Teams fight for last EHF European Cup Men quarter-final spots

This weekend’s action starts on Friday 21 February, as CS Minaur Baia Mare and BK-46 meet for the first leg of their double-header in Finland at 18:00 CET. Later on, the second double-header of the weekend, between Drammen HK and Olympiacos SFP, throws off in Greece.

• Drammen HK and Olympiacos SFP have not lost in their domestic leagues in 2025, winning four and six matches in a row, respectively; the Greek side hope to take full advantage of their home crowd for 120 minutes this weekend and to join domestic rivals AEK in the quarter-finals
• Besiktas and Runar Sandefjord delivered a tight match last weekend, drawing 35:35 in Norway, and they will now meet in Türkiye on Saturday at 16:00 CET; goalkeepers on both sides did not have the best time last weekend, but in terms of shooting efficiency, Besiktas are eighth and Runar are fourth among the Last 16 participants
• HC Alkaloid enter their second leg at home against SSV Brixen Handball with a 12-goal advantage after winning 44:32 last weekend; they continued their form in the domestic league on Monday, winning 42:30 against RK Bisinov, while Brixen were not active during the week
• Haukar travel to Slovenia to face RK Jeruzalem Ormoz on Saturday with a comfortable eight-goal advantage (31:23); Haukar’s back-court duo Össur Haraldsson and Skarphéðinn Ívar Einarsson combined for 18 goals last weekend; at only 20 and 19 years old, respectively, they are two players to watch for the future
• HC Izvidac and Sabbianco Anorthosis Famagusta could deliver one of the most dramatic matches of the weekend; the Cypriot side came back in the first leg after being five goals down early on to draw 25:25; both teams’ top scorers this season, Diano Cesko and Eleftherios Seirekidis, have jumped to the top of the charts, having scored 47 and 48 goals, respectively, in only five matches 

Flying Finns face last year’s semi-finalists

BK-46 have been playing an incredible season. The Finnish side have won 19 of their 21 matches in the domestic league, with only one draw and one loss. Since losing for the first time in mid-December, BK-46 have gone on to win their last eight domestic games consecutively.

This weekend they will face CS Minaur Baia Mare in a double-header in Finland. The Romanian side reached the semi-finals last season, where they were eliminated by eventual champions Valur. CS Minaur sit fourth in the domestic league, but have drawn their last match against Steaua Bucuresti, who are among the three teams at the bottom of the standings.

Can the Flying Finns capitalise on their winning run or will it be a welcoming adventure for the visitors?

Photos © Runar Sandefjord (main), Haukar (in-text)