Round 3 of the EHF European Cup Men 2021/22 opens with 16 matches this weekend. While 12 of them are first-leg encounters, two doubleheaders are also part of the schedule.
One of the doubleheaders takes place in Southern Europe, as Greek side A.C. PAOK host ZRHK TENAX Dobele from Latvia in Thessaloniki on Friday and Sunday.
Up North, Sweden’s IFK Skövde HK take on their Israeli opponents AS SGS Ramhat Hashron in two matches, on Friday and Saturday.
- last season’s semi-finalists Sabbianco Anorthosis Famagusta from Cyprus meet Czech Republic’s HCB Karvina in Nicosia on Saturday
- Romania’s AHC Potaissa Turda, Challenge Cup winners in 2018, travel to Kosovo to face KH Besa Famgas on Sunday
- on the same day, Turkish team Besiktas JK host 2013 Challenge Cup winners SKA Minsk in Istanbul
- SGAU-Saratov (RUS) and Pölva Serviti (EST), who meet in Russia on Sunday, also met in the Last 16 last season, with Pölva winning 56:51 on aggregate (28:28 in Russia, 28:23 in Estonia)
- two more doubleheaders, Alingsås HK (SWE) vs HC Tallinn (EST) and MSK Povazska Bystrica (SVK) vs SKIF Krasnodar (RUS), are scheduled for next weekend
Another Czech derby starts in Plzen
Similar to the EHF European Cup Women, where Sokol Pisek defeated DHC Slavia Praha last week, the men’s competition features a Czech derby in round 3. On Sunday, Talent Tym Plzenskeho kraje welcome their domestic rivals HC Robe Zubri in the first-leg match in Plzen. The return leg will be played in Zubri, some 260 kilometres eastwards, next Saturday.