Home teams looking to defend first-leg cushions

All four hosts of this weekend's encounters won the first-leg encounters away from home, but by different margins. The fight is expected to be particularly tight in the Match of the Week, as Gloria Bistrita take on Ikast Håndbold following a one-goal win last week.

Unlike Ikast, two other Danish sides earned victories in the first-leg games — Team Esbjerg boast an 11-goal advantage against HC Podravka, and Odense Håndbold have a five-goal cushion over DVSC Schaeffler. FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, who will host BV Borussia Dortmund, also have a good chance to reach the quarter-finals following a six-goal victory last week.

PLAY-OFFS, SECOND LEG

FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs BV Borussia Dortmund (GER)

Saturday 28 March, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV
H2H: 2-1-0
Last match: BV Borussia Dortmund vs FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, 22 March 2026 (25:31 (10:13))

• eight goals from Lara Egeling and 14 saves from Melinda Szikora lifted FTC to a six-goal win in the first leg
• the Hungarian side are looking for their fourth consecutive quarter-final berth, while Dortmund are yet to reach that stage for the first time
• Dortmund are on a four-match losing run in the EHF Champions League, having claimed their last victory on 25 January (31:30 at Storhamar)
• Petra Simon and Katrin Klujber lead FTC in the season overall with 75 and 73 goals, respectively, while Alina Grijseels and Deborah Lassource are Dortmund's top scorers with 56 goals
• on Wednesday, FTC beat Kozarmisleny KA in a Hungarian league game (38:26), while Dortmund did not have any matches between the two play-off legs

MOTW: Gloria Bistrita (ROU) vs Ikast Håndbold (DEN)

Saturday 28 March, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV
H2H: 1-0-2
Last match: Ikast Håndbold vs Gloria Bistrita, 22 March 2026 (34:35 (21:16))

• a strong second-half comeback led Bistrita to victory in the first leg, with Paula Arcos scoring the match winner in the 57th minute
• Danila So Delgado led the Romanian side with 11 goals in that encounter, while her teammate Renata De Arruda delivered 14 saves
• Stine Skogrand and Julie Scaglione scored 10 and eight goals, respectively, for Ikast
• the first leg was the teams' first meeting in the EHF Champions League; their paths previously crossed in the EHF Cup 2019/20 quarter-finals, when Ikast won both matches
• Bistrita are on a three-game winning run in the competition, starting with the group stage, while Ikast lost their last three encounters
• Scaglione occupies second position in the competition's scoring chart with 98 goals, while So Delgado ranks fifth, with 91 goals under her belt
• Ikast come into this match after a 39:34 win at EH Aalborg in the Danish league on Wednesday

Team Esbjerg (DEN) vs HC Podravka (CRO)

Sunday 29 March, 14:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: 3-0-0
Last match: HC Podravka vs Team Esbjerg, 21 March 2026 (26:37 (13:19))

• Esbjerg hold the biggest cushion in the play-offs after the first leg, having defeated Podravka away from home by as many as 11 goals
• Henny Reistad, who netted 11 times in Koprivnica, leads the season scoring chart with 108 goals
• Matea Pletikosic is Podravka's leading scorer in the competition, with 79 goals, six of which she scored last Saturday
• Esbjerg reached not only the quarter-finals, but also the EHF FINAL4 in each of the four most recent seasons
• the Danish side have won six of their seven home matches in the current season; in contrast, Podravka took just one victory outside Croatia, losing all six other away games
• on Wednesday, Esbjerg defeated Nykøbing Falster Håndboldklub in the Danish league, 30:29, while Podravka beat Bjelovar in the Croatian league on Tuesday, 36:22

Odense Håndbold (DEN) vs DVSC Schaeffler (HUN)

Sunday 29 March, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: 3-0-0
Last match: DVSC Schaeffler vs Odense Håndbold, 21 March 2026 (32:37 (13:18))

• last season's runners-up, Odense, won the first leg by five goals, driven by their goalkeeper Yara ten Holte recording 21 saves
• the Danish team are chasing their fourth straight quarter-final participation, while Debrecen have never made it to the top eight
• Debrecen's French right wing Alicia Toublanc sits fourth among the top scorers of the competition, with 92 goals
• left back Thale Rushfeldt Deila is Odense's leading scorer, with a tally of 71 goals
• on Wednesday, both sides took big wins in their domestic leagues: Odense defeated Bjerringbro 38:24, while Debrecen proved too strong for NEKA, 46:19

Photos © Ivan Brkić / RK Podravka; Wolfgang Stummbillig; Istvan Derencsenyi