Poland vs Hungary duels highlight round 6

In group A, Paris Saint-Germain and Magdeburg are just behind the Hungarian side, and they may move up the standings after round 6. After taking points in their last two home games, HC PPD Zagreb will try to deliver again against C.S. Dinamo Bucuresti, in what already looks like a contest for sixth place in the group.

In group B, top-ranked side Barça host HBC Nantes — and both sides are on a victorious run. In the duel of two Spanish coaches, Pick Szeged travel to Lomza Industria Kielce, while Elverum Handball hope for their first points of this season when they host RK Celje Pivovarna Laško and THW Kiel need two points against Aalborg Håndbold to remain among Barça’s hunters.

GROUP A

HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) vs C.S. Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU)
Wednesday 2 November, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• Dinamo (sixth place) and Zagreb (seventh place) are currently tied on three points in group A
• with 138 goals scored, Zagreb have the third least prolific offence of the EHF Champions League, just ahead of Elverum and Porto
• two players in this game feature among the top five oldest players in the Champions League: Timur Dibirov (Zagreb) and Valentin Ghionea (Dinamo)
• the latest meetings between the two sides date back to 1963, in the Champions Cup. Dinamo easily defeated Zagreb in the quarter-finals (31:16 on aggregate)
• last weekend, Zagreb took another win in the Croatian league against Osijek (36:25), while Dinamo triumphed in the Bucharest derby against CSM (38:24)
• Dinamo left back Ali Zein said "It's a very important game for us. At the same time, they are difficult opponents, especially when they play in Zagreb. We tried to prepare for the game very well and we have to play hard for 60 minutes to win this game. We will do our best to win."
• Zagreb goalkeeper Dino Slavic said: "A tough match is ahead of us against Dinamo Bucuresti. They have a great team full of quality internationals, led by Lazar Kukic and Ali Zein. Our goal is to continue with good outings in the EHF Champions League at home."

MOTW: Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) vs Telekom Veszprém HC (HUN)
Thursday 3 November, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• after five rounds, Veszprém are the leaders of group A with nine points, while Plock are fifth with five points
• both teams drew last week, as Veszprém lost their first point at home against Magdeburg, while Plock took their first away point in Zagreb
• this will be the first time Bosnian left back Mirsad Terzik has played against his former club of Veszprém since leaving in 2021
• Plock and Veszprém remain undefeated in their respective domestic leagues. Last weekend, Plock took the points against Opole (32:18) and Veszprém won the city derby against Veszpremi (48:27)
• Veszprém line player Andreas Nilsson said: "I expect a tough game against Plock. They are a dangerous team, especially at home. We played against them in the pre-season, but now it will be a Champions League match. They fight a lot, so I expect a hard clash."

Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) vs FC Porto (POR)
Thursday 3 November, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• while PSG sit in second place with eight points, Porto are bottom of group A with zero points
• the Portuguese side are one of the two teams that have yet to take a point this season, along with Elverum
• the two teams have played against each other six times since 2007. Porto won the first meeting, but Paris took the last five, including the last four games in the EHF Champions League
• PSG's Kamil Syprzak is the second top scorer in the EHF Champions League, with 36 goals, while Porto's Jack Thurin has netted 22 times so far
• last weekend, Paris took yet another win in the French league in Dunkerque (38:32), while Porto defeated Póvoa (44:26) in the Portuguese league
• PSG coach Raul Gonzalez said: "Porto is a team that we know well, having faced them several times in recent years. Even if they still haven’t won a game in our group since the start of the season, we will have to be wary of them – like every team in the group."
• Porto coach Magnus Andersson said: "We didn't had a strong start in Champions League and PSG is the most difficult game we have. So we are going with nothing to lose and just to make a good game."

GOG (DEN) vs SC Magdeburg (GER)
Thursday 3 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• after five rounds, Magdeburg are in third place in group A, with seven points, while GOG are just two points and one position behind
• last week, Magdeburg managed to snatch a point in Veszprém, while GOG came back victorious from their trip to Porto
• this will be the first time the teams have met in a European Cup competition
• GOG's best scorer in the EHF Champions League, Jerry Tollbring, has netted 33 times so far, while Gisli Kristjansson has scored 24 for Magdeburg
• three Danish players play for Magdeburg: Mike Jensen, Michael Damgaard and Magnus Saugstrup
• both sides won at the weekend. GOG took the points in Kolding in the Danish league (30:26), and Magdeburg defeated Leipzig in the Bundesliga (32:24)

GROUP B

Elverum Handball (NOR) vs RK Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO)
Wednesday 2 November, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• Elverum are the only team in group B still waiting for their first point, while Celje have two points from their home win against Kiel on their account
• Elverum have a current run of 16 Champions League matches without a victory (15 defeats, one draw)
• Celje’s last away victory in the Champions League came in February 2021 – a 30:28 win at Nantes
• Celje’s Aleks Vlah is number one on the top scorer list with 41 goals; Elverum’s best scorer is Serbian left back Uros Borzas with 22 goals
• in their previous duels in the 2019/20 group phase, each side won their respective home match
• in the Norwegian league, Elverum are fourth after beating Haslum 31:27 last weekend. Celje top the Slovenian league with six wins from six matches – but did not play last weekend

THW Kiel (GER) vs Aalborg Håndbold (DEN)
Wednesday 2 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• both sides lost their round 5 matches – Kiel lost 38:30 against Nantes, and Aalborg suffered a 39:33 defeat at home against Barça
• with six points on their account, the Danish side are two points ahead of Kiel
• Kiel won both of their home matches in group B, but lost all three away games
• THW goalkeeper and current IHF Player of the Year Niklas Landin will join Aalborg in the summer of 2023
• Kiel have won six of eight previous duels with Aalborg, but the Danish side won the last encounter, 35:33, on 24 November 2021
• Aalborg’s Mikkel Hansen is ranked third on the top scorer list, with 35 goals, while Kiel’s best scorer is Harald Reinkind with 23 goals in 21st position
• Aalborg top the Danish league after eight wins from nine matches, while Kiel are third in German league after seven wins from eight matches. Aalborg beat Fredericia 44:39 on Saturday, but Kiel did not play last weekend
• Aalborg coach Stefan Madsen said: "Kiel is a new, big challenge for us. Both teams lost last week and have a lot to prove. I am looking forward to see our strength against the German team."

Lomza Industria Kielce (POL) vs Pick Szeged (HUN)
Thursday 3 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• Szeged ended their worst Champions League start of four consecutive defeats with a clear 30:23 win against Elverum in round 5
• Kielce are ranked third in group B with eight points – and their only defeat occurred at defending champions Barça
• Kielce have won eight of their 10 previous duels against Szeged, including the last four, and Szeged’s last victory came in 2015
• both sides have Spanish coaches – Talant Dujshebaev for Kielce and Juan Carlos Pastor for Szeged – and several Spanish players
• Polish international Arkadiusz Moryto is the top scorer for Kielce, with 28 goals, while Marco Sostaric has netted 19 times for Szeged
• Kielce are ranked second in the Polish league after seven victories from seven matches, including a 39:20 win against Lubin on Saturday, while Szeged are second in Hungary after six wins from seven matches. Szeged beat Gyöngyös 32:24 on Saturday

Barça (ESP) vs HBC Nantes (FRA)
Thursday 3 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

• Barça are the only team in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2022/23 with a clean record of five wins from five matches
• Nantes’ run of four victories in a row after their opening defeat at Kielce is also impressive
• the last duel between these sides was in the second semi-final of the EHF FINAL4 2021 in Cologne, which Barça won 31:26
• Barça have won six matches from seven played against Nantes
• Barça are represented by Dika Mem (32 goals/4th position) and Aleix Gómez (30 goals/9th position) among the top 10 scorers, while Aymeric Minne has scored 27 times for Nantes
• Nantes have four Spanish players in their squad, including former Barça star Valero Rivera
• Barça are on top of the Spanish league; Nantes are ranked second in France and were defeated for the first time this season when they lost 35:31 at Limoges