EHF European League

Clash between Nantes and Baia Mare headlines third round

EHF / Danijela Vekic, Sergey Nikolaev, Adrian Costeiu

20 January 2022, 12:30

In round 3 in the group phase of the EHF European League Women 2021/22, the spotlight will be on the group B clash between reigning champions Les Neptunes de Nantes and CS Minaur Baia Mare.

The only match in group A will be played on French soil when ES Besancon Feminin face Croatian side HC Lokomotiva Zagreb. Lokomotiva lost their opener in the group phase last weekend, while Besancon will have another chance for redemption in front of their fans after two consecutive losses.

In group C, Handball Club Lada are looking for their first points, while in group D, SCM Ramnicu Valcea and Viborg HK want to build on their successful starts.

GROUP A
ES Besancon Feminin (FRA) vs HC Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO)
Saturday 22 January, 20:00 CET, live on EHFTV

this will be the first encounter between the two teams
Lokomotiva lost their only match played in the group phase against Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC, while Besancon have lost both of their games
the French club host Lokomotiva after securing a 37:23 win against Celles-Sur-Belle in the domestic league; Lokomotiva overran Trogir 36:16 in the restart of the Croatian league
goalkeeper Lena Ivancok (18 saves) and was the best player for Lokomotiva in their first match
Lucie Granier, who won silver with France at the IHF Women's World Championship 2021, is a key player for Besancon
Besancon scored at least 30 goals in both matches so far; Lokomotiva netted 19 against Mosonmagyarovar's strong defence
Lokomotiva Zagreb goalkeeper Lucija Bešen said: "Besancon is an experienced team which has experienced players in all positions. They are all individually very good, well-integrated into the team."
Besancon Feminin right wing Sabrina Zazai said: "We have found pleasure in playing despite our defeats. We are keen to get our first win in the EHF European League at home."
Beancon Feminin assistant coach Tom Garnier said: "We are going to play against a great handball team which is first in the Croatian championship. They are a different team from the two others we have already played."

Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC (HUN) vs Sola HK (NOR)
Match has been postponed and will be rescheduled.

GROUP B
SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) vs MKS Zaglebie Lubin (POL)
Saturday 22 January, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV

no other side has scored more goals than Bietigheim (66 goals) in the first two games of the group phase
Lubin are fighting for their lives in the group after suffering two losses in the first two matches, including a last-second loss at home (26:27) against Les Neptunes de Nantes
in their only game played against Polish opposition in European competitions, the German side beat MKS Perla Lublin 34:19 in a qualification tournament for the DELO EHF Champions League 2018/19
German right back Julia Maidhof is Bietigheim's top scorer in the group phase, with 13 goals, and third overall in the top scorer standings, only two goals behind Cisnadie right back Marilena Neagu
after securing a 32:20 win against Metzingen on Wednesday evening in the German Bundesliga, Bietigheim are still unbeaten in 19 games played this season in all competitions

Les Neptunes de Nantes (FRA) vs CS Minaur Baia Mare (ROU)
Sunday 23 January, 14:00 CET, live on EHFTV

Nantes, the current title holders, avoided a crucial loss in the last game against Lubin last Sunday, mounting an impressive comeback to snatch their first win of the group phase, 27:26
when the two sides met in Baia Mare in the EHF Finals Women last season, the French outfit took a pivotal 36:34 win in the semi-finals on their way to the trophy
Baia Mare have conceded 18 goals more than Nantes in group B, an average of 35.5 goals per game, as the defence has been their undoing in the EHF European League Women
influential centre back Cristina Laslo, who scored eight goals in Baia Mare's first two matches in the group, has announced that she will join Romanian rivals Gloria Bistrita next season
the Romanian side have won three games and lost four against French teams in their history, with their only away win coming against Fleury Loiret in the main round of the DELO EHF Champions League 2015/16 season

GROUP C
Magura Cisnadie (ROU) vs Handball Club Lada (RUS)
Sunday 23 January, 12:00 CET, live on EHFTV

while Lada are bottom of the group with zero points, Magura are second and have two points
on Monday, Lada's coach Alexey Alekseev had to step down following six straight defeats in all competitions, including two in the EHF European League Women
2016 Olympic champion Ekaterina Marennikova, who had been assistant coach to Alekseev, took over as interim coach
on Wednesday, her team ended their unlucky run, narrowly beating Rostov-Don in the Russian league, 30:29. On the same day, Magura also won in the Romanian league, 30:21 against CS Dacia Mioveni
Magura have two Russian players in their roster, Kira Trusova and Yuliia Garyaeva, but they have never played for Lada

Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) vs Herning-Ikast Handbold (DEN)
The match has been postponed and will be rescheduled