Odense to host Brest in highlight clash; CSM eye top spot

Round 6 of the DELO EHF Champions League features four games this weekend, including the Match of the Week between Odense Håndbold and Brest Bretagne Handball on Sunday.

Odense are only one point behind group B leaders CSKA, while fourth-ranked Brest will want a win to boost their chances of a top-two finish at the end of the group phase.

Over in group A, FTC and Krim face off in a pivotal game for a place in the next phase of the competition, while Metz hope to extend their unbeaten home run against Esbjerg.

Meanwhile, CSM travel to Bietigheim for a game that could propel the Romanian powerhouse in the lead, if they inflict the sixth consecutive loss for their German counterparts, as Vipers and Rostov won’t take the court this weekend.

GROUP A

FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs RK Krim Mercator (SLO)
Saturday, 24 October, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Krim’s first win last week saw them jump to sixth place with three points, one ahead of FTC with two points
• Krim failed to win any of their last five CL away games, though they got a draw at Rostov (23:23) this season
• FTC will count again on line player Julia Behnke, who made her comeback in the loss against CSM last week
• Krim have won five of their previous nine games against FTC, but the Hungarian side won their two most recent encounters, in the 2017/18 main round

Metz Handball (FRA) vs Team Esbjerg (DEN)
Saturday, 24 October, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Metz are ranked fourth with four points from four games, having won both their home matches
• Esbjerg are place below, with three points from four games
• both sides had clear domestic wins this week: Esbjerg defeated Aarhus 25:20, Metz steamrolled Saint Amand 41:20
• Metz have not lost a CL home game since a 28:25 defeat against FTC in the 2016/17 season
• Metz and Esbjerg also met in the main round last season, with Esbjerg winning 30:29 at home and playing to a 31:31 draw in Metz

SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) vs CSM Bucuresti (ROU)
Sunday, 25 October, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• CSM can leapfrog Rostov and Vipers into first place of group A
• Bietigheim is the only side in the group still on zero points
• Bietigheim conceded 162 goals so far, an average of 32.4 per game, more than any other team
• Bietigheim’s leading scorer is right back Julia Maidhof, with 29 goals; CSM boast left back Cristina Neagu, with 28 goals
• Bietigheim and CSM swapped home wins when they met in the group phase two seasons ago: 32:24 in Romania, 30:28 in Germany

GROUP B

MOTW: Odense Håndbald (DEN) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA)
Sunday 25 October, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• a win in MOTW would see Odense reclaim top spot in group B
• Odense are ranked second in group B, with eight points after five games
• Odense claimed their biggest victory in the club’s CL history last week, defeating Podravka 33:17
• Brest are on a three-game winless run and dropped to the fourth after losing to CSKA (30:28)
• after netting six times against CSKA, Brest’s Ana Gros remained the best scorer of the CL this season, with 32 goals
• Odense won both previous encounters with Brest, in the main round of the 2018/19 season, 28:24 and 29:24