Nail-biting duels await as final group phase sprint begins

EHF / Björn Pazen & Kevin Domas

16 February 2026, 11:00

After a 10-week international break, the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26 returns with thrilling matches in round 11.

We have had a good start to 2026, winning our first four matches. Now it’s time for the first Champions League game for us this year, against a tricky Kolstad team that surprised Berlin in December. This is a vital match for us in order to keep the pace at the top of group A.

Simon Dahl Jørgensen

Head coach, Aalborg Håndbold

MOTW: Industria Kielce (POL) vs One Veszprém HC (HUN)

Thursday 19 February, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV
H2H: 6-2-12
Last match: One Veszprém HC vs Industria Kielce, 9 October 2025 (35:33 (21:15))

Industria Kielce are currently fifth-ranked with nine points, but can book their play-offs ticket if they win and Kolstad lose against Aalborg
One Veszprém HC still have chances to proceed to the quarter-finals directly, but they are currently five points below Aalborg and six below Füchse
in the reverse fixture, Nedim Rmili (nine) and Hugo Descat (eight) combined for 17 of Veszprém’s 35 goals
the two clubs were represented by eight players each at the EHF EURO 2026, with the only medallists being Veszprém’s Croats Ivan Martinović and Luka Cindrić, who took bronze
the best scorers so far are Nedim Remili with 62 goals for Veszprém and Alex Dujshebaev with 43 for Kielce; the latter is set to leave the Polish side and join VfL Gummersbach in Germany
both coaches are Spaniards and have won the EHF Champions League several times: Xavi Pascual won three trophies with Barça, while Talant Dujshebaev celebrated four titles as a coach, with Ciudad Real and Kielce
Nedim Remili, Luka Cindrić (Veszprém) and Jorge Maqueda (Kielce) have played for both clubs
recently, Kielce won their domestic match against Kwydzin (38:25) and Veszprém took a 43:29 victory against Ferencvaros

STAT OF THE MATCH: In the 21st confrontation between the sides, One Veszprém HC travel to Industria Kielce for the Match of the Week in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26 round 11. Even though the Hungarian side holds the overall winning record in this duel, the home advantage might be significant for Kielce, who celebrated victories in the previous three encounters with Veszprém on Polish soil — in 2019 (34:33), 2021 (32:29) and 2023 (31:27). Veszprém have not been able to snatch a point in Poland since the 32:32 draw in 2017 — can they break the curse?

We are going to play against the top ranked team in our group. We know the difficulty this game brings, but at the same time, I remember that we lost in Berlin by just one goal in the last seconds. It’s one more game in which we will fight to deliver a strong performance. I believe that if we do things correctly and follow the game plan, we will always have a chance to win.

Paulo Pereira

Head coach, Dinamo Bucuresti

We only have four rounds left in the group stage, so every match carries extra importance, and every point matters a lot. We’re up against one of the best teams in Europe, but Barça are not unbeatable — we proved that last season when we managed to defeat them away. We’ll have 8,000 fans behind us, which always gives us tremendous strength. Playing in such an atmosphere is a wonderful feeling.

Imanol Garciandia

Right back, OTP Bank - PICK Szeged

We’ve already had three competitive games in Spain and I’m happy with the level we showed. We are still getting back to our systems, but everything is falling in place smoothly. PICK Szeged is a tough team and we know it well, since we’ve had some difficult games against them in the last year and a half. I hope we can get the points on such a difficult court.

Carlos Ortega

Head coach, Barça

We are looking forward to start the Champions League again. Naturally, we'd like to continue our successful run. With GOG, there is a team that has already shown against us and other opponents just how many talented players they have in their squad and how energertic they are. Still, we'll do everything we can to remain undefeated.

Bennet Wiegert

Head coach, SC Magdeburg

It’s a match we’re really looking forward to playing, as Magdeburg are one of the best teams in the world. We come in as underdogs with everything to gain. There’s very little room for error if we want to beat Magdeburg.

Emil Tonnesen

Centre back, GOG