More quarter-finalists to be named this weekend

SG BBM Bietigheim, in group B, and Viborg HK, in group D, both need just one point to reach that goal, while in group A, ES Besancon Feminin and Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC will fight for second  position in their direct duel.

GROUP A
ES Besancon Feminin (FRA) vs Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC (HUN)
Saturday 12 February, 20:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• this match will be a clash for second spot in the group
• Motherson Mosonmagyarovari had a clear win over Besancon in the first round, beating the French team 38:30. This will be a perfect chance for revenge
• Besancon await the match after a 27:35 loss against Nantes in the French league. Mosonmagyarovari lost 31:34 to FTC in the Hungarian league
• Besancon captain Paulinr Robert: "Our qualification is at stake. It will be a decisive match. The objective is to win with the biggest possible gap."
• Mosonmagyarovar have problems with injuries. In their domestic match against FTC they had only 11 players in the squad
• Mosonmagyarovar coach János Gyurka: "Besancon have very skilled handball players, and Dembele and the two Polish national team players are real heavy hitters as back players. We have to set our goals for this match, not to focus on goal difference, because that is the wrong strategy."
• French national team player Lucie Garnier is top scorer for Besancon with 28 goals; with 22, Eszter Tóth leads the Hungarian team

HC Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO) vs Sola HK (NOR)
Sunday 13 February, 14:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• Lokomotiva host group leaders Sola, who have already secured a quarter-final spot
• in the first encounter between the teams this season, the Norwegian team won 25:18
• the home team are still on zero points after four matches played. Sola have a perfect score of eight points
• the visiting side travel to Zagreb after a 28:13 win over Oppsal in the domestic league, where they hold third place; Lokomotiva are leading the Croatian league
• with a tally of 26 goals, Tena Petika is Lokomotiva’s top scorer. Camilla Herrem leads the Norwegian team with 50 goals

GROUP B
SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) vs Les Neptunes de Nantes (FRA)
Saturday 12 February, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• a point against the reigning champions would see Bietigheim through to the quarter-finals
• the German side have the most effective attack in the competition after four rounds, having scored 128 goals, and the best defence in terms of goals allowed per game, at 21.25
• the reigning champions, Nantes, are backed into a corner after losing two games and will be playing for their lives
• the hosts have an average home winning margin of 14.5 goals per game this season, rendering them seemingly unstoppable on their own court
• Bietigheim extended their winning streak this season to 22 games in all competitions with a 36:20 win against Halle-Neustadt last Wednesday in the domestic league, while Nantes took a 37:25 midweek victory against Besancon in the French league

MKS Zaglebie Lubin (POL) vs CS Minaur Baia Mare (ROU)
Sunday 13 February, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• Baia Mare are looking for their first away win of the season, after conceding a 20:39 loss to Bietigheim and a 29:34 loss to Nantes
• only Vac conceded more goals this season, 136, than Baia Mare’s 131, with defence posing a clear problem for the Romanian side
• Lubin are in a must-win situation, as anything other than beating Baia Mare at home would see them out of contention for a quarter-final berth
• backs Jelena Lavko and Cristina Laslo combined for 50 of Baia Mare’s 111 goals this season in the group phase

GROUP C
Herning-Ikast Handbold (DEN) vs Handball Club Lada (RUS)
Saturday 12 February, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• Herning-Ikast, who have a maximum of eight points after four games, have already booked a quarter-final ticket
• last week, the Danish team defeated Storhamar twice, and both times by eight goals: 35:27 on Monday and 32:24 on Saturday
• Lada are yet to claim their first points in the group, as they have lost all three encounters so far. Their round 4 match with Magura was postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions
• in the reverse fixture, Herning celebrated a three-goal win in Russia, 27:24

Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) vs Magura Cisnadie (ROU)
Saturday 12 February, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• it is a pivotal match for both teams, who are fighting for the second position
• Magura have the upper hand, as they are now ranked second with four points after three matches, while Storhamar are third-placed with two points after four games
• the Norwegian side only need a win to keep their hopes of a quarter-final berth alive
• in the reverse match, the Romanian team earned their first ever victory in the group stage of the European club competition (33:28)
• Magura won both matches at home, while they are yet to claim their first points in away encounters

GROUP D
Váci NKSE (HUN) vs Chambray Touraine Handball (FRA)
Sunday 13 February, 14:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• Vác no longer have a chance to reach the quarter-finals, after losing their fourth straight match, 42:21 at Viborg, in the last round
• third-placed Chambray, who were defeated 32:27 at Valcea in round 4, have two points after four outings
• notably, the French team claimed their only win in the group in the reverse fixture with Vac, 29:27. It was the first meeting of the two rivals in the European club competitions
• centre back Csenge Kuczora and left back Gréta Kácsor have combined for 40 of 102 Vac goals in the current group stage
• for Chambray, Serbian back Jovana Stoiljkovic is the top scorer with 23 goals in the group and 36 in the whole competition

SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU) vs Viborg HK (DEN)
Sunday 13 February, 14:00 CET, live on EHFTV

Viborg HK (DEN) vs SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU)
Wednesday 16 February, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• both teams boast a perfect record with three wins in as many group matches, but Viborg hold the top position thanks to a better goal difference
• the Danish side still need one point to be sure to progress to the quarter-final, while Valcea are already through
• Viborg were seeded directly into the group phase, while Valcea, who started the tournament in qualification round 3, have already won five straight matches
• the two sides last met in the EHF Champions League final in 2009/10, where Viborg defeated CS Oltchim Rm.Valcea twice. Overall, the Danish side have won eight mutual encounters, Valcea won five, and one game ended in a draw
• despite Asma Elghaoui’s 12 goals, Valcea lost a domestic league game on Wednesday against Rapid Bucuresti, 33:27. Viborg also lost their midweek match — 29:26 at Nykobing Falster
• Ramnicu right wing Zeljka Nikolic: "Viborg are the strongest team in our group. We have to step up now after a bad game against Rapid and show that was just a bad day. I believe that with a big support of our fans we can take two points on Sunday."