Four unbeaten sides collide in round 3

In what could prove to be a pivotal round for the standings, the two leaders, Flensburg and Valur, meet in group B. The two sides who lost their first two games – TM Benidorm and Ystads IF HF – also face off in Spain. 

In group C, RK Nexe and Fraikin BM. Granollers are seeking to continue their winning streaks, while Balatonfüredi KSE and Alpla Hard will try to stop their respective opponents and earn first points of the season.

In group D, Füchse Berlin face a tough test in Bitola against HC Eurofarm Pelister, while Skanderborg-Aarhus have their third consecutive away match when they meet Aguas Santas Milaneza. Meanwhile, Bidasoa Irun have the role of favourites against HC Motor.

GROUP A

Montpellier HB (FRA) vs Frisch Auf Göppingen (GER)
Tuesday 22 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• only these two teams have won their first two games in group A
• with 77 goals scored, Göppingen currently have the best offence in the EHF European League, while Montpellier are fifth, with 71 goals
• two players moved from Montpellier to Göppingen last summer: Portuguese left back Gilberto Duarte and Croatian goalkeeper Marin Sego
• Göppingen and Montpellier have never played against each other before in a European club competition
• Göppingen have lost their last three Bundesliga games, including the last one against Minden (26:29). Montpellier, on the other hand, have won their last 11 games. The last one was on Saturday, against Limoges (33:26)
  

TATRAN Presov (SVK) vs Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI)
Tuesday 22 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• while Presov are yet to take a point in the group phase, Schaffhausen have already got two, thanks to their win in Veszprem in round 2 (33:25)
• with 55 goals conceded, Schaffhausen currently have the third most efficient defence of the competition
• since the last EHF European League round, Kadetten Schaffausen confirmed that Joan Canellas had extended his contract for one more season
• Presov and Schaffhausen have never met in a European competition prior to this game
• both teams drew in their most recent domestic games: Presov against Koprivnice in the Czech league (35:35) and Schaffhausen against Winterthur in the Swiss league (32:32)
  

SL Benfica (POR) vs Fejer B.A.L-Veszprem (HUN)
Tuesday 22 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• after two rounds, Benfica have two points thanks to their inaugural win against Presov, while Veszprem have not yet earned any
• after playing all his career with fellow Hungarian side Grundfos Tatabanya, Ádám Juhász is now playing for Benfica
• with 55 goals scored and 79 conceded, Veszprem have the joint third least efficient offence and the least efficient defence in the EHF European League
• Benfica and Veszprem have never played against each other in a European competition, as this season is the first international one for the Hungarian club
• last weekend, Benfica took two more points in the Portuguese League against Gaia (33:24), while Veszprem had no game on their schedule
• Benfica left wing Jonas Källman said: "Veszprém is a very young team with the desire to succeed. I played against them many times in the Hungarian league, and they are good. I think we have more experience, so it’s a matter of keeping our heads cold and being smart in attack to avoid their fast counter attacks."

GROUP B

PAUC Handball (FRA) vs FTC (HUN)
Tuesday 22 November, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• only Frisch Auf Göppingen have scored more goals than FTC’s 76 in the first two matches of the EHF European League Men group phase
• however, only Fejer B.A.L-Veszprem – 79 – have conceded more goals than FTC's 77 in the first two matches
• this will be the French side’s first home match of the group phase, while FTC have already suffered a 43:39 away loss against Valur in the highest scoring match in the history of the competition
• in the previous season, PAUC earned their only three points at home, with a win against Logroño and a draw against RK Gorenje Velenje in Aix-en-Provence
• both sides lost their most recent domestic games: PAUC lost 28:25 at home against Dunkerque in France, while FTC suffered a 50:40 defeat against Telekom Veszprém HC in the highest-ever scoring match in the Hungarian league
• PAUC coach Thierry Anti said: "We have to win the games at home to hope to qualify, whatever the value of the opponent."
• FTC coach István Pásztor said: "The opponent is characterised by a very strong offensive game, as they have a good defensive wall and goalkeepers. They have a very strong squad with Lagarde, Claire, Accambray, Ben Ali and many others. We want to attack quickly and a lot. For this, we will need all our players."

TM Benidorm (ESP) vs Ystads IF HF (SWE)
Tuesday 22 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• after conceding two losses against Flensburg and Valur in their first two matches in the competition, Benidorm are still looking for their first-ever win in the group phase of a European competition
• Ystads IF are also looking for their first win in the group phase, as their start of the season has been slow, with two losses in the EHF European League and five in the domestic league, where they are only third in the standings
• after losing six games in a row in all competitions, Benidorm have bounced back and sealed two wins in the domestic league, against Guadalajara (32:30) and Huesca (29:28)
• in their only previous matches against Spanish opposition, Ystads won both games played against Helvetia Anaitasuna in the group phase of the EHF Cup in the 2015/16 season
• Benidorm coach Fernando Latorre said: "We'll play against Ystad, a typical Swedish team with a strong and active 6-0 defence. We are looking forward to compete against them and hope to keep the first points in Benidorm."
• Ystads captain Jakob Nygre said: "This is a new opportunity for us to get closer to a top four position in the group phase. It is a tough match where it is important that we reach a good level of intensity in our game to get a victory."

Valur (ISL) vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER)
Tuesday 22 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• Flensburg and Valur are the only teams in group B that won both of their games before the break
• this will be the first away match for the German powerhouse, who took a 35:30 win against TM Benidorm and a 30:25 win against PAUC at home in the first two rounds
• Flensburg are still being hit by injuries, with centre back Jim Gottfridsson and right back Magnus Rød out for this game
• only two teams, RK Nexe (52 goals) and Granollers (54 goals), have conceded fewer goals than Flensburg this season in the EHF European League
• Valur have established themselves as an attacking powerhouse in the competition after scoring 75 times. The Icelandic side have the third best attack in the competition, only two goals shy of the top scorers, Frisch Auf Göppingen

GROUP C

Balatonfüredi KSE (HUN) vs Skjern Handbold (DEN)
Tuesday 22 November, 17:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• Skjern, who are traveling to Hungary after a draw with GOG (32:32), are currently in fifth place in the Danish league; Balatonfüred are also in fifth place in Hungary after two consecutive defeats
• Balatonfüred will try to earn their first win in group C after defeats against Granollers and Nexe. They will have to step up in attack as they have least efficient attack of the competition with only 48 goals scored at a 50 per cent efficiency 
• after a defeat against Nexe at the start of the season, Skjern beat Alpla Hard in round 2 to earn their first win
• Balatonfüred's injuries have brought some problems to the team: centre back Dejan Malinovic, Balázs Szöllosi and Péter Hornyák were also out for their recent matches in Hungary
• the Hungarian club and Danish side have never met before

Fraikin BM. Granollers (ESP) vs Alpla HC Hard (AUT)
Tuesday 22 November, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• the Spanish side have two players at the top of the rankings after first two rounds: centre back Pol Valero Rovira is the competition's top scorer with 20 goals; Rangel Luan de Rosa has made 29 saves at a 35 per cent save efficiency
• alongside Nexe, Granollers are the only other unbeaten club in the group; on the other hand, Alpla Hard are still waiting for the first points
• Granollers have five consecutive wins in Spanish championship and are still in second place behind Barca, Alpla Hard welcomed their first defeat of the season in Austria as they narrowly lost to Fivers (27:28)
• Alpla Hard's Ivan Horvat is in top five scorers of the competition with 16 goals at a 57 per cent scoring efficiency
• there have been no previous encounters between the two clubs
• Alpla Hard left wing Luca Raschle: "We're expecting a physically intense and, above all, very fast game. We're looking forward to 60 minutes of handball full of emotions, fighting spirit and passion."

RK Nexe (CRO) vs Sporting CP (POR)
Tuesday 22 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• this match will be the first encounter between the two teams
• the Croatian club have two straight wins in group C, while Sporting narrowly won over Alpla Hard in round 1, followed by a defeat against Granollers
• both teams have three consecutive wins in their domestic championships. Nexe are leading in league A of the Croatian league after a 41:28 win over Varazdin 1930, while Sporting defeated ABC de Braga 25:23 and are the only unbeaten team in Portugal
• Sporting's attack efficiency after two rounds stands at 62 per cent, while Nexe's is at 70 per cent. Goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanovic has a 42 per cent save efficiency for Nexe
• Nexe have a new player in their squad: young right back Karlo Juric joined from Dubrava

GROUP D
HC Eurofarm Pelister vs Füchse Berlin (GER)
Tuesday 22 November, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• after their opening defeat at home against Skanderborg, Eurofarm Pelister took a close win at Aguas Santas
• Berlin have four points on their account after beating Motor and Bidasoa
• during the break, Berlin announced two signings for next season, both arriving from Danish clubs: Hákun West Av Teigum (Skanderborg) and Jerry Tollbring (GOG)
• while the Bitola-based side won 36:23 against Radovis and top their group in the Macedonian league, Füchse Berlin are top of the German league again after their 32:26 victory against TBV Lemgo
• this is the first official match between the two sides
• Eurofarm Pelister coach Lars Walter said: "We will give what we have, and I believe that with the help of the people in Bitola we will be worthy. It will be very difficult. Füchse Berlin is number one in the Bundesliga; they are a fast team. They played on Sunday and may not be at full strength."

Aguas Santas Milaneza (POR) vs Skanderborg-Aarhus (DEN)
Tuesday 22 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• after the two defeats against Irun and Eurofarm Pelister, Aguas Santas are still waiting for their first point in the group phase in their history 
• European Cup debutants Skanderborg-Aarhus are the surprise pack so far, as they have won both group matches at Pelister and at Motor
• this is the third straight away match for the Danish side, which includes both players who are ranked third on the top scorer list: Thomas Sommer Arnoldsen and Hákun West Av Teigum, both on 17 goals
• Skanderborg-Aarhus are ranked seventh in the Danish league and won their last match 30:28 against Sønderjyske; Aquas Santas won 26:25 against Avanca and are fourth in the Portuguese league

Bidasoa Irun (ESP) vs HC Motor (UKR)
Tuesday 22 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• Irun have two points on their account, while Motor are still at the bottom with zero points
• this is the first official away match for HC Motor in this season's competition
• Motor left back Ihor Turchenko (19 goals) is the second best scorer of the EHF European League; Iñaki Cavero Echepare (16 goals) is Irun's top scorer after two group matches
• Irun lost their last match in the Spanish league (32:30) against Granollers, while Motor lost 34:31 against Hagen as the "guest team" of the German second division
• Bidasoa Irun coach Jacobo Cuetara said: "HC Motor has many international players and it is the European League. All the rivals are difficult and then it will depend on the game itself."