SUMMARY: Plock join play-offs line-up; Magdeburg book direct quarter-final

• round 14 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 group phase
• group B on Thursday:
  SC Magdeburg win MOTW vs Veszprém 30:28 to book a direct quarter-final ticket; Plock beat Porto 29:28 to clinch the last play-off spot; GOG defeat Celje 34:30; Montpellier overthrow Barça 37:34
• group A on Wednesday:
  Kiel lock up top spot in the group by beating Zagreb 33:22; PSG secure third place with a 37:33 win against Szeged; Aalborg and Kielce share the points in a 35:35 draw; Kolstad defeat Pelister 34:27 in both teams' last game of the European season 
• enjoy highlights of each match on the Home of Handball YouTube channel and see the final group standings
• follow the official EHF Champions League socials on Instagram, X (Twitter), and Facebook
• all photos courtesy of the home teams

Thursday 7 March

23:27

So we come to the end of our live blog coverage of round 14 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24. 

We return at the end of the month with the first legs of the play-offs, taking place on March 27 and 28, followed by the second legs on April 3 and 4. 

For Barça, Aalborg, Kiel and Magdeburg, it's rest time from the top flight until the quarter-finals begin at the end of April. 

See you for the play-offs! 

23:14

If you missed tonight's Champions League action — or any night for that matter, all match highlights can be found on the Home of Handball YouTube channel.

Below, enjoy the highlights of the MOTW Veszprém vs Magdeburg. 

23:04

The last day of the group phase, and the last review of the group phase. Recap the night's action as round 14 concluded with four great matches. 

22:58

The group phase is over and that means we can officially say who is the top scorer of the stage, as well as who made the most saves, plus more.

GOG's Emil Madsen finishes with 90 goals that make him the top scorer, and he is not the only GOG player up high on this ranking, as his teammate Hans Mensing is fourth with 85 goals. 

It's all about GOG as another player from the Danish side made the most saves of the stage: Tobias Thulin, with 162. Interestingly, four of the five keepers with most saves are Scandinavian — Swede Thulin in first followed by Norwegian Torbjørn Bergerud in second, then Danes Emil Nielsen in fourth and Niklas Landin in fifth. In between them in third is Croatian goalkeeper Matej Mandic.

In terms of save rate, Nielsen is first, with an average of 34.75 across the group phase, followed next by his national teammate Landin. 

See all the individual statistics rankings here. 

22:48

So what's coming next? See the pairings for the play-offs and how the road to Cologne continues below. 

22:34

That's a wrap on the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 group phase! The results of the last two matches not only mean that Plock join the play-offs line-up, but that Magdeburg clinch top of group B. With the defeat to Montpellier, Barça stay on 22 points on the group table, while Magdeburg moved up to 24 with their MOTW win over Veszprém. 

See the final group standings here. 

22:19 RESULT | BARÇA VS MONTPELLIER 34:37

An incredible performance from Montpellier as they beat Barça by three goals to record their first win over the Spanish powerhouse since 2018. MHB opened a gap as clear as five goals in the last minutes before Barça scored the final two to reduce the deficit. 

Montpellier's Brazilian back Bryan Monte top scores the game with 10 strikes, ahead of Barça's Dika Mem on nine.

22:15 RESULT | PLOCK VS PORTO 29:28

Yet again it's a one-goal game that sees Plock book the last spot in the play-offs while Porto say goodbye to the competition.

A stolen ball leading to a fast break from Lovro Mihic ends up being the clincher for Plock, as they open a two-goal gap with 35 seconds to go. Porto add one more goal — Nikolaj Christensen's seventh — but it's not enough to change the outcome and Plock celebrate the win and progression into the knockout phase. 

22:11 58th MINUTE | PLOCK VS PORTO 28:27

Tense in Plock as Porto come back to equalise at 27:27 with two minutes to go courtesy of wing Antonio Areia. Plock have the edge, adding another goal since that equaliser, but the three-goal distance has evaporated and we're into absolute crunchtime with it being anybody's game. 

22:03 50th MINUTE | BARÇA VS MONTPELLIER 28:29

Seven minutes since the last level score at Barça, during which Montpellier have stayed steadily in front by one or two goals. The French team have not beaten Barça since 2018, when they knocked the side out of the competition in the round of 16 and went on to win the trophy. Montpellier's squad has changed dramatically since then, so this would be quite a victory for many players who have never beaten the Spanish powerhouse before — if they can hold on and take it. 

Overall, Barça have won nine previous encounters with Montpellier, and the French team three. 

22:01 50th MINUTE | PLOCK VS PORTO 24:21

Plock are in command as a timeout is called in Poland, with the home side three in front in the crucial match to decide the last play-off spot. 

Saves from Plock goalkeeper Mirko Alilovic have made a difference this half. Although his rate is not especially high, Alilovic is delivering some stops in key moments. 

21:50 42nd MINUTE | BARÇA VS MONTPELLIER 24:24

Considering the round 1 clash between these teams ended 25:30 on Montpellier's own court, with Barça taking the points from that encounter, this is quite a game from the French team, as they stay level as the second half progresses. 

In goal, Barça are having an unusual day in that neither of their goalkeepers are delivering a top performance. Considering the very strong duo of Emil Nielsen and Gonzalo Perez de Vargas, it is rare to see the Spanish side struggling in this area, but the two have combined for eight saves total so far. 

At the other end of the court though, Dika Mem is having a scorcher, with nine goals so far. 

21:46 39th MINUTE | PLOCK VS PORTO 19:17

Is history repeating itself? Plock have turned the match that is a pivotal battle for the play-offs on its head. After Porto scored first in the second half, reopening a two-goal lead in their favour, Plock equalised with two consecutive goals and have not looked back. 

It was Plock who finally ended Porto's play-off dreams last season, and if they do take the win here, they will do the same again. 

21:38

It's the final half of the group phase — well, x2, as we are back underway at Barça and Plock.

Two minutes into the second half, Barça lead Montpellier 21:20 while it's all square at 16:16 in Plock vs Porto. 

21:25 HALF-TIME | BARÇA VS MONTPELLIER 19:18

A high-scoring first half sees Barça go to the break with a one-goal edge over Montpellier. Barça right back Dika Mem nets six goals in the opening 30 minutes. 

21:22 HALF-TIME | PLOCK VS PORTO 14:15

Porto move ahead as clear as three goals but it's Plock who have the last say in the first half, with two goals in a row including a penalty scored by Miha Zarabec after the buzzer to close the gap to one. 

21:15 25th MINUTE | PLOCK VS PORTO 12:13

A match with everything on the line and we are seeing exactly that reflected on court, as the visitors lead by one and certainly have the edge right now, after just opening the first two-goal gap of the game at 11:13. 

Porto won the reverse leg between the sides, played in round 1, but only by one goal, 24:23. 

21:04 17th MINUTE | BARÇA VS MONTPELLIER 12:12

Montpellier are really taking it to Barça so far, with a level score past midway through the first half on the Spanish side's court. 

The game has seen quite an individual scoring contest from two players of the same French generation, Dika Mem and Yanis Lenne, who have each notched up four goals already. The two won the M18 EHF EURO 2014 and 2015 Youth World Championship together. Of course now they take the court in the senior team, where they are the newly crowned European champions. 

20:54 8th MINUTE | PLOCK VS PORTO 4:4

A blinding opening from Porto's Nikolaj Christensen, as he nets all four of his team's goals so far. 

With Plock on nine points and Porto on eight, Plock need only a draw to clinch the play-off spot, while Porto must win. The teams met in the same scenario last season, fighting for the play-off berth in the last round of the group phase, with Plock coming out on top by one and ultimately going on to the quarter-finals. 

20:45 RESULT | CELJE VS GOG 30:34

GOG overpower Celje in the end, taking a four-goal win that leaves the Slovenian side without a point gained in the group phase. Emil Madsen leads with 10 goals for GOG. 

Celje were last within one goal at the 52-minute mark, 26:27, before GOG powered through the final minutes to a clear victory. 

The win means GOG move up to 13 points on the table, which means they could potentially finish in fourth position. As of now, they have passed Montpellier, but if Montpellier defeat Barça, then the French team will reclaim fourth and GOG will rank fifth. If Barça win, as would be the favoured outcome, GOG will clinch fourth. 

20:35

The very last matches of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 group phase are upon us, starting at 20:45 CET. And they bring one key question: Who will continue to the play-offs out of Plock and Porto? The two are set to face-off in a direct battle for sixth position in group B. 

Join us on EHFTV for the last two games of the round, or follow the action on the live statistics:

• Plock vs Porto
• Barça vs Montpellier

20:31

16 saves at a rate of 38.1 per cent earn Sergey Hernandez the Player of the Match award as Magdeburg celebrate a MOTW win and their place in the quarter-finals. Below, check out one of his top saves, and at a very important moment as well. 

20:25 46th MINUTE | CELJE VS GOG 24:25

What a contest unfolding in Celje! GOG look to be powering away as they create a three-goal lead, 25:22, only for Celje to come fighting back within one. 

One complete change since the first half has been the goalkeeper battle. While Celje's Rok Zaponsek has saved only two shots this half, GOG's Tobias Thulin has stopped a huge 17 — and still has plenty of time for that tally to climb. 

20:18 RESULT | MOTW VESZPRÉM VS MAGDEBURG 28:30

Magdeburg show why they are the defending title holders as they take a two-goal win over Veszprém and clinch second place in group B, which means direct passage to the quarter-finals. Veszprém will contest the play-offs and hope to reach the quarter-finals from there. 

20:14 38th MINUTE | CELJE VS GOG 21:20

Meanwhile in Slovenia, the match is underway with the second half, where the home side have a one-goal edge and have always been scoring first against GOG this period. The first minutes of the half saw Celje open a two-goal distance twice, but GOG have brought it back closer after that. 

20:10 55th MINUTE | MOTW VESZPRÉM VS MAGDEBURG 23:26

Timeout Veszprém as Magdeburg open a three-goal lead — the second of the game after the 7:10 in the 19th minute. We hear the Hungarian side's coach Momir Ilic instruct the team to switch to 5-1 defence with Yehia Elderaa in front during the one-minute pause. 

Although Veszprém keep fighting back to level, there is a feeling the momentum is with Magdeburg as they always recover and reclaim the lead. Will they hold onto it now or will Veszprém come back? 

19:58 47th MINUTE | MOTW VESZPRÉM VS MAGDEBURG 22:22

Three unanswered goals see Veszprém turn a 20:21 game into their first lead of the second half, 22:21, but it's not for long as Magdeburg answer rapidly. 

Magdeburg's Sergey Hernandez records 11 saves at this point, against Mike Jensen's nine for Veszprém. Veszprém back Yehia Elderaa has had a strong half so far, netting all four of his goals in this period. 

19:53 HALF-TIME | CELJE VS GOG 15:15

To the half-time break in Celje with the score level. Mitja Janc and Emil Madsen both finish the opening half on six goals, while the two goalkeepers — Rok Zaponsek and Tobias Thulin — save nine apiece at 37.5 per cent for Celje and GOG, respectively. 

19:51 42nd MINUTE | MOTW VESZPRÉM VS MAGDEBURG 18:20

Once again it's two super quick goals — within 13 seconds of each other — from Magdeburg that open a gap in the game. Felix Claar finds a huge gap to run through in Veszprém's defence before a turnover from Veszprém that leads to Mathias Musche scoring on a fast break. 

19:44 24th MINUTE | CELJE VS GOG 12:12

Also back underway in Celje, but there we return to the first half after a pause due to a medical emergency in the stands. 

The game stays as close as it can get, with the score either level or either team leading by one goal. 

This match features the two players who led the season's top scorer chart before the start of the round, Mitja Janc on Celje's side and Emil Maden on GOG's. Both have added five to their overall tallies. 

19:39 31st MINUTE | MOTW VESZPRÉM VS MAGDEBURG 14:14

Back to action in the MOTW! 

Magdeburg have won the last 11 matches in a row leading up to this game. Their last defeat was in round 2 at the hands of Barça, after their season opener versus Veszprém, which was also a loss.

Veszprém's last defeat was in round 10 at the end of last year, as they lost to Plock in Poland. 

While Magdeburg's losses were against the absolute powerhouses of the group, Veszprém's have been more mixed. Along with the result against Plock, who are still fighting to reach the play-offs, they were defeated by Barça by one goal in round 9 and GOG by six in round 3. 

19:32 MATCH PAUSED | CELJE VS GOG 10:9

According to the TV feed coming in from Celje, the match has been paused due to a medical emergency in the stands and will resume at 19:40 CET. 

19:24 HALF-TIME | MOTW VESZPRÉM VS MAGDEBURG 14:14

All square as we go to the break in the MOTW. 

19:20 27th MINUTE | MOTW VESZPRÉM VS MAGDEBURG 12:12

Veszprém pull the game back to level but Magdeburg still have the edge, as they score first after a couple of equalisers from Veszprém, keeping the momentum on their side. 

19:12 21st MINUTE | MOTW VESZPRÉM VS MAGDEBURG 8:10

Into the final 10 minutes of the first half in MOTW and Magdeburg are holding steady in front while things are not quite working out for Veszprém. The Hungarian side have missed some important chances to close the gap. 

Veszprém have relied exclusively on their French contingent so far, with all goals coming from Nedim Remili, Hugo Descat and Ludovic Fabregas. 

19:06 19th MINUTE | CELJE VS GOG 10:9

Over in Slovenia, GOG had a slightly stronger start but it's been goal-for-goal since the 10th minute. Both teams' goalkeepers are delivering a great performance with Celje's Rok Zaponsek on a rate of 40 per cent while GOG's Tobias Thulin is on 37.5 per cent. Both have stopped six shots.  

19:01 13th MINUTE | MOTW VESZPRÉM VS MAGDEBURG 5:7

Two quick goals from Magdeburg and we have the first two-goal gap in the game, as the defending title holders take a narrow edge thanks to Scandinavian backs Felix Claar and Christian O'Sullivan.

Meanwhile, Mike Jensen's saves have slowed in Veszprém's goal, while Magdeburg's Sergey Hernandez has stolen the spotlight with some key saves. 

18:53 6th MINUTE | MOTW VESZPRÉM VS MAGDEBURG 2:2

Just over five minutes into the MOTW and it's clear the Mike Jensen card could be a trump one for Veszprém, as the former Magdeburg keeper has saved at 50 per cent so far, stopping two of Magdeburg's four attempts on goal.

Knowing the shooters he is facing is certainly a benefit for the goalkeeper. But they also know him.

18:46

Starting whistle at Veszprém and Celje! 

18:36

We are up and running on EHFTV with the MOTW. Join us now to catch the action live, as well as the match in Slovenia, Celje vs GOG. 

You can also follow the live statistics for each game here:

• Veszprém vs Magdeburg
• Celje vs GOG

18:32

The other game starting at 18:45 CET, sees eliminated Celje hosting play-off bound GOG. Celje have not won a game or taken a point yet this season, but lost quite narrowly to GOG in the reverse leg, 36:38. 

Although they are alread through to the play-offs, GOG still have something on the line tonight — the Danish side can move up one place on the table, securing a theoretically "easier" path through the knockout round, but they must win and rely on Barça to win as well. 

18:20

The opening whistle in the MOTW is not far off now. Let's dive into some key facts about the game. 

First the most important fact — Magdeburg and Veszprém are neighbours on the group B table, with Magdeburg in second on 22 points and Veszprém third on 20. This means that Magdeburg can clinch the quarter-final place with a draw, while Veszprém must win. 

The reverse fixture, back in round 1, saw Veszprém take a commanding win in Germany, 33:28. 

The teams met in a similar situation last season, with Magdeburg beating Veszprém in Germany to take the quarter-final spot and send Veszprém to the play-offs. On that occasion, new Veszprém goalkeeper Mike Jensen was playing for Magdeburg, going on to take the Champions League trophy with the German team . 

17:54

Good evening and welcome to the last night of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 group phase! Courtney Gahan here to take you through the four matches that will wrap up the phase. 

It's all about group B tonight, after group A concluded on Wednesday. 

Will it be Veszprém or Magdeburg that joins the line-up of direct quarter-final participants? Will it be Plock or Porto who clinches the last available spot in the play-offs in their direct clash in Poland? Will Celje farewell their season by taking their first points as they host GOG? Will Barça recover from last week's one-goal defeat to Magdeburg and clinch a 12th win or can Montpeller cause an upset on their home court? 

Plenty of excitement coming up tonight! Throw-off at 18:45 CET in Vészprem and Plock. 

17:00

MOTW is one of the first matches up tonight, at 18:45 CET. See what Andreas Nilsson had to say about it:

16:30

The last day of the group phase of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League features two crucial group B games. In one, Orlen Wisla Plock and FC Porto play for the last place in the play-offs. In the other, the Match of the Week, Telekom Veszprém and SC Magdeburg are playing for the quarter-finals.

Ahead of MOTW data analyst and handball coach Manel Cirac has taken a detailed look at strengths and weaknesses of both teams, based on data provided by handball.ai. Read the fascinating findings ahead of the game!

Wednesday 6 March

23:15

Group A completed, group B to follow on Thursday!

And what an exciting night it promises to be, as none of the positions one to seven in group B is set in stone yet. All to play for, and that includes a thrilling MOTW between Veszprém and Magdeburg. So, make sure to join the live blog again in the late afternoon for coverage of a spectacular last night of group phase action.

For now, it is thanks for joining us here and good night!

23:11

PSG make sure they finish third by beating Szeged, but it was far from easy, as Dutch centre back Luc Steins points out:

23:04

The dust is settling on group A. Time for EHF journalist Björn Pazen to tell you in the day review all what happened on the opening night of the last round in the group phase:

22:59

Missed a match tonight? Or want to see the best moments again? Our Home of Handball channel on YouTube has you covered, for Kiel against Zagreb as well as the other three matches.

22:53

What does that mean for the various teams from group A? I have looked at each of them:

• Kiel -> go to the quarter-finals
• Aalborg -> go to the quarter-finals
• PSG -> play B6 in the play-offs (either Plock or Porto)
• Kielce -> play B5 in the play-offs (either GOG or Montpellier)
• Zagreb -> play B4 in the play-offs (either Montpellier or GOG)
• Szeged -> play B3 in the play-offs (either Veszprém or Magdeburg)
• Kolstad -> out of the competition
• Pelister -> out of the competition

22:42

So, that brings the curtain down on group A. Here are the final standings:

22:26 | RESULT
_ Aalborg vs Kielce 35:35 (15:18)

Kielce were still two goals up (32:30) with six minutes to play, but ultimately needed a last-minute equaliser from Dani Dujshebaev and a last-second save from goalkeeper Sandro Mestric to take a point home from Aalborg.

A high-pace game full of twists and turns – that couldn't turn the group A table upside-down anymore as Aalborg finish second and go straight to the quarter-finals and Kielce place fourth and advance to the play-offs. But the same would have been the case had one of the two teams won this game.

22:17 | RESULT
_ PSG vs Szeged 37:33 (15:14)

PSG are the best of the rest! Since a top two finish in group A was out of reach, they settle for third place with a hard-fought win over Szeged, who qualify for the play-offs as the sixth-ranked team.

Kamil Syprzak, who recently extended his contract with the club until 2027, is PSG's leading scorer with 10. Miguel Martins and Imanol Garciandia both net eight times for Szeged.

22:14

Aalborg not giving it that easily! Led by Mads Hoxer's 12 goals and counting, they are now back in the lead, 34:33! It won't change anything for the final standings, but stil...

21:59

Kielce remain in the lead by around three goals for quite a while now. Interestingly, Aalborg won by three goals in Poland when the teams met for the reverse fixture in round 1.

21:52

24:19... it really looks like PSG have found the solution against Szeged. A win will secure them third spot in the group, and another confidence boost ahead of the play-offs.

21:44

The second halves have started in Paris and Aalborg, but let's have a quick look back at the earlier matches and hear what Kiel coach Filip Jicha said after hit team defeated Zagreb 33:22 to lock up the top position in the group:

21:25 | HALF-TIME
_ PSG vs Szeged 15:14
_ Aalborg vs Kielce 15:18

PSG goalkeeper Jannick Green saves a penalty in the closing seconds of the first half as the hosts head into the dressing room with a slim lead over Szeged.

Kielce are also eager to get the race for third place down to the wire, taking a three-goal lead in Aalborg, who have nothing really to play for as the first place is out of reach following that earlier Kiel victory.

21:20

Team timeout PSG. They are now within one from levelling this match against Szeged, 13:14, and Raul Gonzalez would love to see that happen before the break.

21:16

After the slow start, Kielce have found their rhythm and lead Aalborg by two goals: 16:14. If Kielce win and PSG lose, than the 2016 champions of Poland finish the group in third. But still early days, of course...

21:06

Kamil Syprzak converts a penalty throw for PSG, but Szeged remain well in the lead after the first quarter in Paris: 6:9. This is an interesting clash!

20:56

But Kielce quickly hit back and it is all square after the opening 10 minutes in Aalborg. Remember, the hosts finish in second place, but the visitors can still improve from fourth to third in the final group A standings.

Over in Paris though, hosts PSG struggle in the opening stages against Szeged as the Hungarian side open an early three-goal gap: 7:4.

20:48

Well, Aalborg might be out of the race for the No. 1 position in the group, but they don't mess around against Kielce, taking a 4:1 lead within three minutes.

20:33

Before we head into the last two games, a quick highlight from one of the early matches:

20:25

In 20 minutes start the very last two matches of group A: PSG vs Szeged and Aalborg vs Kielce. So, what is at stake?

Kiel are first and Aalborg second, that won't change anymore. But there is a battle for third place, currently held by PSG, but followed by fourth-ranked Kielce with the same number of points (15), and by Szeged in sixth, two points further behind (13).

All possible scenarios haven been calculated in this overview.

20:12 RESULTS |
_ Kiel vs Zagreb 33:22 (17:15)
_ Kolstad vs Pelister 34:27 (17:13)

Congrats to Kiel, who lock up the top position in group A with a convincing win over Zagreb! The defeat means Zagreb will finish fifth, or even drop to sixth in case Szeged were to beat PSG later tonight.

In the other match, Kolstad say farewell to their debut EHF Champions League season with a clear win.

20:01

With such a big lead, it is time for Kiel to open the magic tool kit...

19:56

The margin in Kiel is 10, 27:17. So, apart from that comeback midway through the first half, Zagreb are coming up short against the four-time champions. Kiel now all but guaranteed of the group win, remember they needed just one point to make sure... 

19:54

Nice impression of the fluency of the Kiel attack:

19:51

Meanwhile in Norway, Uros Borzes has passed the 10-goal in this match but his Pelister are likely not going to get their first points, as hosts Kolstad are in command with a 27:21 lead.

19:44

That is eight (= 8!) minutes into the second half without a Zagreb goal in Kiel, as the hosts run away to a commanding 21:15 lead. Nikola Bilyk and Niclas Ekberg with five goals each.

19:21 HALF-TIME |
_ Kiel vs Zagreb 17:15
_ Kolstad vs Pelister 17:13

Both hosts had clear leads early on, but the visitors have gradually clawed their way back into these games. Still, both Kiel and Kolstad seem favourites to keep the two points at home.

19:12

Whistling by some fans in the Wunderino Arena, others have gone pretty quiet: Kiel have suddenly lost the plot in the last couple of minutes and Zagreb are taking full advantage. With four goals from Patryk Walczak, they are now back to just one behind, 12:11. Game on!

19:05

Elsewhere, Kolstad are on their way to win No. 5 this group phase, leading Pelister 12:7 halfway through the first half. Remember that the result of this match won't affect the final group standings, as Kolstad will finish seventh and Pelister eighth.

18:59

Well, that is 10:3 to Kiel after less than 12 minutes. Am I sticking out my neck too far if I say the race for top spot in group A could be over very soon?  

18:55

Interesting start in Kiel, where Zagreb sneakily go 2:0 up, but then concede six straight goals... Eight minutes played and Kiel are 6:2 up, time for a first Croatian team timeout.

18:40

Five minutes and we throw off round 14 in Kiel and Trondheim! Remember you can watch all games live on EHFTV (or on a local broadcaster in your region).

18:23

Kielce vs Zagreb is also Bellahcene vs Mandic, a duel between two goalkeepers that are enjoying a breakthrough season in Europe's topflight:

18:16

There is more at stake in the other match starting at 18:45 CET, Kiel against Zagreb. Kiel will lock up the No. 1 position if they get at least a point (or, if Aalborg do not beat Kielce in one of the late matches today). And Zagreb are as strong as I haven't seen them for quite a few seasons now. They are even in with a – OK, rather small – chance to finish group A in third place, meaning they would take on the sixth-ranked team from group B in the play-offs.

No matter tonight's result in the Wunderino Arena, Kiel have had already reason to celebrate this week. Team captain Domagoj Duvnjak has been named Athlete of the Year in the city of Kiel!

18:04

With all decisions in group B only happening on Thursday, I will leave our coverage of that group on the live blog for tomorrow, including that epic MOTW between Veszprém and Magdeburg.

Group A is a bit more straightforward, as we know the two teams advancing straight to the quarter-finals – Kiel and Aalborg – and the four teams going into the play-offs – PSG, Kielce, Zagreb, and Szeged. So it's all about the final group standings tonight, which determine the next opponent in the knockout phase.

But first, let's look at two teams who end their European journey tonight: Kolstad and Pelister. The Norwegian debutants had an up-and-down campaign, and I was a bit surprised by their early elimination from the play-off race, recalling their impressive wins over Kiel and PSG. I even re-embed an old Twitter post from last November here, suggesting Kolstad might have the best offensive trio of the competition...

Anyway, Kolstad will want to leave their first EHF Champions League season on a high, against a team that is still seeking their very first point after 13 rounds... 

17:49

Usually, I refer you to just the round preview here (written by EHF journalists Kevin Domas and Björn Pazen), but since this is the last round of the group phase, we have an overview of calculations pointing out what teams need in order to reach the quarter-finals or play-offs, or earn a higher ranking in the final group standings:

17:45

One more round and the group phase is done and dusted... welcome to the live blog covering round 14 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24!

As usual, we have eight matches this week and they couldn't be spread more nicely: all four group A games are scheduled for tonight, while group B plays to a finish on Thursday.

Here is the full match schedule with the first matches throwing off in an hour's time: