprém where he will alter with Gergő Iváncsik who is one of the best players on this position according to Ugalde. Momir Ilić left back He joined the THW Kiel in 2009 from VfL Gummersbach and won seven titles during his four years with THW, including two CL titles. The Serbian left back led his country to their first handball medal as an independent nation at EHF EURO 2012 on the home court where he was selected as the MVP of the tournament. He was just one of many leaving faces in the THW squad last summer. Veszprém expects him to prove his sharpshooting skilles as he stands at the top of the top scorers list of the CL regularly. Chema Rodríguez Vaquero centre back Until 2012 he played only in Spain (Valladolid, Ciudad Real, Atlético Madrid). In 2007 he transferred to Ciudad Real in what was one of the most expensive transfers of the handball history. On the club level he is two-time CL winner and he won the Spanish Championship and the Spanish Cup three times. His accolade at the national team started with silver medal from the EHF EURO in 2006, followed with the third place at the WCh 2011 and most recently with a world champion title in January Renato Sulić line player This is the second stint of the robust Croatian in Veszprém, but in the 2004/05 season he did not have a chance to wear their dress as he was injured in a car incident before his first match. The world champion and EHF EURO silver medallist came back to Veszprém after several years in Zagreb and Celje. During Slavko Goluža s time at the helm he was left out of the squad for the World Championships in Spain. After the departure of Marco Oneto he will share his time on the court with the defensive specialist Timuzsin Schuh. László Nagy right back He started his career as a basketball player and he was close to move to the USA at the age of 13. At the end he decided for handball and became one of the best right backs of the world. He transferred from Szeged to Barcelona in 2006 and became the captain of the team despite being a foreigner. He was the captain of the national team until 2009 then he made a break and returned in He reached 4th place at the Olympics twice, he was selected in the All Star team of the last WCh and the best right back of the last CL season. Tamás Iváncsik right wing He joined his brother Gergő in Veszprém in 2007 but they had already played together one year earlier in the national team. He suffered a serious injury in January 2012 when the ligament in his left knee was torn and his Olympic dream marred. He decided to resign in the national team afterwards. He performed very well in his club and he was one of the top scorers of the Hungarian Championship. Last season he set his new personal best in the CL as he scored 37 goals. 51

52 RK Gorenje Velenje vs PSG Handball First leg Saturday 22 March, 20:30 hrs. local time Second leg Sunday 30 March 17:00 hrs. local time It will be a special sort of homecoming for wing player Fahrudin Melic, arriving with his new club PSG at former side Velenje. The teams have never faced before in an international encounter - and like in 2013 (against SG Flensburg-Handewitt), Velenje drew a highly strong opponent for the Last 16. The ever-improving French champions are favourites with their world selection including the former world handball players of the year, Daniel Narcisse and Mikkel Hansen. Velenje finished the group phase in third after saving their campaign with a great second half. The wasps are considered to be much stronger on home court so they will need to win at home if they hope to spring a surprise one week later in Paris. Head-to-head stats no previous encounters Expert s view Francois Xavier Houlet How much are Paris really worth? As of yet, I cannot answer this question about Europe s arguably richest handball club in full details. PSG have a star-studded squad, but they aren t a team yet. However, one should not forget where the club is coming from. It s only 22 months ago when the club was almost relegated to the second division in France and only survived because of their goal difference. Even a team that boasts superstars of the game such as Narcisse, Hansen, Abalo and Vori needs time. During the group phase PSG lacked consistency and eventually ended up second ranked with six wins, one draw and three losses. In particular, the team s weak spots became visible when playing abroad. This is exactly what they have to avoid against Gorenje Velenje. The group phase confirmed that the Slovenian team gained a lot of experience on European Cup level over the past seasons. Following a weak start, they eventually took the necessary points and recorded big wins such as the one at Aalborg which secured them the third rank in Group D. Like the Slovenian national team, Gorenje Velenje plays modern and attractive handball. Centre back Stas Skube is the prime example of Velenje s game as he combines speed, creativity and visible fun to play. But there are two problems they have to solve : The first is to cope with the absence of Klemen Cehte, who left the club, the second is their defence which looked unstable at times, in particular at away games. It will be decisive which team performs better when playing abroad. When it comes to game play, Velenje are better than Paris. However, I nevertheless see Paris as the favourites, not only because I m French, but because there are many players in the Paris squad that have the capability to decide the match. This team has been built for the VELUX EHF Champions League. 52

53 RK Gorenje Velenje (SLO) RK Gorenje Velenje finished third in their group for the second season running and once again ahead of a Danish side. However, it was a much tighter affair this time around, as the Slovenian team found themselves in a three-way battle for qualification. An opening round victory against Halmstad was not a sign of things to come for Velenje, as they went on to lose against all four of their group phase rivals. It was not until they put back to back wins together against La Rioja and Halmstad before the winter break that hope of qualification came to mind. A confident away victory at Aalborg was enough for the wasps to claim third spot with the best record between them, the Danes and La Rioja after all three ended on eight points. Stas Skube was the standout performer for Velenje, as the centre back top scored with 59 goals, many of which from his renowned rocket of a standing shot. Playing hall Rdeca Dvorana Saleska cesta Velenje Slovenia Capacity: 3,100 GROUP D Final Table: 1. HSV Hamburg :266 (64) SG Flensburg-Handewitt :272 (42) RK Gorenje Velenje :320 (-13) 8 4. Aalborg Handball :265 (10) 8 5. Naturhouse La Rioja :320 (-28) 8 6. HK DROTT Halmstad :364 (-75) 1 Club Address: RK Gorenje Velenje Saleska Cesta Velenje Slovenia Media contact: Tanija Rednak tanija.rednak@rk-gorenje.com Online information: Website: Facebook: rkgorenjevelenje Kit colours Light Player shirt: yellow Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: red Dark Player shirt: black Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: blue/black Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - loss) vs HK DROTT Halmstad W35:33 HSV Hamburg L32:41 SG Flensburg-Handewitt L31:35 (13:16) vs Aalborg Handball L25:30 Naturhouse La Rioja L31:34 (13:15) vs Naturhouse La Rioja W33:28 HK DROTT Halmstad W40:32 (20:14) vs HSV Hamburg L29:36 Aalborg Handball W28:23 (15:14) vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt L23:28 (9:15) Top scorers: 1. Stas Skube (SLO) Klemen Cehte (SLO) Mario Sostaric (SLO) Niko Medved (SLO) Senjamin Buric (BIH) 28 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 7 Last 16 (3): 2005/2006, 2009/2010, 2012/13 Main Round (1): 2007/2008 Group Phase (1): 2004/2005 Qualification (1): 2010/2011 Other EHF Cup: Runners-up 2008/2009 Slovenian league: 3 titles (2009, 2012, 2013), runners-up: 2003, 2005, 2010, 2011 Slovenian Cup winner: once 53

54 RK Gorenje Velenje (SLO) Biggest win 40:17 (17:8) v Torggler Group Meran ITA (h), Biggest defeat 17:29 (4:14) v Pick Szeged HUN (h), Longest winning run 5 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 5 matches ( ) Longest losing run 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest run without win 5 matches ( ) Most goals 40 v Torggler group Meran ITA 40:17W (a), v HK DROTT Halmstad SWE 40:32W (a), Most goals opponent 41 v HSV Hamburg GER 32:41L (a), Most goals both teams 73 v HSV Hamburg GER 32:41L (a), Fewest goals 17 v Pick Szeged HUN 17:29L (h), Fewest goals opponent 17 v Brestskiy HC Meshkovo BLR 27:17W (h), v Torggler group Meran ITA 40:17W (a), Fewest goals both teams 44 v Brestskiy HC Meshkovo BLR 27:17W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 2004/05 RK Gorenje Velenje SLO : rd Gr. C 2005/06 RK Gorenje Velenje SLO : /8-finals 2007/08 RK Gorenje Velenje SLO : th MR Gr /10 RK Gorenje Velenje SLO : /8-finals 2012/13 Gorenje Velenje SLO : /8-finals Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March): They are the only team yet to beat in the Slovenian championship. Velenje won the regular season five points ahead of the record champions from Celje as their only point loss was a draw at Maribor. In the national cup they had to settle with a third place at the final tournament as they failed to reach the final. Injury report 54

55 RK Gorenje Velenje (SLO) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 16 Nejc Brglez SLO Goalkeeper 28 Feb Benjamin Buric BIH Goalkeeper 20 Nov Senjamin Buric BIH Line Player 20 Nov Klemen Cehte SLO Left Back 10 May Nejc Cehte SLO Right Back 4 Sep Darko Cingesar SLO Centre Back 25 Jul Luka Dobelsek SLO Centre Back 12 Jan Marko Dujmovic SLO Left Back 16 Sep Janez Gams SLO Left Wing 8 Nov Rok Golcar SLO Right Wing 23 Dec Tine Marusic SLO Centre Back 23 Jun Niko Medved SLO Left Back 26 Mar Mitja Nosan SLO Left Back 9 Jan Marko Ostir SLO Line Player 7 Jun Rok Ovnicek SLO Centre Back 29 Jan Jernej Papez SLO Right Back 29 Jan Jaka Poznic SLO Line Player 30 Mar Stas Skube SLO Centre Back 15 Nov Mario Sostaric SLO Right Wing 25 Nov Emir Taletovic SLO Goalkeeper 9 Jan Matic Vrecar SLO Line Player 28 Feb

56 Ivan Vajdl coach He was a goalkeeper in his player s career. He started playing for the club Šoštanj, which now is his old and new club, called Gorenje Velenje. In 2003, Vajdl became coach on top level for the first time, starting at Gorenje, where he was responsible for two runners-up positions in the Slovenian league below Celje. In 2005 he switched to Prevent and later to Slovenj Gradec and Trimo Trebnje, before he returned where it all started before this season as successor of Branko Tamše, who had coached Velenje since Benjamin Burić goalkeeper The 197-cm high Bosnia and Herzegovina national team player arrived from Izvidjač Ljubuški together with his twin brother Senjamin, who is one centimeter taller than him. He has taken over the burden of the first choice goalkeeper, following the departure of Ivan Gajić, who left to French Tremblay. The 23-year old will have to adapt quickly, given his lack of EHFCL experience. This will be his maiden season in the top tier of European handball. Niko Medved left wing Medved is a fast player on the left back. In the new season he has also assumed a new role of the club captain, despite being only 23. He has been with Gorenje all of his senior carrer. This will be his 4th season in the CL. In the last one he managed to set his personal best with 13 goals in total, but now as an expected starter he hopes to better his tally again in the new campaign. Janez Gams can alternate him as a specialist defender from the bench. Klemen Cehte left back The bomber from Brežice will be a proverbial work-horse on both sides of the pitch. His goals will be vital for Gorenje,as will his defensive presence. In the previous season he exploded to 48 goals in the CL and he will be one of the pillars of Gorenje again. A potential good display may even earn him a call back to the Slovenian national team. He is entering his fifth season in Velenje playing for Trimo Trebnje in the past. Luka Dobelšek centre back Another veteran of the squad, Dobelšek has played abroad in Germany (Lübbecke, Emsdetten) and Poland (Wisła Płock) before returning to his boyhood club before last season replacing the Serbian back player Nikola Manojlović. While mostly relieving Marko Bezjak in the last term, he will now alternate with Staš Skube at the playmaker position. Coach Vajdl will also count on his 11-year European experiences. He played his first international matches with Velenje already in Marko Oštir line player The experienced line-player returns to his boyhood club after 3 seasons with Maribor. Oštir maybe not in his prime anymore, but he is expected to command defence and his maturity he has played in over 100 matches for the national team and this will be his 14th European season will be essential for the team with many a player yet to taste the CL. Younger line players Senjamin Burić and Kristian Bečiri are expected to alternate him in the attack. Jernej Papež right back Another player, who has followed Vajdl from Trebnje to Velenje. He is set to be first choice for the right back and is one of the players that will have to swiftly accustom themselves for the hard European matches. Although he played in the EHF Cup and in the Cup Winners Cup for Trebnje and got his first six European goals on his account, this will be the maiden season in the CL for the 190 cm tall leftie from Novo Mesto. Mario Šoštarič right wing Given the lack of lefties in the squad, another return of a lost son was just what the doctor ordered for Gorenje. The 2 years spent with Maribor gave him maturity and self confidence. He is yet to score in the CL, but given the fact that he can succesfully play as a right back or as a right wing, this will be mended soon enough. At the U21 WCh in Bosnia and Herzegovina he was the top scorer of the Slovenian team netting in 46 goals and leading his tim to an impressive record of 8 victories and only one defeat. 56

57 PSG Handball (FRA) Much of the talk going into this season s competition surrounded PSG Handball and their recently assembled collection of superstars. How would the large number of world class players collaborate as a team? Quite well, but far from perfect was the answer. Four points from their first four games, including a home defeat to Barcelona, was not the start many expected. However, four wins on the trot put PSG back in a strong position. Barcelona s established team put the new title contenders firmly in their place with a devastating 38:28 win, with all the damage done in a brilliant first half, but Hansen and co. regained some pride by securing second position with a clear win over Vardar. They have attacking threat in abundance, with clear evidence in their scoring list. Eight players scoring between 20 and 40 goals prove that they rely on no one player at any time and the side are bound to improve as a unit as the season progresses further. Playing hall Halle Georges Carpentier 81 boulevard Massena Paris France Capacity: 4,800 GROUP C Final Table: 1. FC Barcelona :256 (92) PSG Handball :288 (27) HC Metalurg :265 (-9) HC Vardar - Skopje :263 (6) HC Dinamo Minsk :295 (-29) 7 6. Wacker Thun :329 (-87) 1 Club Address: PSG Handball 82 avenue Georges Lafont Paris France Media contact: Louise Cosnard +33 (0) lcosnard@psg.fr Online information: Website: Facebook: PSGHand Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - loss) vs HC Dinamo Minsk W34:30 HC Metalurg L26:28 HC Vardar - Skopje D24:24 (12:9) vs FC Barcelona L29:33 Wacker Thun W34:28 (16:10) vs Wacker Thun W38:24 Dinamo Minsk W35:29 (19:14) vs HC Metalurg W32:29 FC Barcelona L28:38 (9:19) vs HC Vardar - Skopje W35:25 (15:12) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 2 Last 16 (1): 2005/06 Other EHF Cup: Quarter-finals 2006/07, Last /04 French league: 1 title (2012/13) French Cup winner: once Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: grey Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: grey Top scorers: 1. Luc Abalo (FRA) 39 Marko Kopljar (CRO) Igor Vori (CRO) Mikkel Hansen (DEN) 33 Fahrudin Melic (MNE) 33 57

58 PSG Handball (FRA) Biggest win 38:24 (22:11) v Wacker Thun SUI (h), Biggest defeat 44:28 (22:12) v THW Kiel GER (a), Longest winning run 4 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 4 matches ( ) Longest losing run 4 matches ( ) Longest run without win 4 matches ( ) Most goals 38 v Wacker Thun SUI 38:24W (h), Most goals opponent 44 v THW Kiel GER 44:28L (a), Most goals both teams 72 v THW Kiel GER 44:28L (a), Fewest goals 20 v Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO 20:26L (h), v Caja Cantabria Santander ESP 26:20L (a), Fewest goals opponent 18 v HC Banik Karvina CZE 21:18W (h), Fewest goals both teams 39 v HC Banik Karvina CZE 21:18W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 1996/97 PSG Asnières FRA : th Gr. D 2005/06 Paris Handball FRA : /8-finals Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 20 March) After 19 rounds the defending French champions rank second with 30 points, one point below the league leaders from Dunkerque and level with Montpellier. They were suffering from inconsistency especially in away games recently as PSG were winless in their four straight trips from Paris before they won at Nimes. Their progress in the League cup was stopped in the semi-final by St. Raphael, in the French Cup they reached the quarter-final, where they await Toulouse. Injury report no injuries reported 58

59 PSG Handball (FRA) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 18 Luc Abalo FRA Right Wing 6 Sep Patrice Annonay FRA Goalkeeper 17 May Ludwig Appolinaire FRA Right Back 27 May Mladen Bojinovic SRB Centre Back 17 Jan Gabor Csaszar HUN Centre Back 16 Jun Ibrahim Diaw FRA Left Back 28 Nov 1979 Kevin Durosier FRA Left Back 14 May 1994 Dylan Garain FRA Left Back 22 Aug Antonio Garcia Robledo ESP Left Back 6 Mar Jakov Gojun CRO Left Back 18 Apr Robert Gunnarsson ISL Line Player 22 May Asgeir Örn Hallgrimsson ISL Right Back 17 Feb Mikkel Hansen DEN Left Back 22 Oct Samuel Honrubia FRA Left Wing 5 Jul Bryan Jabea Njo FRA Goalkeeper 28 Jun 1992 Jordy Jacoby FRA Left Wing 8 Feb Marko Kopljar CRO Right Back 12 Feb Jeffrey M tima FRA Left Wing 16 Jul Steve Marie Joseph FRA Left Wing 3 Jan Fahrudin Melic MNE Right Wing 22 Jul Zacharia N diaye FRA Left Back 2 Jun Daniel Narcisse FRA Centre Back 16 Dec Jordan Nonone FRA Left Back 15 Nov 1993 Axel Rosier FRA Centre Back 20 Feb 1994 Julio Rupaire FRA Line Player 1 Mar Jose Manuel Sierra Mendez ESP Goalkeeper 21 May Boubou Toure FRA Centre Back 29 Jan Igor Vori CRO Line Player 20 Sep

60 Philippe Gardent coach After coaching Chambéry Savoie for 16 years (head coach and before assistant coach) he joined PSG in 2012 with a mission to build-up a team capable of reaching the top of Europe. And right in his first season, the former pivot of the French national team (Olympic bronze medallist) took the French title with PSG. He played for several clubs in Paris winning two champion and two cup winner titles. He had 298 caps in 13 years with France and became world champion in As Chambéry coach he won the league in 2001 and cup in José Manuel Sierra Méndez goalkeeper Born in 1978, Sierra is a top Spanish goalkeeper with fantastic positioning in the goal and great reflexes. Started playing in his local city of Moguer, as it was the sport all his friends practised. Soon FC Barcelona took him in and from there onwards he s collected but titles: 1 in the EHF Cup, 5 ASOBAL leagues, 1 French league, 5 Spanish cups, and many other minor titles. Also he won the gold medal at the WCh held in Spain last January. He has already played 90 games with the Spanish national team. Samuel Honrubia left wing After having played in Montpellier for more than a decade, Samuel Honrubia joined PSG at the start of the 2012/13 season. Once he had arrived at the French capital he immediately showed what he is capable of and why is he is regarded as one of the best left wings in Europe. He is very efficient when it comes to scoring from fast breaks and he also has the capacity to make a difference, due to his fast-pace changing of directions, when it comes to one-on-one situations on limited space. Mikkel Hansen left back The 25-year-old was awarded World Handball Player in 2011, the year he reached the VELUX EHF FINAL4 with AG Kobenhavn. He is the son of former Danish international Flemming Hansen. Having grown into a top class player at Danish side GOG, he played for Barcelona for two seasons before joining AG Kobenhavn in He then joined PSG Handball at the start of the 2012/13 season and after Paris claimed the national championship, Hansen and his teammates are now ready to conquer the EHF Champions League. Daniel Narcisse centre back Daniel Narcisse might well go down in history as one of the most decorated French handball players. Being voted 2012 World Handball Player of the Year seems very to be the right award for a player who has won two Olympic golds, two World Championship titles and two EHF EURO titles in the past decade. His incredible speed and jumping abilities are well to known to any of his opponents. Before joining Paris he played for THW Kiel with whom he won the EHF Champions League in 2010 as well as in Igor Vori line player At 2,03 metres, the tall Croatian line player is a pillar in any team s defence. He has won nearly every title the sport (including Olympic gold in 2004 and the first place at the 2003 World Championship) has on offer, adding the VELUX EHF Champions League trophy to his impressive tally at the end of the past season, when he won the competition s final with HSV Hamburg against FC Barcelona. The move from the eventual EHF Champions League winners to the French capital had already been confirmed in January. Asgeir Örn Hallgrimsson right back After having reached the group phase of the EHF Champions League with his Icelandic club Haukar Hafnafjördur in the 2004/05 season, the Icelandic international with the hard and versatile left-hand shots transferred to German Bundesliga side TBV Lemgo. Two seasons later he joined Danish side GOG Svendborg for three seasons and now plays for the team from the French capital. With Iceland s national team he won silver at the 2008 Olympic Games and bronze at the 2010 EHF EURO in Austria. Luc Abalo right wing The spectacular right wing returned to France the past season from Spanish side Atletico Madrid and immediately showed how much progress he made. During his four seasons in Spain, he learned to channel his energy and reached the final of the EHF Champions League in 2011 and With the French national team he won gold at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and the EHF EURO in 2006 and With his high jumps and all the tricks a winger must have in his bag, he is one of the best on his position 60

61 Celje Pivovarna Laško vs SG Flensburg Handewitt First leg Sunday 23 March, 19:15 hrs. local time in Celje Second leg Saturday 29 March, 17:30 hrs. local time in SG No pairing among this season s Last 16 have more history than this one. The sides have met on eight occasions, with four Flensburg wins, one draw and three victories for Celje including the most important one on 18 April 2004, winning the first leg of the final 34:28 on their way to achieving the biggest success in the club s history. Two seasons later the Last16 was even more historic, as Flensburg closed a ten-goal deficit from the first leg (31:41) to draw level on aggregate (36:26) and win on away goals. In the 2009/10 season they met for the last time in the quarter-finals of the EHF Cup, in which Flensburg claimed victory on both occasions. Things have changed at both sides since then and Flensburg are currently suffering from a long list of injuries, mainly in the left back position (Kaufmann, Nenadic, Gustafson). Celje proved their credentials against German teams last season by beating Kiel on home court and defeating eventual champions HSV in Hamburg. A typical 50:50 match, said humble SG manager Dierk Schmäschke, while the Slovenian side clearly offered the favourites role to their opponent. In the current season Celje lost both encounters against a German side (Löwen) in the group phase. Head-to-head stats SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko (250:248) SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER-Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO EHF Champions League Group F 29:29 (14:14) Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO-SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER EHF Champions League Group F 29:28 (12:17) Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO-SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER EHF Champions League finals 34:28 (17:13) SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER-Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO EHF Champions League finals 30:28 (15:15) Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO-SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER EHF Champions League 1/8-finals 41:31 (21:14) SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER-Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO EHF Champions League 1/8-finals 36:26 (20:12) SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER-Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO EHF Cup 1/4-finals 33:29 (15:12) Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO-SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER EHF Cup 1/4-finals 32:35 (16:15) All stats by Roy Knoppert Expert s view Francois Xavier Houlet Happy birthday! It s 10 years ago that Celje won the EHF Champions League in the final against SG Flensburg-Handewitt. Do you remember player like Peric and Koksharov or their back court line with Rutenka, Zorman and Vugrinec? Ten years later the latter three world-class players are still among the best at their teams in Barcelona, Kielce and Metalurg Skopje respectively. However, a lot has happened at the Slovenian side. After some difficult years Celje are back among the European elite. The teams is young and boasts a lot of potential. Their right side is especially worth a mention with Gasper Marguc, currently second in the top scorer ranking, and Nemanja Zelenovic regularly showing their scoring prowess. The team s leader is Slovenian international Sebastian Skube. Similar to their national rivals Velenje, Celje play fast handball. In the past season s Last 16 Celje faced eventual champions HSV Hamburg. This time they are up against SG Flensburg-Handewitt. The team from Northern Germany have been a force to reckon with for two decades now, no matter whether on the national or the international level. However, the EHF Champions League trophy has eluded them so far. Twice they reached the final, but in 2004 they lost against Celje and in 2007 they went down to Kiel. And even though the club, besides the VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16, has also reached the semi-final of the national cup and is ranked third (as of 18 March) in the Bundesliga, injuries to his players trouble head coach Ljubomir Vranjes. Not once did he have the full squad at his disposal, and especially on the left back position problems are mounting. 61

62 Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO) Having been drawn to Group A alongside Hungarian national champions MKB-MVM Veszprem and German EHF Cup winners Rhein-Neckar Löwen, Celje Pivovarna Lasko, winners of the EHF Champions League in 2004, were eventually left with third place after the conclusion of the group phase. The Slovenian side faced the task of finding a new coach when Vladan Matic left the club in December and solely focused on his responsibility as Serbian national team coach. However, a replacement was swiftly found as Branko Tamse was announced as new head coach only days after Matic s departure. Tamse then successfully steered the club through the remaining group phase matches, first recording a draw against St. Petersburg, then securing the berth in the Last 16 with a victory against Zaporozhye in Round 9. In the Last 16 club manager Roman Pungartnik hopes for a duel against SG Flensburg-Handewitt. Because exactly ten years ago this was the pairing of the Champions League final won by our club, he said. Playing hall Dvorana Zlatorog Opekarinska cesta Celje Slovenia Capacity: 5,830 GROUP A Final Table: 1. MKB-MVM Veszprém :243 (60) Rhein-Neckar Löwen :252 (53) Celje Pivovarna Lasko :272 (-3) 9 4. HC Motor Zaporozhye :296 (-19) 9 5. HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb :282 (-15) 8 6. St. Petersburg HC :292 (-76) 1 Club Address: Celje Pivovarna Laško Opekarniska Cesta Celje Slovenia Media contact: Nejc Ajdnik nejc.ajdnik@rk-celje.si Online information: Website: Facebook: rkceljepivovarnalaško Kit colours Light Player shirt: yellow Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: blue Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: black Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - HC Croatia Zagreb L21:24 (10:13) vs St. Petersburg HC W29:22 (15:10) vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen L25:28 HC Motor Zaporozhye W32:29 (11:14) vs MKB-MVM Veszprém KC L26:31 MKB-MVM Veszprém KC L26:27 (10:13) vs HC Croatia Zagreb W26:20 St. Petersburg HC D29:29 (13:16) vs HC Motor Zaporozhye W30:27 Rhein-Neckar Löwen L25:35 (12:19) Top scorers: 1. Gasper Marguc (SLO) Nemanja Zelenovic (SRB) Ivan Sliskovic (CRO) Mate Lekai (HUN) Luka Zvizej (SLO) 28 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 19 Winner (1): 2003/04 Semi-final (6): 1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2004/05 Quarter-final (2): 2001/02, 2005/06 Last 16 (2): 1995/96, 2006/07, 2012/13 Main Round (2): 2007/08, 2008/09 Group Phase (3): 1993/94, 1994/95, 2010/11 Qualification (1): 2009/10 Other Cup Winners Cup: Semi-finals 2002/02, 2011/12 Slovenian league: 18 titles (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010) Slovenian Cup winners: 18 times 62

63 Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO) Biggest win 37:17 (16:9) v Redbergslids IK SWE (h), Biggest defeat 43:27 (23:16) v THW Kiel GER (a), Longest winning run 6 matches ( ) 6 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 8 matches ( ) Longest losing run 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest run without win 6 matches ( ) Most goals 44 v HC Granitas-Karys LTU 44:27W (h), Most goals opponent 44 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 44:33L (a), Most goals both teams 77 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 44:33L (a), Fewest goals 17 v UHK West Wien AUT 18:17L (a), Fewest goals opponent 16 v SG Wallau-Massenheim GER 23:16L (h), v Redbergslids Göteborg SWE 31:16W (h), Fewest goals both teams 35 v UHK West Wien AUT 18:17L (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 1993/94 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : th Gr. A 1996/97 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : /2-finals 1997/98 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : /2-finals 1998/99 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : /2-finals 1999/00 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : /2-finals 2000/01 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : /2-finals 2001/02 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : /4-finals 2003/04 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : Winner 2004/05 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : /2-finals 2005/06 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : /4-finals 2006/07 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : /8-finals 2007/08 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : th MR Gr /09 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : th MR Gr /11 HC Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : th Gr. A 2012/13 Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO : /8-finals Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) Three defeats in the main round of the Slovenian league meant that Celje finished second in the first phase five points below Velenje, which have not lost a game yet. The record Slovenian champions entered the championship round of best six teams by a win over Ribnica. Earlier this month (March) Celje seized the Slovenian Cup for the 17th time as they beat Svis Ivancna Gorica in the final. Injury report no injuries reported 63

64 Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 3 Blaz Blagotinsek SLO Line Player 17 Jan Stefan Cavor MNE Right Back 3 Nov Blaz Janc SLO Right Wing 20 Nov Mate Lekai HUN Centre Back 16 Jun Urban Lesjak SLO Goalkeeper 24 Aug Jaka Malus SLO Left Back 15 Jun Gasper Marguc SLO Right Wing 20 Aug Ziga Mlakar SLO Right Back 16 May Dejan Peric SRB Goalkeeper 22 Sep Vid Poteko SLO Line Player 5 Apr Gregor Potocnik SLO Left Back 22 Aug Nikola Ranevski SLO Left Wing 16 Apr David Razgor SLO Centre Back 13 Jul Matevz Skok SLO Goalkeeper 2 Sep Sebastian Skube SLO Centre Back 3 Apr Ivan Sliskovic CRO Left Back 23 Oct Igor Zabic SLO Line Player 15 Aug Nemanja Zelenovic SRB Right Back 27 Feb Rok Zuran SLO Left Back 7 Aug Luka Zvizej SLO Left Wing 9 Dec

65 Branko Tamše coach After spending a quarter of a century at Celje s biggest domestic rival, first as a right wing player and later as a coach, the 35-year old from Slovenj Gradec arrived at Celje as a youth team coach on the request of former strategist Vladan Matić, whom he replaced in December His credentials are more than adequate: he managed two Slovenian championships and three VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 appearances with Gorenje Velenje. With the recent domestic cup victory with Celje he s now completed his Slovenian trophy collection. He is known for his pragmatic approach and has vowed to continue the club s strategy of breeding and tempering home-grown talent. Luka Žvižej left wing He competed at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and he was listed among the top ten goal scorers at the 2012 EHF EURO. He was also part of the national team at the WCh 2013, where Slovenia finished just below the medal positions and he played a major part of that success. In 2003 he moved from his home team to Spain first to CB Cantabria and then to FC Barcelona, where he stayed for 2 years and won the CL in 2005 and the Spanish league in Before moving back to Celje he had the second stint at Cantabria and spent three years in Pick Szeged. Máté Lékai centre back He has been brought in Celje before last season like a top player who should carry a huge burden. Unfortunately, he had a lot of troubles with injuries in his first season and he missed all important matches. Nevertheless, he was one of the best players at Slovenian Cup final tournament where Celje managed to win this trophy for the sixteenth time. In final he scored five and played whole second half with broken finger. He is also a member of Hungarian national team and made big impression in his former clubs Pler and Pick Szeged. Matevž Skok goalkeeper More experienced in the Celje s goalkeeper tandem is Matevž Skok, Slovenian international player at age of 27. He moved to Celje two years ago from Slovenian biggest rival Velenje. In Celje he has become first goalkeeper choice and also cemented his position in the national team. Before this season he had several tempting offers, but decided to stay in Celje where he has saved 632 shots in 88 matches and has been among top saves of the round in last season of CL for couple of times. Urban Lesjak is the younger part of duo in Celje s goal. Sebastian Skube left back / centre back The excellent Slovenian universal back player can play at all outer positions. He has previously played in his home club Trimo and afterwards in Koper where he reached the CL quarter-final in the 2010/11 season. He is considered as one of the best Slovenian centre back players where his future career will surely be in one of the top European clubs. He already had a lot of tempting offers, but he decided to accept Celje s offer to be one of leaders of the new team. With his speed, he is a nightmare for his opponents what he proved in the last CL season with 36 goals. Vid Poteko line player He is a member of Celje since Since then, he is a key part of Celje s defence. He is known as a true fighter, who never gives up. He was part of the Slovenian Mediterranean team playing in Mersin 2013 together with Gašper Marguč, Urban Lesjak and Borut Mačkovšek. After Alem Toskić left Celje for Vardar Skopje over the summer, he will get more minutes in the offensive part of play. He played in 106 matches for Celje in the domestic competition, scoring 111 times. Besides him Blaž Blagotinšek, one of the shiniest Slovenian talents, is expected to get some minutes on the court too. Nemanja Zelenović right back He is another representative of the young guns of Celje. He arrived at the age of 21 from Red Star Belgrade. With Red Star he experienced the CL debut in the 2007/08 season and still as a teenager he scored 18 goals next season. At the age of 23 he is currently the first choice at right back position and a member of Serbian national team, where he also played at last WCh in Spain. Until now he played 83 matches and scored 244 times in the CL for Celje. He is expected to share his time at the right back position with Žiga Mlakar. Gašper Marguč right wing He took part in the WCh in Spain 2013, where Slovenia placed fourth. Marguč is playing for Celje since In the 2012/13 season he played his best season so far and became Slovenian top scorer in the CL, netting in 72 times (10th overall). He played amazing two matches against THW Kiel, scoring 18 times from 18 shots against the legendary Thierry Omeyer. His goals were regularly voted by fans for one of the best shots in respective rounds. Marguč played so far 155 matches for RK Celje Pivovarna Laško, scoring 676 times (12th overall in clubs history). 65

66 SG Flensburg Handewitt (GER) For the second season in a row, SG Flensburg-Handewitt were paired with local rivals HSV in the group phase and for the second season in a row finished one point behind in second place. Ljubomir Vranjes side were barely troubled in their opening three encounters, dispatching their opponents with ease, before letting a four-goal half-time lead against La Rioja slip in a 35:35 draw. Subsequent defeat to HSV meant that finishing first in the group was out of their hands, despite a win in the return fixture, and second position was never really in doubt with nearest rivals Velenje and Aalborg lacking consistency. The German side were hit hard by injuries at the beginning of 2014, so much so that coach Vranjes was an unused substitute in the penultimate game against La Rioja, but they completed the group phase with three wins from three, happy in the knowledge that they will avoid their local rivals for the next round at least. Playing hall Flens Arena Campusallee Flensburg Germany Capacity: 6,000 GROUP D Final Table: 1. HSV Hamburg :266 (64) SG Flensburg-Handewitt :272 (42) RK Gorenje Velenje :320 (-13) 8 4. Aalborg Handball :265 (10) 8 5. Naturhouse La Rioja :320 (-28) 8 6. HK DROTT Halmstad :364 (-75) 1 Club Address: SG Flensburg-Handewitt Schiffbrücke Flensburg Germany Media contact: Sandra von Wallis s.vonwallis@sg-flensburg-handewitt.de Online information: Website: Facebook: SGFleHa Kit colours Light Player shirt: red Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Dark Player shirt: white Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: black Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - loss) vs Aalborg Handball W31:27 HK DROTT Halmstad W37:27 (19:13) vs RK Gorenje Velenje W35:31 Naturhouse La Rioja D32:32 HSV Hamburg L27:32 (14:15) vs HSV Hamburg W27:24 Aalborg Handball W27:26 (14:13) vs HK DROTT Halmstad W33:25 (20:8) vs Naturhouse La Rioja W37:25 RK Gorenje Velenje W28:23 (15:9) Top scorers: 1. Anders Eggert (DEN) Steffen Weinhold (GER) Holger Glandorf (GER) Thomas Mogensen (DEN) Michael V. Knudsen (DEN) 27 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 9 Final (2): 2003/2004, 2006/2007 Semi-final (1): 2005/2006 Quarter-final (4): 2004/2005, 2008/2009, 2010/2011, 2012/2013 Main Round (1): 2007/2008 Other Cup Winners Cup: Winners 2000/ /2012 EHF Cup: Winners 1996/1997 City Cup: Winners 1998/1999 German league: 1 title (2004) German Cup winners: three times 66

67 SG Flensburg Handewitt (GER) Biggest win 43:24 (23:12) v RK Metalurg Skopje MKD (h), Biggest defeat 36:22 (16:10) v Montpellier HB FRA (a), :38 (8:19) v Renovalia Ciudad Real ESP (h), Longest winning run 6 matches ( ) 6 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 7 matches ( ) 7 matches ( ) Longest losing run 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win 5 matches ( ) Most goals 44 v Redbergslids IK SWE 44:33W (h), Most goals opponent 41 v Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO 41:31L (a), Most goals both teams 77 v Redbergslids IK SWE 44:33W (h), Fewest goals 19 v Renovalia Ciudad Real ESP 27:19L (a), Fewest goals opponent 18 v HC Bosna Sarajevo BIH 25:18W (h), Fewest goals both teams 43 v Montpellier HB FRA 22:21W (h), v HC Bosna Sarajevo BIH 25:18W (h), v Renovalia Ciudad Real ESP 21:22W (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 2003/04 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : Runner-up 2004/05 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : /4-finals 2005/06 SG Flensburg Handewitt GER : /2-finals 2006/07 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : Runner-up 2007/08 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : th MR Gr /09 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : /4-finals 2010/11 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : /4-finals 2012/13 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : /4-finals Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 20 March) The chance for a German bundesliga title is still very realistic for SG. With 7 rounds to go they currently sit on the third place one point behind the leaders THW Kiel and RNL. They wage a successful campaign in the German Cup as they reached the semi-final after eliminating Magdeburg, Aue and Wetzlar. Their next opponent will be Rhein Neckar Löwen. Injury report Lars Kaufmann knee problems questionable Hampus Wanne - back pain - questionable Late entry Goran Bogunovic (LB) from Chambery 67

68 SG Flensburg Handewitt (GER) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 1 Mattias Andersson SWE Goalkeeper 29 Mar Lukas Blohme GER Right Wing 7 Nov Anders Eggert Jensen DEN Left Wing 14 May Holger Glandorf GER Right Back 30 Mar Jim Gottfridsson SWE Centre Back 2 Sep Olafur Gustafsson ISL Left Back 27 Mar Jacob Heinl GER Line Player 9 Oct Tobias Karlsson SWE Line Player 4 Jun Lars Kaufmann GER Left Back 25 Feb Michael V. Knudsen DEN Line Player 4 Sep Maik Machulla GER Centre Back 9 Jan Thomas Mogensen DEN Centre Back 30 Jan Drasko Nenadic SRB Left Back 15 Feb Michael Nicolaisen GER Left Back 6 May Bogdan Radivojevic SRB Right Wing 2 Mar Sören Rasmussen DEN Goalkeeper 12 Aug Christopher Rudeck GER Goalkeeper 15 Oct Lasse Svan DEN Right Wing 31 Aug Ljubomir Vranjes SWE Centre Back 3 Oct Hampus Wanne SWE Left Wing 10 Dec Steffen Weinhold GER Right Back 19 Jul

69 Ljubomir Vranjes coach Player, manager, coach this the running order of the career of former Swedish international player. After retiring as a player he became club manager in 2009 and coach in November His biggest success on the bench was the title in the Cup Winners Cup 2012 and finishing second in the German league in the same season. As a player he became World Champion in 1999 and threetimes EHF EURO champion. After his club had been narrowly eliminated by HSV in the quarter-final he succesfully steered Serbia to EHF EURO 2014 last June. Mattias Andersson goalkeeper The Swedish was the most outstanding Flensburg player in the last two years, including his award best player of the Bundesliga season 2011/12. He won the CL in 2007 with THW Kiel, where he played until 2008, before leaving Northern Germany for three years to join TV Großwallstadt. In 2011 he returned northwards, signing his contract in Flensburg. Mainly thanks to his saves Flensburg won the Cup Winners Cup in the 2011/12 season. He is one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the CL and won a silver medal with Sweden at 2012 Olympics in London. Anders Eggert left wing Fast, faster, Eggert: The Dane had to fill the biggest shoes ever in Flensburg as successor of legendary Lars Christiansen. But he coped perfectly with this situation and was the top scorer of the German Bundesliga in 2011 and top scorer of the 2013 world championship in Spain. He is two-time EHF EURO champion (2008, 2012) and two-time runner-up of the WCh (2011, 2013) with Denmark. He has just started his already eighth season in Flensburg. He is also famous being as cold as ice from the penalty line with one of the highest percentages in the CL. Thomas Mogensen centre back More than 1000 goals for his club, awarded 2012 EHF EURO champion and silver medallist at the 2011 and 2013 WCh Danish playmaker Thomas Mogensen is highly experienced. Since 2007 he plays for Flensburg his first stop outside his homecountry Denmark. Before he had been player of Viborg HK and GOG Svendborg, becoming Danish champion and Cup winner twice. His biggest success on club level was winning the Cup Winners Cup in And SG will have at least two more years of inspiration, as his contract expires in Steffen Weinhold right back Although he is 27 years old, Weinhold is considered to be one of the rising stars in German handball. He was Men s 20 EHF EURO champion in 2006 and runner-up at the Junior World Championship the following year. Right after this event, the Bavarian transferred from Fürth to German powerhouse HSG Nordhorn, winning the EHF Cup in his first season. After signing for TV Großwallstadt he was in the focus of the national team coach Heiner Brand and then made the next step in his career, signing for SG Flensburg-Handewitt in He is set to move to THW Kiel at the end of this season. Tobias Karlsson line player He is the typical powerful Scandinavian defence specialist, who together with former Barcelona rock Magnus Jernemyr - build the Swedish middle block in the last years. He is the team captain, a great honour after legendary Lars Christiansen left SG. He became Swedish champion three times with Hammarby IF. Like Mattias Andersson, he was part of the Swedish team which took silver at the 2012 Olympics in London. He is the clear boss in the SG defence, the look upon his attack statistics proves that he is rather randomly entering the opponent s half. Holger Glandorf right back Years ago it was impossible to find any German stars in the Flensburg squad, which mostly had been imprinted by Scandinavian players - but times have changed. One of two German 2007 world champions in the Flensburg roster is left handed shooter Glandorf. Despite some injury breaks, the right back always returned to a high level of performance. Aside winning the gold medal on home ground at the 2007 WCh in Germany, also won twice the EHF Cup (2008 and 2010) with Nordhorn and the Cup Winners Cup in Lasse Svan Hansen right wing One who names roasted hot dog as his favourite dish cannot be a professional sportsmen, or? But despite his love for the typical Danish snack, he is one of the fastest wing players in the CL. He has the same qualities as Eggert on the other side: fast counter-attacks and a high scoring efficiency. And he has another task in his team: motivation and relaxing as his business is mental coaching. After four seasons at GOG Svendborg he moved to Flensburg in In the Danish national team he won gold at the 2012 EHF EURO and silver each at the 2011 and 2013 WCh. 69

70 HC Metalurg vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn First leg Sunday 23 March, 16:55 hrs. local time in Skopje Second leg Sunday 30 March, 16:45 hrs. local time in Kolding KIF have not been part of been part of an EHF Champions League quarter-final since the 2002/03 season, but hopes are high to be among the best eight teams of Europe once again. Thanks to two wins over Kielce, the Danes managed to finish second in their group, while Metalurg finished third below Barcelona and PSG in arguably the toughest of this season s four groups. After the sweet taste of reaching the quarter-finals last season, coach Lino Cervar is eager to prove it was no one-off for his side. Both sides are missing key players, such as Kim Andersson for KIF and Naumce Mojsovski for Metalurg, due to injuries. With an impressive win over Barcelona in their final group match, the Macedonian runners-up sent a warning to the Danes as to what they should expect in Skopje. Two close and defence-orientated matches can be expected, in which two of the best and most experienced goalkeepers of the competition face-off: Kasper Hvidt and Darko Stanic. Head-to-head stats no previous encounters Expert s view Francois Xavier Houlet Metalurg are the one, the only team to beat FC Barcelona this season. They haven t just beaten them but also succeeded against Paris. On the other hand Kolding beat Kielce twice, on home court and even away. During the group phase both teams performed very well. Kolding eventually ranked second behind THW Kiel in a tough Group B. Despite the absence of Kim Andersson they recorded seven wins and just three losses. Not once did they lose by a considerable margin and when they were playing away they always fought hard and took some hotly-contested points. This quality and will power will be once again in demand when they travel to FYR Macedonia, because in Skopje only Skopje win. Believe it or not, but whenever either Vardar or Metalurg played at home, the visiting team never left the court with two points at its hands. Led by the smart Lino Cervar, Metalurg are an even smarter team. They play tough in defence, and they know how to play out attacks until they eventually find the best solution to score. They have players that can win the game for them, such as goalkeeper Darko Stanic or the immortal Renato Vugrinec, who already won the EHF Champions League ten years ago with Celje. Either way this encounter is too close to call, and for me it s impossible to point out the favourites. Kolding have the home advantage in the second leg which might prove vital. But in order to enjoy this advantage, they have to cope with the pressure they will endure in the first leg. Whichever way it goes, this will be a very interesting encounter that you shouldn t miss. 70

71 HC Metalurg (MKD) There was a Russian invasion to Skopje over the last summer, but the only big signing for Metalurg was Pavel Atman from Minsk. Lino Cervar s team saw that nobody escaped the group phase unblemished as they beat FC Barcelona on the very last day of the campaign. In their Boris Trajkovski arena they also defeated the second group favourites PSG Handball, but ironically on the same court against the underdogs from Wacker Thun they lost a valuable point, which could have pushed them closer to pot 2. In the competition s first city derby they lost to Vardar, but they struck back swiftly and took both points in the very next round. The club has successfully survived some internal troubles as goalkeeping icon Darko Stanic was suspended by the club and should be ready for another long mission in the knock-out rounds like last season, when they reached the quarter-finals before Kielce brought their campaign to a halt. Playing hall Boris Trajkovski bul. 8 Septemvri bb Skopje FYR Macedonia Capacity: 7,000 GROUP C Final Table: 1. FC Barcelona :256 (92) PSG Handball :288 (27) HC Metalurg :265 (-9) HC Vardar - Skopje :263 (6) HC Dinamo Minsk :295 (-29) 7 6. Wacker Thun :329 (-87) 1 Club Address: HC Metalurg ul. Jane Lukroski Skopje FYR Macedonia Media contact: Zoran Cvetanovski zoran.cvetanovski@gmail.com Online information: Website: Facebook: rkmetalurgofficial Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - Thun W23:22 (13:9) vs PSG Handball W28:26 FC Barcelona L17:35 (5:17) vs HC Dinamo Minsk W33:29 (20:18) vs HC Vardar - Skopje L22:27 HC Vardar - Skopje W26:18 (10:12) vs Wacker Thun D24:24 PSG Handball L29:32 HC Dinamo Minsk D23:23 (13:11) vs FC Barcelona W31:29 (15:11) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 6 Quarter-final (1): 2012/13 Last 16 (1): 2011/12 Group Matches (2): 2006/07, 2008/09 Qualification (1): 2010/11 Other 9 participations in other EC Macedonian league: 5 titles (2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012) Macedonian Cup winner: 5 times Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: yellow/orange/white Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: blue Top scorers: 1. Renato Vugrinec (SLO) Naumce Mojsovski (MKD) Pavel Atman (RUS) Goce Georgievski (MKD) Dejan Manaskov (MKD) 22 71

72 HC Metalurg (MKD) Biggest win 32:18 (18:14) v Bjerringbro-Silkeborg DEN (h), Biggest defeat 43:24 (23:12) v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER (a), Longest winning run 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest losing run 8 matches ( ) Longest run without win 8 matches ( ) Most goals 37 v Drammen HK NOR 37:30W (h), Most goals opponent 43 v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER 43:24L (a), Most goals both teams 67 v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER 43:24L (a), v Drammen HK NOR 37:30W (h), Fewest goals 15 v KS Vive Targi Kielce POL 26:15L (a), Fewest goals opponent 14 v St. Petersburg HC RUS 14:32W (a), Fewest goals both teams 37 v Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb CRO 19:18W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 2006/07 RK Metalurg Skopje MKD : th Gr. D 2008/09 HC Metalurg MKD : rd Gr. C 2011/12 HC Metalurg MKD : /8-finals 2012/13 HC Metalurg MKD : /4-finals Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) Both Metalurg and Vardar join the Macedonian league only in the play-off phase. In the regional SEHA league Metalurg missed the final four tournament as they finished fifth nine points behind fourth Brest and 14 points below the winners of the regular season from Tatran Presov. Injury report Naumce Mojsovski torn knee ligaments out for season 72

73 HC Metalurg (MKD) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 20 Petar Angelov MKD Goalkeeper 8 Mar Pavel Atman RUS Centre Back 25 May Vancho Dimovski MKD Line Player 4 Apr Goce Georgievski MKD Right Wing 12 Feb Ace Jonovski MKD Left Back 29 Dec Nikola Kedzo CRO Right Back 12 Aug Nikola Kosteski MKD Right Wing 22 Aug Bojan Madjovski MKD Left Wing 8 May Borjan Madjovski MKD Centre Back 8 May Dejan Manaskov MKD Left Wing 26 Aug Martin Manaskov MKD Left Back 7 Jun Igor Mandic BIH Left Back 16 Oct Nikola Markoski MKD Line Player 22 May Velko Markoski MKD Left Back 5 Apr Filip Mirkulovski MKD Centre Back 14 Sep Nikola Mitrevski MKD Goalkeeper 3 Oct Zlatko Mojsoski MKD Right Wing 15 Nov Naumce Mojsovski MKD Centre Back 17 Jun Marko Nelovski MKD Left Back 6 Jun Goce Ojleski MKD Left Wing 10 Oct Dejan Pecakovski MKD Left Back 12 Jan Zharko Peshevski MKD Line Player 11 Apr Darko Stanic SRB Goalkeeper 8 Oct Filip Talevski MKD Left Back 28 Mar Petar Topic CRO Line Player 30 Dec Renato Vugrinec SLO Right Back 9 Jun Serghei Zhedik RUS Left Back 24 Jun

74 Lino Červar coach He was the most successful coach of the Croatian men s national team, becoming Olympic gold medallist in 2004 and world champion in Furthermore he collected several more medals like two WCh silver medals in 2005 and 2009 and EHF EURO silver 2008 and Parallel to his work for the Croatian federation, he was coach of RK Zagreb for a long time. In 2009 he started coaching Metalurg a job he focuses on completely since resigning from the helm of the Croatian national team. Darko Stanić goalkeeper Courtesy of his excellent skills Serbian goalkeeper Darko Stanić, who joined Metalurg in 2011, is referred to as Minister of Defence. Immediately he won the hearts of the fans and coach Lino Červar. At the end of the 2012/13 season Stanić was voted into the VELUX EHF Champions League All-star team, the same award he received at the end of the EHF EURO 2012 in Serbia, where he won the silver medal with the hosts Serbia. While still playing for Koper he won the Challenge Cup in Dejan Manaskov left wing The 21-year-old is the son of Macedonian handball legend Pepe Manaskov. He missed half of the 2012/13 season, including Metalurg s Champions League quarter-finals against Kielce, due to a knee injury. However, he has now fully recovered and is well on his way to again reach his full potential. Before playing at the World Championship in Spain for FYR Macedonia, Manaskov extend his contract with Metalurg until June And this season he will be joined by his younger brother Martin. Pavel Atman left back The arrival of left-back Pavel Atman was a massive transfer coup for Metalurg in summer Together with Naumce Mojsovski and and Renato Vugrinec the 26-year-old Russian will build the Macedonian team s first back court line-up. Atman played for Russian side Kaustik Volgograd and Belarusian team Dinamo Minsk before and now signed a two-year contract with Metalurg. As a national team player for Russia he participated at the 2009 and 2013 World Championships as well as at the EHF EURO Luka Cindric centre back After the playmaking star of both the Macedonian national team and Metalurg Naumce Mojsovski got injured Metalurg management had to act swiftly. Their decision to fill the gap by a rising Criatian talent Luka Cindric quickly proved e the right one as the 20-year old youngster quickly accommodated in the new environment. In the last three rounds of the group phase he scored 15 goals. The 2013/14 is his first season in the European Cups at all as he played two matches in the Challenge Cup for HRK Karlovec before he transferred to Skopje. Vancho Dimovski line player Vancho Dimovski is one of the most experienced players, not only because of his age (34), but also because of his experience of 10 EHF Champions League seasons. Apart from Metalurg he played for Vardar and Slovenian side RK Gold Club Kozina and reached Europe s premier club competition with all three of them. He has won the Macedonian national championship 11 times and finished the past eight seasons with winning at least one title. He was part of Macedonian team that finished 5th at the EHF EURO Renato Vugrinec right back Renato Vugrinec is the only Metalurg player who has won a European Cup title to date as he was a Celje player when they won the EHF Champions League in During the ten seasons he played for the Slovenian side (interrupted by stints at SC Magdeburg and Portland San Antonio) he won eight national championships and five times the national cup, scoring 1,465 goals on the go. With the Slovenian national team he won silver at the 2004 EHF European Championship in his home country. Goce Georgievski right wing Together with Dejan Manaskov, Goce Georgievski is part of a new generation of young players who come from the Metalurg handball school. The 26-year-old played a successful 2012/13 VELUX EHF Champions League season, scoring 38 goals overall. He only started playing handball at the age of 16, but quickly improved his skills and has been part of Metalurg s senior team from 2006 onwards. He was part of the Macedonian national team that finished 14th at the 2013 WCh in Spain. 74

75 KIF Kolding København (DEN) The new Danish juggernaut upgraded the level of a European competition they play switching from the EHF Cup to the VELUX EHF Champions League, but they were unable to stop the string of many injuries hitting the team. Even without players like Kim Andersson or Boris Schnuchel, KIF had a very successful start to the season. In the first six rounds they only failed to earn points in a game at Kiel, where the three-time champions turned the tide in the second half. Kolding Kobenhavn also snapped the longest active winning streak in the European top flight as they beat Kielce who won 14 group phase games in a row beforehand. The Danish side went on to defeat the third team of the last season again in Poland, but unexpectedly lost at Porto in the Round 7. Three coaches have led the team so far this season. Henrik Kronborg was sidelined due to a surgery of a double slipped disc in his back and after a spell in which his assistant Bilal Suman took over his duties the club signed the coach of the Icelandic national team Aron Kristjansson just before the Round 9. Playing hall TRE-FOR Arena Ambolten Kolding Denmark Capacity: 2,800 GROUP B Final Table: 1. THW Kiel : KIF Kolding Kobenhavn : KS Vive Targi Kielce : Orlen Wisla Plock :277 (-2) 8 5. FC Porto Vitalis :278 (-37) 5 6. Dunkerque HB G.L :268 (-31) 3 Club Address: KIF Kolding København Ambolten Kolding Denmark Media contact: Thomas Christensen tc@kif.dk Online information: Website: Facebook: KIFKBH Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: orange/blue Dark Player shirt: black Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: orange/blue Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - loss) vs FC Porto Vitalis W25:20 THW Kiel L26:29 Dunkerque HB G.L. W20:18 (12:7) vs Orlen Wisla Plock W23:22 (13:11) vs KS Vive Targi Kielce W29:24 KS Vive Targi Kielce W26:25 FC Porto Vitalis L24:27 (11:15) vs THW Kiel L24:26 Orlen Wisla Plock W26:25 (10:8) vs Dunkerque HB G.L. W26:24 (15:15) Top scorers: 1. Albert Rocas Comas (ESP) Bo Spellerberg (DEN) Lasse Bredekjaer Anderson (DEN) 33 Lukas Karlsson (SWE) Stefan Hundstrup (DEN) 26 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 11 Semi-final (1): 2001/02 Quarter-final (1): 2002/03 Last 16 (6): 2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2009/10, 2010/11 Last 32 (1): 1993/94 Group Phase (1): 1994/95 Other Cup Winners Cup: Semi-finals 1999/2000, Quarter-finals 2007/08 EHF Cup: Quarter-finals 2012/13 Danish champions: 12 times (1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009) Danish Cup winners: 7 times 75

76 KIF Kolding København (DEN) Biggest win 35:18 (19:4) v Wisła Płock SA POL (h), Biggest defeat 38:23 (20:10) v THW Kiel GER (a), :25 (19:10) v Montpellier Agglomeration HB FRA (a), Longest winning run 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 6 matches ( ) Longest losing run 4 matches ( ) Longest run without win 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Most goals 42 v RK Partizan Belgrad SCG 42:26W (h), v Prule 67 Ljubljana SLO 42:31W (h), Most goals opponent 46 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 46:36L (a), Most goals both teams 82 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 46:36L (a), Fewest goals 16 v TEKA Santander ESP 28:16L (a), Fewest goals opponent 18 v Lovcen Osiguranje YUG 20:18W (h), v Wisła Płock SA POL 35:18W (h), v Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral FRA 20:18W (a), Fewest goals both teams 38 v Lovcen Osiguranje YUG 20:18W (h), v Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral FRA 20:18W (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 1994/95 Kolding IF DEN : th Gr. A 2001/02 Kolding IF DEN : /2-finals 2002/03 Kolding IF DEN : /4-finals 2003/04 Kolding KIF DEN : /8-finals 2004/05 Kolding KIF DEN : /8-finals 2005/06 KIF Kolding DEN : /8-finals 2006/07 KIF Kolding Elite A/S DEN : /8-finals 2009/10 KIF Kolding DEN : /8-finals 2010/11 KIF Kolding DEN : /8-finals Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 20 March) Like the last year Kolding Kobenhavn won the regular season of the Danish league, but they leapfrogged the previous leaders from Skjern only in the second to last round. In the championship stage Group A they started with a win at Bjerringbro-Silkeborg and a narrow victory against Sonderjyske. Just two weeks ago KIF clinched a cup trophy as they beat the same rival in the final. Injury report Kim Andersson shoulder injury - out for season Kasper Irming torn cruciate ligament - out for season Lasse Boesen shoulder injury - questionable 76

77 KIF Kolding København (DEN) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 5 Kim Andersson SWE Right Back 21 Aug Lasse Boesen DEN Left Back 18 Sep Joachim Boldsen DEN Centre Back 30 Apr Thorsten Friis DEN Goalkeeper 22 Jan Stefan Hundstrup DEN Lef Wing 30 Jun Kasper Hvidt DEN Goalkeeper 6 Feb Kasper Irming Andersen DEN Right Wing 12 Mar Rasmus Jensen DEN Line Player 17 Jun Simon Edelberg Jensen DEN Right Wing 2 Jun Lars Krogh Jeppesen DEN Left Back 5 Mar Lars Troels Jorgensen DEN Centre Back 3 Feb Lukas Karlsson SWE Centre Back 21 May Torsten Laen DEN Line Player 26 Nov Mikkel Drud Nielsen DEN Goalkeeper 14 Mar 1991 Jacob Vinholt Pedersen DEN Left Wing 18 Jul Rolf Ravn DEN Right Back 10 Oct Albert Rocas Comas ESP Right Wing 16 Jun Boris Schnuchel DEN Left Wing 15 Mar Bo Spellerberg DEN Left Back 24 Jul Thomas Björn Theilgaard DEN Right Wing 13 Jan Cyril Viudes FRA Line Player 6 Feb Soren Westphal DEN Goalkeeper 8 Jul

78 Aron Kristjánsson coach The 41-year-old former Iceland international was absolutely no stranger to Danish handball, when he took over the job as temporary head coach at KIF Kolding Kobenhavn in February. He had a long and glorious career as a playmaker in Skjern Handbold, where he later became assistant coach, and from 2004 to 2007 he was head coach in the ambitious West Jutland club. He has also been coaching Haukar Hafnarfjördur and German Bundesliga club TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, before he became Icelandic national coach in 2012 a job he has had ever since, and in which he is going to continue along with being coach in KIF for the rest of this season. Stefan Hundstrup left wing Just like Joachim Boldsen, Kasper Hvidt and Lars Jørgensen, Hundstrup joined KIF Kolding København after AG København s bankruptcy in the summer of The tall winger, who is on the periphery of the Danish national team, has an impressive scoring percentage from the left wing and due to his speed, Hundstrup is also an important figure in the fast breaks. As KIF s other left winger Boris Schnuchel is sidelined for the rest of the autumn after knee surgery, Stefan Hundstrup is an especially important figure in the KIF team. Kasper Hvidt goalkeeper The 37-year-old is still considered to be among the five or six best goalkeepers in the world. After being awarded MVP as Denmark won the EHF EURO 2008 in Norway, he retired from international handball in After a career in Germany and Spain, including a successful spell in FC Barcelona, Hvidt returned home to Denmark in 2009 to play for first FCK Håndbold, then AG København, with whom he reached the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Since August last year he has been with KIF Kolding København, the team which he put a lot of effort in creating. Bo Spellerberg left back Spellerberg has been a KIF Kolding player for ten years, since he joined the club from FIF Copenhagen in He has won the Danish championship four times with the club. He has been in the EHF Champions League with the club five times, and during his entire time in the club, he has been a key player to the team. Being an elegant and hard-shooting playmaker as well as left back, he has constantly been a leader in the team s attacking play. Spellerberg is a double EHF EURO champion and World Championship silver medallist. Lukas Karlsson centre back The Swedish international joined KIF Kolding from Viborg HK in The elegant and inventive playmaker was bothered by shoulder problems for a long time, but thanks to a lot of physical therapy he seems to be back to his best. Apart from orchestrating KIF s attacking play, he has also turned into one of the team s most dangerous shooters, proving that fact with 33 goals in the EHF Cup last season. He is married to Norwegian international Ida Bjørndalen. Torsten Laen line player After celebrating several triumphs with top Danish side GOG, the former Danish international went abroad in First stop was to Ciudad Real, with whom he won the EHF Champions League in 2008 and then on to the Bundesliga and Füchse Berlin, with a place in the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in 2012 the major achievement. The 33-year-old joined KIF Kolding København in the summer of 2013 and will be an important player in all aspects of the club s play. Lars Jørgensen right back Even at the age of 36, Lars Jørgensen is still being considered among the best defenders in the world. His experience, his ability to read the game, together with his physical strength and his uncompromising approach to the game have made him essential to KIF Kolding København since he joined the club in He also possesses an enormous international experience. From the national team, from his time in the former Spanish top club Portland San Antonio, and from his years with AG København, with whom he reached the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Although he has mainly played in the defence in recent years, he has also proved from time to time this season that he still has huge attacking qualities as well. Albert Rocas right wing Double world champion with the Spanish national team (2005 and 2013), Rocas is only missing an EHF EURO crown from his collection. He was nominated as the best ASOBAL right wing in 2004, 2007 and 2008, and best right wing of the Beijing Olympic Games in After six seasons at Barcelona, Rocas made the move to Denmark over the summer, his first to a foreign league. Always considered as a specialist with spin shots, the seven metre spot is one of his favourites on the court. 78

79 KS Vive Targi Kielce vs Rhein Neckar Löwen First leg Saturday 22 March, 16:10 hrs. local time in Kielce Second leg Monday 31 March, 19:00 hrs. local time in Mannheim Five former Löwen players (Cupic, Lijewski, Szmal, Tkaczyk and Bielecki) are eager to bring their ex-teammates European adventure to an early end. With the signing of coach Talant Dujshebaev, the style of play and tactics changed, rendering the results of the five previous duels between the sides somewhat insignificant. In their most recent game in 2011, Kielce snatched the ticket to the group phase by winning the final of the wildcard tournament after extra-time at home. Expert s view Francois Xavier Houlet Both sides have already had a taste of Cologne, as Löwen reached the 2011 edition of the VELKUX EHF FINAL4 and Kielce had finished third in Both sides feel they are good enough to make it again this season, but there s only room for one in the next round. Both sides are currently in great domestic form, with Löwen only two points behind THW Kiel in the German Bundesliga and Kielce topping the Polish league with a seven-point advantage over Plock. Both sides expect sold-out arenas and after taking three from four possible points against THW, Kielce are highly motivated to make the next German side stumble. Head-to-head stats Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs KS Vive Targi Kielce (146:141) Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER-KS Vive Targi Kielce POL EHF Champions League Group B 29:29 (17:15) KS Vive Targi Kielce POL-Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER EHF Champions League Group B 32:35 (19:15) KS Vive Targi Kielce POL-Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER EHF Champions League Group A 23:23 (12:12) Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER-KS Vive Targi Kielce POL EHF Champions League Group A 29:27 (11:13) KS Vive Targi Kielce POL-Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER EHF Champions League Qualification Tournament 32:30 (13:11) All stats by Roy Knoppert This is for sure the highlight of the Last 16. Following a shaky start with a draw against Zaporozhye and a close defeat against Veszprem, Rhein-Neckar Löwen won eight games in a row and eventually came second in Group A. Theoretically this gave them the advantage to play against a third ranked team but what a third ranked team they were drawn against! The polish champions Kielce lost all three EHF Champions League matches in November, then Talant Dujshebaev arrived as new head coach, and quickly it became visible how he changed Kielce s game : He changed the defence to 5-1, reduced the number of turnovers, brought more speed and flexibility to the game and Kielce took five out of six possible points in the last three group phase matches. There are many things that speak in Kielce s favour that the Polish side can once again reach the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne. Their defence stands well when they play 6-0 and also when they execute Talant s preferred 5-1 system. With Szmal and Losert they have a very experienced goalkeeping duo at their disposal. Cupic, Strlek, Olafsson and Jachlewski are the specialists for quick counter attack goals. And in attack they boast stars such as Zorman, Aguinagalde, Jurecki and Lijiewski for every position Kielce have two very good players. Rhein-Neckar Löwen on the other hand currently play some of the most beautiful handball in Europe. There is speed, agility and enthusiam forming a perfect mix. And they enjoy success. They have not only played well in the VELUX EHF Champions League, but also reached the semi-final of the German national cup and are currently ranked second (as of 19 March) in the German Bundesliga. They have world-class players like Landin and Gensheimer in their ranks. The challenge for the German side and potentially even the key to success is how they can cope with an experienced and physically strong team such as Kielce. Being present in three different competitions is an energy-consuming affair. There is a much at stake and they can either win or lose a lot. Don t ask me for a prediction, I m not a prophet. 79

80 KS Vive Targi Kielce (POL) Vive Targi Kielce kicked off the new season in the same fashion they had shown in the previous one as they extended their group phase winning run from ten to 14 matches. However, the bronze medallists of the last VELUX EHF FINAL4 found themselves among the unseeded teams after they paid the price for their biggest losing streak since the 2010/11 season. Two defeats at the hands of Kolding were followed by a shocking upset in Dunkerque in Round 7 and changes seemed to be inevitable over the winter break. Hardly anybody could predict the development in Kielce right after the start of the New Year, when the club announced the signing of Talant Dujshebaev as a new head coach and his predecessor Bogdan Wenta moved to a management position within the club. Under a new leadership the Polish champions quickly regrouped and already proved they are a force to be reckoned with in Talant s second game, when they snatched a point from Kiel. Playing hall Hala M.O.S.I.R Legionów ul. Boczna 15A Kielce Poland Capacity: 4,000 GROUP B Final Table: 1. THW Kiel : KIF Kolding Kobenhavn : KS Vive Targi Kielce : Orlen Wisla Plock :277 (-2) 8 5. FC Porto Vitalis :278 (-37) 5 6. Dunkerque HB G.L :268 (-31) 3 Club Address: KS Vive Targi Kielce ul. Robotnicza Kielce Poland Media contact: Sebastian Kozubek s.kozubek@vivetargi.pl Online information: Website: Facebook: vivetargikielce Kit colours Light Player shirt: yellow Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: blue Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: green Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - loss) vs Dunkerque HB G.L. W33:23 (15:11) vs FC Porto Vitalis W35:23 Orlen Wisla Plock W30:28 (16:17) vs THW Kiel W34:29 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn L24:29 (12:17) vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn L25:26 Dunkerque HB G.L. L25:30 FC Porto Vitalis W35:30 THW Kiel D28:28 (16:13) vs Orlen Wisla Plock W38:30 (20:12) Top scorers: 1. Michal Jurecki (POL) Ivan Cupic (CRO) Manuel Strlek (CRO) Julen Aguinagalde (ESP) Krzysztof Lijewski (POL) 29 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 11 Semi-final (1): 2012/13 (third ranked in VELUX F4) Last 16 (4): 1993/94, 1994/95, 2009/10, 2011/12 Last 32 (2): 1996/97, 1998/99 Group Matches (3): 1999/2000, 2003/04, 2010/11 Other Other EC records: 11 participations in other ECs Polish league: 10 titles (1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) Polish Cup winners: 10 times 80

81 KS Vive Targi Kielce (POL) Biggest win 35:23 (16:13) v FC Porto Vitalis POR (h), Biggest defeat 30:41 (19:19) v Fotex KC Veszprém HUN (h), Longest winning run 10 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 10 matches ( ) Longest losing run 5 matches ( ) 5 matches ( ) Longest run without win 6 matches ( ) Most goals 38 v Orlen Wisla Plock 38:30W (h), Most goals opponent 41 v Fotex KC Veszprém HUN 30:41L (h), Most goals both teams 72 v Celje Pivovarna Laško SLO 40:32L (a), Fewest goals 21 v HC Bosna BH Gas BIH 25:21L (a), v HC Metalurg MKD 21:20W (h), Fewest goals opponent 20 v HC Metalurg MKD 21:20W (h), Fewest goals both teams 41 v HC Metalurg MKD 21:20W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 1999/00 KS Iskra-Lider Market POL : rd Gr. B 2003/04 KS Vive Kielce POL : rd Gr. G 2009/10 KS Vive Targi Kielce POL : /8-finals 2010/11 KS Vive Targi Kielce POL : th Gr. A 2011/12 KS Vive Targi Kielce POL : /8-finals 2012/13 KS Vive Targi Kielce POL : Third Place Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 18 March) With one round still to go in the regular season of the Polish Ekstraklasa Kielce have already clinched the top position in the standings leading by nine points ahead of Orlen Wisla Plock. Their quarter-final opponents will be either Kwidzyn or Zaglebie Lubin. Kielce have also secured a ticket for the final four of the Polish Cup as they easily sailed past Elblag in the quarter-final. Injury report Manuel Strlek - biceps injury some chance of playing 81

82 KS Vive Targi Kielce (POL) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 13 Julen Aguinagalde Akuizu ESP Line Player 8 Dec Karol Bielecki POL Left Back 23 Jan Denis Buntic CRO Right Back 13 Nov Piotr Chrapkowski POL Left Back 24 Mar Ivan Cupic CRO Right Wing 22 Mar Piotr Grabarczyk POL Line Player 31 Oct Mateusz Jachlewski POL Left Wing 27 Dec Michal Jurecki POL Left Back 27 Oct Krzysztof Lijewski POL Right Back 7 Jul Venio Losert CRO Goalkeeper 25 Jul Zeljko Musa CRO Line Player 8 Jan Thorir Olafsson ISL Right Wing 28 Nov Tomasz Rosinski POL Centre Back 24 Feb Manuel Strlek CRO Left Wing 1 Dec Slawomir Szmal POL Goalkeeper 2 Oct Grzegorz Tkaczyk POL Left Back 22 Dec Bartlomiej Tomczak POL Left Wing 7 Sep Uros Zorman SLO Centre Back 9 Jan

83 Talant Dujshebaev coach It was the surprise signing in January when not a famous player, but a famous coach joined a new club. After half a season without a job, when his former club Atlético Madrid withdrew from all competitions, Talant Dujshebaev became successor of Bogdan Wenta in Kielce. He was the key to the club s success since he was a coach, Madrid (former name Ciudad Real) became three-time CL winners (2006, 2008, 2009), three-time CL finalist, four-time Spanish champion, three-time IHF Super Globe winner and three-times Champions Trophy winner. He (world and Olympic champion as a player) is the only current coach to win the CL as a player (1994 with Santander) and a coach. Manuel Štrlek left wing After a successful first season abroad for the 24-year-old, who started gathering EHF Champions League experience with his boyhood club Zagreb in 2006, much is expected from the left winger. His excellent performance at the EHF EURO 2010 earned him a place on the All-star team. A hand injury in January caused him to miss two months of action, but he regained his flying form with nine goals in the VELUX EHF FINAL4 and is set for more of the same in the season ahead. Sławomir Szmal goalkeeper The former World Handball Player of the Year is one of the key players in the Polish national champions defence. The goalkeeper played several years for Rhein Neckar Löwen. His biggest success so far was a silver medal at the 2007 World Championship and a bronze at the 2009 tournament. Szmal has competed in two VELUX EHF FINAL4 events with Rhein- Neckar Löwen and Kielce last season. Michał Jurecki left back Kielce s powerful left back Michał Jurecki returned to Poland in 2010 after a three season stint in Germany, which included spells as HSV Hamburg and TuS N-Lübbecke, and has been one of the club s most consistent scorers since. 28-year-old Jurecki reached the 2007 WCh final with Poland and has made over 100 appearances for his country. Jurecki scored 77 goals in last season s competition and will be looking to repeat that form on another journey to Cologne. Uroš Zorman centre back One of the best playmakers in the game is on the hunt for his fourth EHF Champions League success. He has already won the trophy with Celje Pivovarna Laško from his native Slovenia in 2004 and Spain s Ciudad Real (2008, 2009). He is not known for scoring lots of goals, 28 in last season s VELUX EHF Champions League, but his movement and passes provide ample space for his teammates in attack, which he proved throughout last season. Julen Aguinagalde line player He is one of the world s top line players and his presence on the line will be a key for Kielce. He proved that last season with his nomination for World Handball Player of the Year 2012 and being named on the 2013 World Championship All-Star team. He joined Kielce from Atlético Mardid during the summer for his first foreign league experience. His older brother Gurutz is a goalkeeper for another side in the competition, Naturhouse La Rioja. Krzysztof Lijewski right back If it was not for the influence of his father and oldest brother, he would be probably a basketball player, but he chose handball and it turned out to be a very wise decision. Lijewski lifted Cup Winner s Cup in 2007 with HSV Hamburg. After winning the Bundesliga in 2011, his next club was Rhein-Neckar Lowen, where he remained for just one season before moving to Kielce, where scored 43 times in Europe during his debut season with the club. Ivan Čupić right wing The Croatian right wing was the second best goal scorer at the London 2012 Olympics. His reputation has been growing ever since he was named on the All-Star team and won a silver medal at the 2009 World Championship at home. Despite losing one finger in an accident in 2008 he continued his excellent form and won silver at the EHF EURO 2010 and bronze at London and the 2013 World Championship. 83

84 Rhein Neckar Löwen (GER) After a two-year absence the Lions, aka German side and EHF Cup champions Rhein-Neckar Löwen, returned in style to the VELUX EHF Champions League. Following a bit of a false start that only saw them taking a draw in their first match against Ukrainian side Motor Zaporozhye, they pushed themselves into gear and secured the spot in the Last 16 already at the end of November after a 32:26 victory in the return leg against Zaporozhye. They eventually finished the Group Phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League ranked second in Group A with seven wins, two draws and one loss. Back in October there had been a lot of transfer talk about their inspirational left wing, Uwe Gensheimer, but the 27-year-old eventually extended his contract with the German side until 2016, true to the motto once a lion, always a lion. His current coach however, Icelandic Gudmundur Gudmundsson, won t be sitting on the Löwen s bench next season as he accepted the offer to succeed Ulrik Wilbek at the helm of the Danish national team from July 2014 onwards. Playing hall SAP Arena Xaver-Fuhr-Str Mannheim Germany Capacity: 12,900 GROUP A Final Table: 1. MKB-MVM Veszprém :243 (60) Rhein-Neckar Löwen :252 (53) Celje Pivovarna Lasko :272 (-3) 9 4. HC Motor Zaporozhye :296 (-19) 9 5. HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb :282 (-15) 8 6. St. Petersburg HC :292 (-76) 1 Club Address: Rhein-Neckar Löwen Mollstraße 49a Mannheim Germany Media contact: Ute Krebs krebs@rhein-neckar-loewen.de Online information: Website: Facebook: rnloewen Kit colours Light Player shirt: yellow Player short: yellow Goalkeeper shirt: white/red Dark Player shirt: black Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: blue/green Group Phase results: (W - win, D - draw, L - loss) vs HC Motor Zaporozhye D31:31 MKB-MVM Veszprém KC L29:30 Celje Pivovarna Lasko W28:25 (13:7) vs St. Petersburg HC W31:17 (14:8) vs HC Croatia Osiguranje W34:26 HC Croatia Osiguranje W28:24 HC Motor Zaporozhye W32:26 (10:15) vs MKB-MVM Veszprém D25:25 St. Petersburg HC W32:23 (18:10) vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko W35:25 (19:12) Top scorers: 1. Uwe Gensheimer (GER) Bjarte Hakon Myrhol (NOR) Patrick Groetzki (GER) Sergei Gorbok (RUS) Andre Schmid (SUI) 26 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2013/14 season): 5 Semi-final (2): 2008/09, 2010/11 Quarter-final (1): 2009/10 Qualification (1): 2011/12 Other Cup Winners Cup: Runners-up 2007/08 EHF Cup: Winners 2012/13, Semi-finals 2011/12, Quarter-finals 2006/07 German league: none German Cup winner: none 84

85 Rhein Neckar Löwen (GER) Club records VELUX EHF Champions League Biggest win: 40:25 (19:10) v Chambery Savoie HB FRA (h), :39 (10:20) v HC Bosna BH Gas BIH (a), :22 (19:11) v Chambery Savoie HB FRA (h), Biggest defeat: 37:23 (20:08) v THW Kiel GER (a), Longest winning run: 5 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 8 matches ( ) 8 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 3 matches ( ) Most goals: 40 v Chambery Savoie HB FRA 40:25W (h), Most goals opponent: 38 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 38:38D (h), Most goals both teams: 76 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 38:38D (h), Fewest goals: 23 v Chambery Savoie HB FRA 25:23L (a), v THW Kiel GER 37:23L (a), v KS Vive Targi Kielce POL 23:23 (a), Fewest goals opponent: 17 v St. Petersburg HC 35:17W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 46 v KS Vive Targi Kielce POL 23:23 (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 2008/09 Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER : /2-finals 2009/10 Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER : /4-finals 2010/11 Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER : Fourth Place Total : Current situation in domestic competitions (as of 20 March) After 27 rounds the Lions have drawn level with the league leaders and the defending champions THW Kiel. Following a heavy defeat at HSV (25:38) Löwen won nine matches in a row what is the longest active streak in the bundesliga. They have had a successful campaign in the DHB Cup so far as they eliminated THW Kiel in the last 16 and reached the semi-final, where they will encounter SG Flensburg-Handewitt. Injury report Marius Steinhauser - torn cruciate ligament - out for the season 85

86 Rhein Neckar Löwen (GER) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 26 Michal Abt GER Left Back 25 Jul Kevin Bitz GER Centre Back 10 Mar Denni Djozic GER Left Wing 2 Oct Kim Ekdahl du Rietz SWE Left Back 23 Jul Uwe Gensheimer GER Left Wing 26 Oct Sergei Gorbok RUS Left Back 4 Dec Patrick Groetzki GER Right Wing 4 Jul Gedeon Guardiola Villaplana ESP Line Player 1 Oct Isaias Guardiola Villaplana ESP Right Back 1 Oct Runar Karason ISL Right Back 24 May Niklas Landin Jacobsen DEN Goalkeeper 19 Dec Nikola Manojlovic SRB Back 1 Dec Bjarte Hakon Myrhol NOR Line Player 29 May Roco Peribonio CRO Goalkeeper 16 Oct Alexander Petersson ISL Right Back 2 Jul Oliver Roggisch GER Line Player 25 Aug Andre Schmid SUI Centre Back 30 Aug David Schmidt GER Right Back 19 Oct Zarko Sesum SRB Back 16 Jun Stefan Rafn Sigurmannsson ISL Left Wing 19 May Marius Steinhauser GER Right Wing 6 Feb Goran Stojanovic MNE Goalkeeper 24 Feb Tomas Svensson SWE Goalkeeper 15 Feb

87 Gudmundur Gudmundsson coach Gudmundsson became coach of Fram Reykjavik in From 2008 to 2012, He was on the bench of the national team as successor to Alfred Gislason. Gudmundsson had a number of sport director roles before becoming Löwen head coach in After the Olympic Games in 2008 he quit his position as Icelandic national team coach to fully focus on his club and led Löwen to the 2011 VELUX EHF FINAL 4 in Cologne. He also steered the Mannheim s side to their first international trophy as they won the premiere edition of the EHF Cup Finals last May in Nantes, France. Niklas Landin goalkeeper The 24-year-old Dane is in the Löwen squad since the start of last season and is one of the main reasons for their success. The successor of legendary Kasper Hvidt broke through during the 2011 WCh. Guðmundur Guðmundsson was already his coach at his former club GOG and he gave him the chance to be number one in Svendborg already at the age of 20. In 2011 and 2013 Landin became runner-up at the WCh in Sweden and Spain and was awarded as best goalkeeper for the 2013 All-star. In 2012 he became EHF EURO champion in Serbia. Uwe Gensheimer left wing Born in Mannheim, he is the 100 per cent local hero. Since 2003 he has been playing for his club. His talent was discovered very early as he became Junior European champion in 2006, one year later he was awarded MVP at the Junior WCh, when he also won the silver medal. In 2011 and 2012 he was awarded German player of the year and was the top scorer of 2010/11 CL season. In November 2012 he tore his Achilles tendon, but right for the EHF Cup Finals in Nantes he was back helping Löwen to take their first title in history. Sergey Gorbok left back He left Mannheim as Siarhei Harbok and returned with the new name Sergey Gorbok: The father of triplets has changed his citizenship from Belarusian to Russian in the meantime, so his name was transcripted. Gorbok was one of the biggest talents in the world of handball, when he transferred from Ukrainian side ZTR Zaporozhye to RK Celje in Slovenia. After two domestic championships in Slovenia he went to Rhein Neckar Löwen for the first time in After three seasons Gorbok went eastwards to join Chekhovskie Medvedi, but now he is back. Andre Schmid centre back The four-time Swiss handball player of the year played for both Zürich clubs Grasshoppers and ZMC Amicitia until 2009, before he left his mother country for one season with Bjerringbro-Silkeborg. The playmaker, who was twice a Swiss champion, transferred to Rhein Neckar Löwen in And in the previous season, in which Löwen underwent a big transition, Schmid was the key in attack both as playmaker and as shooter. Schmid is a big fan of US basketball and especially Michael Jordan. Bjarte Myrhol line player In August 2011 his biggest fight started not on, but off the court. After he was diagnosed with cancer, an immediate surgery and chemo therapy changed his life. But the Norwegian international was always willing to fight and only two and a half months after the surgery he returned to the court. After he left his first professional club in Sandefjord, he joined Hungarian side Veszprém for one season, before arriving in Nordhorn, where he became EHF Cup winner for the first time. Alexander Petersson right back Born in Latvia, he took over the Icelandic citizenship and became an Olympic silver medallist in 2008 and EHF EURO bronze medallist in He moved to Germany in 2003, playing for Düsseldorf, Großwallstadt, Flensburg-Handewitt, and Füchse Berlin, before he transferred to Löwen in Currently Petterson suffers from a shoulder surgery, but hopes to be back in October. In Flensburg and Berlin he gained the international experience, which made it so important for the Icelandic team where Guðmundur Guðmundsson was his former National Team coach. Patrick Groetzki right wing He was born in Pforzheim only some kilometres away from Mannheim. Right after the youth category he switched to Löwen and became part of the German younger age category national teams. Groetzki was MVP and silver medallist of the U20 EURO in 2008 and crowned himself as Junior World Champion one year later. And right after he was nominated for the men s national team for the first time he has become a constant key player of Germany since then. Like Gensheimer, Groetzki is a counter-attack specialist and one of the main fan favourites. 87

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90 VELUX EHF FINAL4 countdown The VELUX EHF FINAL4 is the culmination of the European club handball season. The two-day event sees the best four men s teams in Europe playing to decide the ultimate winner of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Introduced in the 2009/10 season and to be played until at least 2014 in the LANXESS arena, Cologne, the decision to create a new format for the final phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League was seen as crucial for the growth of handball across Europe. The aim was to create a flagship event, one that could compete on the international sports market and make the Europe s leading club competition even more attractive to fans, partners and sponsors. The success of the first four editions of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 showed that this new format was the right strategy. It has set new standards in organisation and entertainment: it is not just four games played over two days but a true entertainment event. The engagement of a top international act such as EUROPE was a sign too of the direction the event is taking. It is undeniable that the 2013 VELUX EHF FINAL4 was the season s highlight in European handball 20,000 spectators in the LANXESS arena and millions of fans at home watched four unforgettable handball games and a unique entertainment show. Tickets for the 2014 edition of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 went on sale on the opening day of the VELUX EHF FINAL Now, eight months before the participating teams are known, more than of the tickets have already been sold. The success of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 is also thanks to the commitment of a great number of volunteers who have been active on the weekend of the event. The application procedure for next edition has already started and applications are invited also in the area of media. Full information at: 90

91 Media accreditation for VELUX EHF FINAL4 opens With 10 weeks to go before the start of VELUX EHF FINAL4, the final round of the VELUX EHF Champions League, accreditation requests from media representatives are now being accepted. For the fifth time the top event of the club season will take place in the LANXESS arena, Cologne on 31 May and 1 June 2014 and will see the continent s best four teams battling it out over two days to lift the coveted VELUX EHF Champions League trophy. Journalists, photographers, TV and radio representatives can now submit their request for accreditation via an online form at the event s official website. Requests can only be made online. Requests for media accreditation should be made by Friday 9 May at 15.00, almost two weeks after the completion of the quarter-final matches. Media accreditation is only open to professional media representatives working at the event. Freelance media representatives may be asked to provide additional evidence of their work. There are limited places and it may not be possible to accept all requests for an accreditation. Click here to enter the media accreditation page. 91

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95 2013/14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Qualification 1 MatchID: SWE HK DROTT Halmstad 002 LUX Handball Esch 63 : :00 Halmstad (1185) :00 Luxemburg (500) 37:14 (19:8) Ref.: Erdogan, Ozdeniz TUR Del.: Lauritzen NOR Ref.: Konjicanin, Konjicanin BIH Del.: Schlick AUT 26:30 (15:17) The order of matches has been changed. EHF Report :19 1/4

96 2013/14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Qualification Tournaments Group 2 1 BLR HC Dinamo Minsk 2 SVK TATRAN Presov 3 GRE A.E.K. Athens 4 TUR Besiktas JK MatchID: Cross Matches 001 BLR HC Dinamo Minsk vs. GRE A.E.K. Athens 25 : 21 (11:13) :30 Presov / SVK Spectators: 822 Ref.: Pavicevic, Raznatovic MNE Del.: Fegir UKR (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Burziwal AUT (EHF-Observer) 002 SVK TATRAN Presov vs. TUR Besiktas JK 32 : 30 (17:12) :00 Presov / SVK Spectators: 1723 Ref.: Marin Lorente, Garcia Serradilla ESP Del.: Fegir UKR (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Burziwal AUT (EHF-Observer) Placement Matches 003 GRE A.E.K. Athens vs. TUR Besiktas JK 34 : 30 (21:14) :30 Presov / SVK Spectators: 538 Ref.: Pavicevic, Raznatovic MNE Del.: Fegir UKR (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Burziwal AUT (EHF-Observer) 004 BLR HC Dinamo Minsk vs. SVK TATRAN Presov 29 : 27 (14:13) :00 Presov / SVK Spectators: 3072 Ref.: Marin Lorente, Garcia Serradilla ESP Del.: Fegir UKR (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Burziwal AUT (EHF-Observer) Group 3 1 UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye 2 SRB RK Vojvodina 3 AUT Alpla HC Hard 4 BIH RK Borac m:tel Banja Luka MatchID: Cross Matches 005 BIH RK Borac m:tel Banja Luka vs. UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye 18 : 40 (5:20) :00 Novi Sad / SRB Spectators: 500 Ref.: Kaveshnikov, Plotnikov RUS Del.: Jaskins LAT (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Vodopivec SLO (EHF-Observer) 006 SRB RK Vojvodina vs. AUT Alpla HC Hard 27 : 26 (10:12) :30 Novi Sad / SRB Spectators: 1000 Ref.: Cohen, Peretz ISR Del.: Jaskins LAT (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Vodopivec SLO (EHF-Observer) Placement Matches 007 BIH RK Borac m:tel Banja Luka vs. AUT Alpla HC Hard 17 : 25 (7:12) :00 Novi Sad / SRB Spectators: 200 Ref.: Kaveshnikov, Plotnikov RUS Del.: Jaskins LAT (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Vodopivec SLO (EHF-Observer) 008 UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye vs. SRB RK Vojvodina 36 : 24 (17:11) :30 Novi Sad / SRB Spectators: 1200 Ref.: Cohen, Peretz ISR Del.: Jaskins LAT (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Vodopivec SLO (EHF-Observer) EHF Report :19 2/4

97 2013/14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group 4 1 POR FC Porto Vitalis 2 ROU HCM Constanta 3 NOR Elverum Handball Herrer 4 NED HV KRAS/Volendam MatchID: Cross Matches 010 POR FC Porto Vitalis vs. NOR Elverum Handball Herrer 29 : 28 (13:13) :00 Porto / POR Spectators: 1460 Ref.: Horváth, Marton HUN Del.: Grima MLT (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Hansson SWE 009 ROU HCM Constanta vs. NED HV KRAS/Volendam 34 : 25 (19:14) :30 Porto / POR Spectators: 530 Ref.: Eliasson, Palsson ISL Del.: Grima MLT (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Hansson SWE Placement Matches 012 ROU HCM Constanta vs. POR FC Porto Vitalis 22 : 26 (9:12) :00 Porto / POR Spectators: 1704 Ref.: Horváth, Marton HUN Del.: Grima MLT (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Hansson SWE (EHF-Observer) 011 NED HV KRAS/Volendam vs. NOR Elverum Handball Herrer 24 : 32 (13:18) :30 Porto / POR Spectators: 150 Ref.: Eliasson, Palsson ISL Del.: Grima MLT (EHF-Supervisor) Del.: Hansson SWE (EHF-Observer) EHF Report :19 3/4

98 2013/14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Wildcard Qualification MatchID: MKD HC Metalurg 016 HUN Pick Szeged 45 : :00 Skopje (5000) :00 Szeged (3200) 26:16 (13:11) Ref.: Mazeika, Gatelis LTU Del.: Pavicevic MNE Ref.: Schulze, Tönnies GER Del.: Dolejs CZE 19:23 (7:11) 017 FRA Montpellier Agglomeration HB 018 POL Orlen Wisla Plock 52 : :00 Montpellier (3000) :00 Plock (5000) 29:27 (11:15) Ref.: Cacador, Nicolau POR Del.: Huelin ESP Ref.: Jurinovic, Mrvica CRO Del.: Andorka HUN 23:28 (10:13) 019 GER Füchse Berlin 020 GER HSV Hamburg 56 : :00 Berlin (7128) :00 Hamburg (6620) 30:30 (18:15) Ref.: Gousko, Repkin BLR Del.: Rudin SUI Ref.: Stark, Stefan ROU Del.: Convents BEL 26:27 (14:10) RR_B389R1 EHF Report :19 4/4

99

100 Group A matches won draw lost goal-difference points 1 HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém : GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen : SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko : UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye : CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb : RUS St. Petersburg HC : MatchID: GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs. UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye 31 : 31 (15:13) :00 St. Leon-Rot / GER Spectators: 2000 Ref.: Santos, Fonseca POR Del.: Van der Helm NED 002 RUS St. Petersburg HC vs. HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém 15 : 28 (7:12) :00 Saint Petersburg / RUS Spectators: 2500 Ref.: Dinu, Din ROU Del.: Arponen FIN 001 CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb vs. SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko 24 : 21 (13:10) :00 Zagreb / CRO Spectators: 6570 Ref.: Stark, Stefan ROU Del.: Bebetsos GRE 005 UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye vs. CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb 31 : 30 (18:15) :00 Kharkov / UKR Spectators: 1900 Ref.: Nikolov, Nachevski MKD Del.: Jaskins LAT 006 SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs. RUS St. Petersburg HC 29 : 22 (15:10) :30 Celje / SLO Spectators: 1521 Ref.: Kurtagic, Wetterwik SWE Del.: Nachevski MKD 004 HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém vs. GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen 30 : 29 (17:14) :00 Veszprem / HUN Spectators: 5000 Ref.: Dentz, Reibel FRA Del.: La Cour Laursen DEN 007 HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém vs. UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye 44 : 27 (20:13) :00 Veszprem / HUN Spectators: 4900 Ref.: Pandzic, Mosorinski SRB Del.: Migas GRE 008 RUS St. Petersburg HC vs. CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb 24 : 35 (16:15) :00 Saint Petersburg / RUS Spectators: 1200 Ref.: Dentz, Reibel FRA Del.: Ventsli EST 009 SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs. GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen 25 : 28 (7:13) :30 Celje / SLO Spectators: 1800 Ref.: Covalciuc, Covalciuc MDA Del.: Pavicevic MNE 010 UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye vs. SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko 29 : 32 (14:11) :00 Kharkov / UKR Spectators: 1800 Ref.: Baranowski, Lemanowicz POL Del.: Jansonas LTU 011 GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs. RUS St. Petersburg HC 31 : 17 (14:8) :30 St. Leon-Rot / GER 2013/14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase Ref.: Erdogan, Ozdeniz TUR Del.: Burziwal AUT 012 CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb vs. HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém 22 : 33 (8:15) :00 Zagreb / CRO Spectators: Ref.: Gjeding, Hansen DEN Del.: Olsson SWE EHF Report :59 1/12

101 013 GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs. CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb 34 : 26 (21:11) :30 St. Leon-Rot / GER Spectators: 2000 Ref.: Raluy Lopez, Sabroso Ramirez ESP Del.: Nachevski MKD 015 UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye vs. RUS St. Petersburg HC 29 : 24 (15:9) :00 Kharkov / UKR Spectators: 1800 Ref.: Pavicevic, Raznatovic MNE Del.: Dolejs CZE 014 SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs. HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém 26 : 31 (14:15) :00 Celje / SLO Spectators: 4300 Ref.: Hansen, Pettersen NOR Del.: Djurkovic SRB 018 RUS St. Petersburg HC vs. UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye 18 : 24 (10:14) :30 Saint Petersburg / RUS Spectators: 1500 Ref.: Konjicanin, Konjicanin BIH Del.: Jaskins LAT 016 CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb vs. GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen 24 : 28 (12:13) :00 Zagreb / CRO Spectators: 6000 Ref.: Gousko, Repkin BLR Del.: Breto Leon ESP 017 HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém vs. SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko 27 : 26 (13:10) :45 Veszprem / HUN Spectators: 5019 Ref.: Cohen, Peretz ISR Del.: Hausleitner AUT 021 UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye vs. GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen 26 : 32 (10:15) :30 Kharkov / UKR Spectators: 2000 Ref.: Dinu, Din ROU Del.: Pavicevic MNE 020 HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém vs. RUS St. Petersburg HC 29 : 20 (13:7) :15 Veszprem / HUN Spectators: 5019 Ref.: Opava, Valek CZE Del.: Nachevski MKD 019 SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs. CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb 26 : 20 (14:11) :30 Celje / SLO Spectators: 5000 Ref.: Brunovsky, Canda SVK Del.: La Cour Laursen DEN 024 RUS St. Petersburg HC vs. SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko 29 : 29 (16:13) :00 Saint Petersburg / RUS Spectators: 1320 Ref.: Bounouara, Sami FRA Del.: Nachevski MKD 023 CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb vs. UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye 33 : 27 (16:16) :00 Zagreb / CRO Spectators: 5236 Ref.: Horacek, Novotny CZE Del.: Jensen DEN 022 GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs. HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém 25 : 25 (12:13) :00 Mannheim / GER Spectators: 7125 Ref.: Nikolic, Stojkovic SRB Del.: Oie NOR 027 HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém vs. CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb 34 : 27 (19:11) :00 Veszprem / HUN Spectators: 5019 Ref.: Mazeika, Gatelis LTU Del.: Villanger NOR 026 RUS St. Petersburg HC vs. GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen 23 : 32 (10:18) :00 Saint Petersburg / RUS Spectators: 1000 Ref.: Olesen, Pedersen DEN Del.: Dolejs CZE 025 SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs. UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye 30 : 27 (19:15) :30 Celje / SLO Spectators: /14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase Ref.: Stark, Stefan ROU Del.: Szajna POL EHF Report :59 2/12

102 2013/14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase 030 GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs. SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko 35 : 25 (19:12) :00 St. Leon-Rot / GER Spectators: 1509 Ref.: Stenrand, Birch DEN Del.: Vitzthum SUI 028 UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye vs. HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém 26 : 22 (13:13) :00 Kharkov / UKR Spectators: 1500 Ref.: Kurtagic, Wetterwik SWE Del.: Kazinieks LAT 029 CRO HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb vs. RUS St. Petersburg HC 26 : 24 (15:14) :00 Zagreb / CRO Spectators: 7000 Ref.: Stolarovs, Licis LAT Del.: Meimaridis GRE EHF Report :59 3/12

103 Group B matches won draw lost goal-difference points 1 GER THW Kiel : DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn : POL KS Vive Targi Kielce : POL Orlen Wisla Plock : POR FC Porto Vitalis : FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral : MatchID: POL Orlen Wisla Plock vs. GER THW Kiel 33 : 34 (14:14) :00 Plock / POL Spectators: 5000 Ref.: Krstic, Ljubic SLO Del.: Djurkovic SRB 033 DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs. POR FC Porto Vitalis 25 : 20 (15:10) :00 Kolding / DEN Spectators: 2504 Ref.: Dobrovits, Tajok HUN Del.: Gunnarsson ISL 031 POL KS Vive Targi Kielce vs. FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral 33 : 23 (15:11) :00 Kielce / POL Spectators: 4000 Ref.: Pandzic, Mosorinski SRB Del.: Olsson SWE 036 FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral vs. POL Orlen Wisla Plock 25 : 28 (13:15) :00 Dunkerque / FRA Spectators: 2050 Ref.: Marin Lorente, Garcia Serradilla ESP Del.: Convents BEL 034 GER THW Kiel vs. DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 29 : 26 (12:14) :00 Kiel / GER Spectators: 8500 Ref.: Raluy Lopez, Sabroso Ramirez ESP Del.: Villanger NOR 053 POL KS Vive Targi Kielce vs. POR FC Porto Vitalis 35 : 23 (16:13) :00 Kielce / POL Spectators: 4000 Ref.: Cohen, Peretz ISR Del.: Dolejs CZE 058 POR FC Porto Vitalis vs. GER THW Kiel 27 : 31 (17:16) :15 Porto / POR Spectators: 2115 Ref.: Nikolic, Stojkovic SRB Del.: Breto Leon ESP 039 FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral vs. DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 18 : 20 (7:12) :00 Dunkerque / FRA Spectators: 2429 Ref.: Krstic, Ljubic SLO Del.: Morell SUI 038 POL Orlen Wisla Plock vs. POL KS Vive Targi Kielce 28 : 30 (17:16) :30 Plock / POL Spectators: 5467 Ref.: Togstad, Kristiansen NOR Del.: Konecny CZE 042 POL KS Vive Targi Kielce vs. GER THW Kiel 34 : 29 (17:11) :15 Kielce / POL Spectators: 4200 Ref.: Gubica, Milosevic CRO Del.: Bebetsos GRE 040 POR FC Porto Vitalis vs. FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral 22 : 21 (13:11) :00 Porto / POR Spectators: /14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase Ref.: Horacek, Novotny CZE Del.: Mulleners BEL 041 DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs. POL Orlen Wisla Plock 23 : 22 (13:11) :00 Kolding / DEN Spectators: 2628 Ref.: Pavicevic, Raznatovic MNE Del.: Hogsnes NOR EHF Report :59 4/12

104 045 POR FC Porto Vitalis vs. POL Orlen Wisla Plock 20 : 24 (9:14) :30 Porto / POR Spectators: 1592 Ref.: Zotin, Volodkov RUS Del.: Hansson SWE 043 DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs. POL KS Vive Targi Kielce 29 : 24 (17:12) :00 Brondby / DEN Spectators: 4865 Ref.: Kekes, Kekes HUN Del.: Sigurdsson ISL 044 FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral vs. GER THW Kiel 21 : 29 (13:19) :45 Dunkerque / FRA Spectators: 2481 Ref.: Muro San Jose, Rodriguez Murcia ESP Del.: Rudin SUI 047 GER THW Kiel vs. FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral 28 : 25 (15:12) :00 Kiel / GER Spectators: 8500 Ref.: Togstad, Kristiansen NOR Del.: Konecny CZE 048 POL Orlen Wisla Plock vs. POR FC Porto Vitalis 28 : 22 (12:10) :00 Plock / POL Spectators: 4800 Ref.: Kurtagic, Wetterwik SWE Del.: Arponen FIN 046 POL KS Vive Targi Kielce vs. DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 25 : 26 (15:15) :00 Kielce / POL Spectators: 4000 Ref.: Leandersson, Lindroos FIN Del.: Olsson SWE 051 POR FC Porto Vitalis vs. DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 27 : 24 (15:11) :00 Porto / POR Spectators: 1363 Ref.: Alvarez Mata, Bustamante Lopez ESP Del.: Rätz SUI 049 FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral vs. POL KS Vive Targi Kielce 30 : 25 (12:15) :00 Dunkerque / FRA Spectators: 2300 Ref.: Sigurjónsson, Petursson ISL Del.: Mulleners BEL 050 GER THW Kiel vs. POL Orlen Wisla Plock 34 : 25 (16:11) :30 Kiel / GER Spectators: 8600 Ref.: Stark, Stefan ROU Del.: Huelin ESP 054 POL Orlen Wisla Plock vs. FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral 32 : 25 (16:13) :00 Plock / POL Spectators: 4200 Ref.: Nikolov, Nachevski MKD Del.: Schlick AUT 035 POR FC Porto Vitalis vs. POL KS Vive Targi Kielce 30 : 35 (14:16) :30 Porto / POR Spectators: 1272 Ref.: Krstic, Ljubic SLO Del.: Guerrero ESP 052 DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs. GER THW Kiel 24 : 26 (13:13) :55 Brondby / DEN Spectators: 5000 Ref.: Zotin, Volodkov RUS Del.: Breto Leon ESP 056 POL Orlen Wisla Plock vs. DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 25 : 26 (8:10) :30 Plock / POL Spectators: 5400 Ref.: Horváth, Marton HUN Del.: Poladenko RUS 055 FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral vs. POR FC Porto Vitalis 25 : 25 (13:14) :00 Dunkerque / FRA Spectators: 2200 Ref.: Konjicanin, Konjicanin BIH Del.: Haraldsson ISL 057 GER THW Kiel vs. POL KS Vive Targi Kielce 28 : 28 (13:16) :45 Kiel / GER Spectators: /14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase Ref.: Raluy Lopez, Sabroso Ramirez ESP Del.: Andorka HUN EHF Report :59 5/12

105 037 GER THW Kiel vs. POR FC Porto Vitalis 30 : 25 (17:11) :30 Kiel / GER Spectators: 7800 Ref.: Gubica, Milosevic CRO Del.: Burziwal AUT 060 DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs. FRA Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral 26 : 24 (15:15) :55 Kolding / DEN Spectators: 2507 Ref.: Erdogan, Ozdeniz TUR Del.: Thelander SWE 059 POL KS Vive Targi Kielce vs. POL Orlen Wisla Plock 38 : 30 (20:12) :00 Kielce / POL Spectators: /14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase Ref.: Badura, Ondogrecula SVK Del.: Konopliastyi UKR EHF Report :59 6/12

106 Group C matches won draw lost goal-difference points 1 ESP FC Barcelona : FRA PSG Handball : MKD HC Metalurg : MKD HC Vardar - Skopje : BLR HC Dinamo Minsk : SUI Wacker Thun : MatchID: FRA PSG Handball vs. BLR HC Dinamo Minsk 34 : 30 (12:11) :00 Paris / FRA Spectators: 2700 Ref.: Leandersson, Lindroos FIN Del.: Mulleners BEL 063 SUI Wacker Thun vs. MKD HC Metalurg 22 : 23 (9:13) :30 Bern / SUI Spectators: 1454 Ref.: Stenrand, Birch DEN Del.: Wille AUT 062 MKD HC Vardar - Skopje vs. ESP FC Barcelona 29 : 29 (15:19) :15 Skopje / MKD Spectators: 6963 Ref.: Horacek, Novotny CZE Del.: Hansson SWE 066 BLR HC Dinamo Minsk vs. MKD HC Vardar - Skopje 26 : 24 (11:11) :00 Minsk / BLR Spectators: 3360 Ref.: Fleisch, Rieber GER Del.: Andorka HUN 064 ESP FC Barcelona vs. SUI Wacker Thun 45 : 26 (21:14) :15 Barcelona / ESP Spectators: 1589 Ref.: Poulsen, Mortensen DEN Del.: Dugall GER 065 MKD HC Metalurg vs. FRA PSG Handball 28 : 26 (12:12) :00 Skopje / MKD Spectators: 6963 Ref.: Togstad, Kristiansen NOR Del.: Konecny CZE 069 BLR HC Dinamo Minsk vs. SUI Wacker Thun 27 : 20 (14:8) :00 Minsk / BLR Spectators: 3360 Ref.: Schulze, Tönnies GER Del.: Poladenko RUS 067 ESP FC Barcelona vs. MKD HC Metalurg 35 : 17 (17:5) :15 Barcelona / ESP Spectators: 1869 Ref.: Leszczynski, Piechota POL Del.: Jensen DEN 068 MKD HC Vardar - Skopje vs. FRA PSG Handball 24 : 24 (9:12) :00 Skopje / MKD Spectators: 6900 Ref.: Dinu, Din ROU Del.: Wille AUT 071 SUI Wacker Thun vs. MKD HC Vardar - Skopje 24 : 37 (11:19) :30 Bern / SUI Spectators: 1625 Ref.: Santos, Fonseca POR Del.: Gremmel GER 072 FRA PSG Handball vs. ESP FC Barcelona 29 : 33 (17:17) :00 Paris / FRA Spectators: /14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase Ref.: Geipel, Helbig GER Del.: Villanger NOR 070 MKD HC Metalurg vs. BLR HC Dinamo Minsk 33 : 29 (20:18) :00 Skopje / MKD Spectators: 6963 Ref.: Dobrovits, Tajok HUN Del.: Posavec CRO EHF Report :59 7/12

107 074 BLR HC Dinamo Minsk vs. ESP FC Barcelona 25 : 35 (15:16) :00 Minsk / BLR Spectators: Ref.: Gubica, Milosevic CRO Del.: Szajna POL 075 MKD HC Metalurg vs. MKD HC Vardar - Skopje 22 : 27 (9:14) :00 Skopje / MKD Spectators: 6963 Ref.: Gjeding, Hansen DEN Del.: Sokol CRO 073 SUI Wacker Thun vs. FRA PSG Handball 28 : 34 (10:16) :00 Bern / SUI Spectators: 2100 Ref.: Erdogan, Ozdeniz TUR Del.: Donven LUX 077 ESP FC Barcelona vs. BLR HC Dinamo Minsk 35 : 25 (13:9) :15 Barcelona / ESP Spectators: 2342 Ref.: Stolarovs, Licis LAT Del.: Petersen DEN 076 FRA PSG Handball vs. SUI Wacker Thun 38 : 24 (22:11) :00 Paris / FRA Spectators: 3000 Ref.: Brkic, Jusufhodzic AUT Del.: Goulao POR 078 MKD HC Vardar - Skopje vs. MKD HC Metalurg 18 : 26 (12:10) :00 Skopje / MKD Spectators: 6963 Ref.: Geipel, Helbig GER Del.: Posavec CRO Del.: Convents BEL 080 ESP FC Barcelona vs. MKD HC Vardar - Skopje 30 : 23 (14:11) :15 Barcelona / ESP Spectators: 1929 Ref.: Eliasson, Palsson ISL Del.: Andorka HUN 079 BLR HC Dinamo Minsk vs. FRA PSG Handball 29 : 35 (14:19) :00 Minsk / BLR Spectators: 3490 Ref.: Nikolic, Stojkovic SRB Del.: Migas GRE 081 MKD HC Metalurg vs. SUI Wacker Thun 24 : 24 (11:14) :00 Skopje / MKD Spectators: 5500 Ref.: Kaveshnikov, Plotnikov RUS Del.: Antoniou CYP 082 SUI Wacker Thun vs. ESP FC Barcelona 23 : 39 (13:17) :30 Bern / SUI Spectators: 2400 Ref.: Badura, Ondogrecula SVK Del.: Trespidi ITA 083 FRA PSG Handball vs. MKD HC Metalurg 32 : 29 (16:12) :00 Paris / FRA Spectators: 2100 Ref.: Stenrand, Birch DEN Del.: Hogsnes NOR 084 MKD HC Vardar - Skopje vs. BLR HC Dinamo Minsk 30 : 22 (14:11) :00 Skopje / MKD Spectators: 6963 Ref.: Cohen, Peretz ISR Del.: Wille AUT 087 ESP FC Barcelona vs. FRA PSG Handball 38 : 28 (19:9) :15 Barcelona / ESP Spectators: 6702 Ref.: Gjeding, Hansen DEN Del.: Gunnarsson ISL 085 BLR HC Dinamo Minsk vs. MKD HC Metalurg 23 : 23 (13:11) :00 Minsk / BLR Spectators: /14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase Ref.: Brunovsky, Canda SVK Del.: Jaskins LAT 086 MKD HC Vardar - Skopje vs. SUI Wacker Thun 32 : 25 (17:11) :00 Skopje / MKD Spectators: 5000 Ref.: Opava, Valek CZE Del.: Jansonas LTU EHF Report :59 8/12

108 089 FRA PSG Handball vs. MKD HC Vardar - Skopje 35 : 25 (15:12) :00 Paris / FRA Spectators: 2300 Ref.: Geipel, Helbig GER Del.: Coelho POR 090 SUI Wacker Thun vs. BLR HC Dinamo Minsk 26 : 30 (11:13) :30 Bern / SUI Spectators: /14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase Ref.: Togstad, Kristiansen NOR Del.: Gremmel GER 088 MKD HC Metalurg vs. ESP FC Barcelona 31 : 29 (15:11) :00 Skopje / MKD Spectators: 6963 Ref.: Zotin, Volodkov RUS Del.: Olsson SWE EHF Report :59 9/12

109 2013/14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase Group D matches won draw lost goal-difference points 1 GER HSV Hamburg : GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt : SLO RK Gorenje Velenje : DEN Aalborg Handball : ESP Naturhouse La Rioja : SWE HK DROTT Halmstad : MatchID: ESP Naturhouse La Rioja vs. GER HSV Hamburg 24 : 33 (8:14) :30 Logrono / ESP Spectators: 2500 Ref.: Nikolic, Stojkovic SRB Del.: Goulao POR 091 SLO RK Gorenje Velenje vs. SWE HK DROTT Halmstad 35 : 33 (19:16) :30 Velenje / SLO Spectators: 1000 Ref.: Bonifert, Oláh HUN Del.: Posavec CRO 092 GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs. DEN Aalborg Handball 31 : 27 (15:12) :00 Flensburg / GER Spectators: 2691 Ref.: Baranowski, Lemanowicz POL Del.: Hogsnes NOR 096 SWE HK DROTT Halmstad vs. GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt 27 : 37 (13:19) :00 Halmstad / SWE Spectators: 1709 Ref.: Hansen, Pettersen NOR Del.: Morell SUI 095 GER HSV Hamburg vs. SLO RK Gorenje Velenje 41 : 32 (21:13) :00 Hamburg / GER Spectators: 2040 Ref.: Pichon, Reveret FRA Del.: Donven LUX 094 DEN Aalborg Handball vs. ESP Naturhouse La Rioja 28 : 24 (16:10) :00 Aalborg Ost / DEN Spectators: 3117 Ref.: Gubica, Milosevic CRO Del.: Sigurdsson ISL 097 DEN Aalborg Handball vs. GER HSV Hamburg 26 : 28 (14:14) :30 Aalborg Ost / DEN Spectators: 4237 Ref.: Mazeika, Gatelis LTU Del.: Lauritzen NOR 099 SWE HK DROTT Halmstad vs. ESP Naturhouse La Rioja 35 : 35 (15:19) :00 Halmstad / SWE Spectators: 850 Ref.: Horváth, Marton HUN Del.: Konopliastyi UKR 098 GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs. SLO RK Gorenje Velenje 35 : 31 (16:13) :30 Flensburg / GER Spectators: 3207 Ref.: Opava, Valek CZE Del.: Tosi Brandi ITA 102 SLO RK Gorenje Velenje vs. DEN Aalborg Handball 25 : 30 (11:15) :15 Velenje / SLO Spectators: 1230 Ref.: Zotin, Volodkov RUS Del.: Nachevski MKD 100 GER HSV Hamburg vs. SWE HK DROTT Halmstad 39 : 30 (18:14) :00 Hamburg / GER Spectators: 2350 Ref.: Badura, Ondogrecula SVK Del.: Arponen FIN 101 ESP Naturhouse La Rioja vs. GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt 32 : 32 (13:19) :00 Logrono / ESP Spectators: 2500 Ref.: Eliasson, Palsson ISL Del.: Dujardin FRA EHF Report :59 10/12

110 2013/14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase 105 GER HSV Hamburg vs. GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt 32 : 27 (15:14) :45 Hamburg / GER Spectators: 6844 Ref.: Nikolov, Nachevski MKD Del.: Wille AUT 103 ESP Naturhouse La Rioja vs. SLO RK Gorenje Velenje 34 : 31 (15:13) :00 Logrono / ESP Spectators: 2600 Ref.: Badura, Ondogrecula SVK Del.: Coelho POR 104 SWE HK DROTT Halmstad vs. DEN Aalborg Handball 26 : 35 (8:15) :00 Halmstad / SWE Spectators: 1045 Ref.: Horacek, Novotny CZE Del.: Oie NOR 108 GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs. GER HSV Hamburg 27 : 24 (11:13) :00 Flensburg / GER Spectators: 4057 Ref.: Dentz, Reibel FRA Del.: Morell SUI 106 SLO RK Gorenje Velenje vs. ESP Naturhouse La Rioja 33 : 28 (15:14) :30 Velenje / SLO Spectators: 1000 Ref.: Cacador, Nicolau POR Del.: Hogsnes NOR 107 DEN Aalborg Handball vs. SWE HK DROTT Halmstad 37 : 23 (17:7) :00 Aalborg Ost / DEN Spectators: 3721 Ref.: Tzaferopoulos, Bethmann GRE Del.: Gunnarsson ISL 109 SWE HK DROTT Halmstad vs. SLO RK Gorenje Velenje 32 : 40 (14:20) :00 Halmstad / SWE Spectators: 809 Ref.: Buache, Meyer SUI Del.: Van der Helm NED 111 GER HSV Hamburg vs. ESP Naturhouse La Rioja 34 : 27 (17:12) :15 Hamburg / GER Spectators: 2297 Ref.: Jurinovic, Mrvica CRO Del.: Schlick AUT 110 DEN Aalborg Handball vs. GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt 26 : 27 (13:14) :00 Aalborg Ost / DEN Spectators: 4500 Ref.: Dobrovits, Tajok HUN Del.: Villanger NOR 113 SLO RK Gorenje Velenje vs. GER HSV Hamburg 29 : 36 (13:19) :00 Velenje / SLO Spectators: 1500 Ref.: Togstad, Kristiansen NOR Del.: Morell SUI 112 ESP Naturhouse La Rioja vs. DEN Aalborg Handball 25 : 23 (13:10) :30 Logrono / ESP Spectators: 2500 Ref.: Dentz, Reibel FRA Del.: Goulao POR 114 GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs. SWE HK DROTT Halmstad 33 : 25 (20:8) :00 Flensburg / GER Spectators: 3607 Ref.: Erdogan, Ozdeniz TUR Del.: Sigurdsson ISL 116 GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs. ESP Naturhouse La Rioja 37 : 25 (19:11) :55 Flensburg / GER Spectators: 3720 Ref.: Pavicevic, Raznatovic MNE Del.: Djurkovic SRB 117 DEN Aalborg Handball vs. SLO RK Gorenje Velenje 23 : 28 (14:15) :15 Aalborg Ost / DEN Spectators: 4081 Ref.: Pichon, Reveret FRA Del.: Lauritzen NOR 115 SWE HK DROTT Halmstad vs. GER HSV Hamburg 24 : 35 (12:14) :00 Halmstad / SWE Spectators: 874 Ref.: Herczeg, Südi HUN Del.: Sundell FIN EHF Report :59 11/12

111 2013/14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Phase 120 ESP Naturhouse La Rioja vs. SWE HK DROTT Halmstad 38 : 34 (21:21) :30 Logrono / ESP Spectators: 1500 Ref.: Nikolov, Nachevski MKD Del.: Soós HUN 119 SLO RK Gorenje Velenje vs. GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt 23 : 28 (9:15) :30 Velenje / SLO Spectators: 1000 Ref.: Horacek, Novotny CZE Del.: Popadic SRB 118 GER HSV Hamburg vs. DEN Aalborg Handball 28 : 20 (12:9) :15 Hamburg / GER Spectators: 4000 Ref.: Gousko, Repkin BLR Del.: Posavec CRO RR_B389R2 EHF Report :59 12/12

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113 MatchID: UKR HC Motor Zaporozhye 002 GER THW Kiel :15 Györ :15 Kiel Ref.: Nikolic, Stojkovic SRB Del.: Schlick AUT 003 DEN Aalborg Handball 004 ESP FC Barcelona :00 Aalborg Ost :30 Barcelona Ref.: Gubica, Milosevic CRO Del.: Hansson SWE 005 MKD HC Vardar - Skopje 006 GER HSV Hamburg :00 Skopje :45 Hamburg Ref.: Dobrovits, Tajok HUN Ref.-Del.: Van der Helm NED Del.: Convents BEL 007 POL Orlen Wisla Plock 008 HUN MKB-MVM Veszprém :00 Plock :00 Veszprem Ref.: Krstic, Ljubic SLO Ref.-Del.: Nachevski MKD Del.: Jaskins LAT 009 SLO RK Gorenje Velenje 010 FRA PSG Handball :30 Velenje :00 Paris Ref.: Fleisch, Rieber GER Del.: Wille AUT 011 SLO Celje Pivovarna Lasko 012 GER SG Flensburg-Handewitt :15 Celje :30 Flensburg Ref.: Togstad, Kristiansen NOR Del.: Djurkovic SRB 013 MKD HC Metalurg 014 DEN KIF Kolding Kobenhavn :55 Skopje :45 Kolding Ref.: Stark, Stefan ROU Ref.-Del.: Sokol CRO Del.: Convents BEL 015 POL KS Vive Targi Kielce 016 GER Rhein-Neckar Löwen :10 Kielce :00 Mannheim Ref.: Gousko, Repkin BLR 2013/14 Men's European Cup EHF Champions League Last 16 Ref.-Del.: Konecny CZE Del.: Morell SUI RR_B389R4 EHF Report :07 1/1

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