SUMMARY: Barça concede to Veszprém as round 6 concludes

• on Wednesday, Aalborg beat Kolstad 27:25 in MOTW, Pelister lose 21:24 to Kielce 21:24, and   Magdeburg defeat Montpellier 25:28
• on Thursday, Szeged beat Zagreb 27:26; Veszprém make history to defeat Barça 41:36; PSG lose 28:34 to Kiel; Porto come back for 32:31 victory over GOG; Plock take first points against Celje
• read the round preview
• watch matches live on EHFTV (geo-restrictions may apply), and highlights on the Home of Handball YouTube channel
• follow the official EHF Champions League socials on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook
• all photos courtesy of the home teams

THURSDAY 26 OCTOBER

23:15

We finish tonight with the day review, summarising the key points of a really good evening of Machineseeker EHF Champions League handball. The rest of the season is shaping up to be extremely exciting! Thanks for joining us, and remember we now have a couple of weeks' break before rounds 7 and 8 - but the EHF Champions League Women is back on Saturday for round 6.

23:10

A bit more reaction, from the coaches of Kiel and Plock.

23:00

So with six rounds played, here's how the group standings look now. No team is unbeaten, but Celje and Pelister are yet to earn any points.

22:35

Some reaction from Szeged now to their win earlier.

22:30

Here's that thrilling conclusion to the match between Porto and GOG.

22:25 | FULL-TIME

Barça 36:41 Telekom Veszprém HC

Barça are beaten, for only the second time in more than 30 Champions League games and only the 10th time at home in Champions League history! Veszprém played superbly throughout, capitalising on their half-time lead to extend it in the second half. More accuracy paid off for Veszprém in what ended up as a real goal-fest. Veszprém are level with their opponents now at the top of group B. Barça's efforts were not helped by Dika Mem apparently suffering an injury during the second half.

Paris Saint-Germain HB 28:34 THW Kiel

Kiel avenge themselves for last season's quarter-final loss with a decisive win in Paris, despite Kamil Syprzak's eight goals. Kiel's general aggression really made the difference in the second half and the Zebras continue their strong Champions League run this season. That puts Kiel alone at the top of group A.

FC Porto 32:31 GOG

What a game by Porto! After a terrible first half, they fought right back in the second and Fábio Magalhães sealed the win with his only goal of the game 21 seconds before the buzzer. Antonio Areia and Emil Madsen are top scorers with six goals each. Nikola Mitrevski is the match-winner, though, after making 13 saves from 23 shots in the second half for an efficiency of 56.5 per cent. 

Orlen Wisla Plock 30:25 RK Celje Pivovarna Laško

Plock get some points on the board with victory over Celje, but you have to give Celje credit for fighting on after their very slow start to the game. Dawid Dawydzik for the hosts, and Mitja Janc for the visitors, both scored eight times, and 11 of Celje's players contributed to their score. 

22:15

After not featuring too much in the first half, Kiel's young Icelandic star Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu has come into his own in the second half, scoring six times and dishing out some delightful assists.

22:12

Porto are now in the lead and are looking more confident with every pass, while GOG are fighting to regain control of the match. 

Kiel have a three-goal advantage over PSG, and Veszprém lead Barça with Rodrigo Corrales playing brilliantly. 

22:04

Veszprém are getting closer and closer to victory - they now lead by six goals, despite Dika Mem's best efforts. Carlos Ortega calls a timeout. 

Meanwhile Porto, remarkably, have drawn level with GOG, proof once again you can never, ever write them off.

21:54

In Barcelona, Gonzalo Perez de Vargas has come on for the hosts and is finding his groove. Barça have stopped Veszprém getting further ahead. 

Kiel have taken a two-goal lead in Paris, with Jannick Green's performance dipping. But it's still awfully close.

In Poland, Plock still lead Celje by six goals as Dmitry Zhitnikov is helped off court limping, after falling badly while shooting. And GOG are clinging on to a two-goal advantage in Porto.

21:45

As we get into the second halves, two questions are emerging:

1) Will Barça lose their first game this season? Veszprém have a four-goal lead now.

2) Will Porto come back against GOG? After going into the break six down, they're back to 20:22 and looking good. Nikola Mitrevski in goal is making a real difference.

21:40

There's 30 minutes remaining in round 6 and while GOG and Plock are looking comfortable, there's everything to play for in Paris and Barcelona.

21:26 | HALF-TIME

Barça 17:19 Telekom Veszprém HC

This is by far the closest match Barça have had so far this season. Both teams have led at various points and there is no clear leader, although Veszprém have the edge. Both Emil Nielsen and Rodrigo Corrales are pulling off incredible stops, while Frenchmen Dika Mem and Ludovic Fabregas are starring on the field.

Paris Saint-Germain HB 14:13 THW Kiel

The eternal duel between PSG and Kiel continues in another classic and tight game. But it's Jannick Green making the difference, with Kiel's goalkeepers finding it hard to stop the Paris shots. Kiel have made a lot more attempts on goal, it's just that not as many of them have gone in.

FC Porto 15:21 GOG

GOG are looking too good for Porto today. Interestingly it's their two Danes - Jakob Mikkelsen and Nicolaj Læsø - who have had the most success in scoring, with four and three goals respectively. On the other side, Hans Mensing and Emil Madsen have netted five and four. Tobias Thulin is a rock in goal, saving 10 out of 25 shots so far (40 per cent).

Orlen Wisla Plock 17:11 RK Celje Pivovarna Laško

At the moment, Plock look set to secure their first win of the season as they hold a comfortable lead over Celje. However, Celje are slowly getting themselves back into the game, or at least not letting Plock extend further, and they could yet fight back. But it's Plock's to lose.

21:17

Absolutely lovely goal by Niclas Ekberg, served up in style by Nikola Bilyk.

21:10

Luka Karabatic manages to knock himself over by running into a teammate without looking. He spends a minute or so on the court being looked after before being helped off. PSG have a narrow lead over Kiel.

Barça lead Veszprém by two, but Rodrigo Corrales is producing some great saves against a team largely composed of his national teammates.

21:04

Random fact of the evening: both Janc brothers have managed to score for their teams, with elder brother Blaz scoring Barça's second goal and, a few minutes later, Mitja making sure Celje are not scoreless. Celje are trailing badly though (1:7).

Over in Paris, it's a close game but it would be Kiel in front if Jannick Green wasn't playing out of his skin - he's made some amazing saves.

20:59

Maybe we'll stop with the Ludovic Fabregas posts at some point, but he really is playing exceptionally well.

20:56

An early timeout for Celje in Poland. They trail 0:4 with nearly 10 minutes played.

Ludovic Fabregas has scored four of Veszprém's goals against his old club, and it's a great start for the Hungarian team who lead 7:6.

20:48

Dika Mem gets Barça on the board, but it's the returnee Ludovic Fabregas who starts the scoring for Veszprém. 

Nikola Karabatic makes quick work of PSG's first goal against Kiel.

20:45

Throw-off! 

Of note is that the game in Barcelona marks Ludovic Fabregas's return to the Palau Blaugrana, where he played for five seasons before joining Veszprém. 

20:35

We move swiftly on, to the last four games in this round. Can Barça remain unbeaten? And which out of Plock and Celje will take their first points?

EHFTV coverage has begun, so pick your game and prepare for throw-off.

20:24 | FULL-TIME

OTP Bank-PICK Szeged 27:26 HC Zagreb

A thoroughly entertaining, if at times slightly sloppy match by both sides, ends in victory for Szeged - a win which was by no means certain.

It was a solid team effort by both Szeged and Zagreb, with Zagreb left back Miloš Kos ending up as the top scorer with just five goals from 10 shots. A total of 10 players from each time managed to score.

Zagreb will be mourning a potential win, however - they were very close and at the start of the second half looked set to take it, but Szeged, roared on by a packed Pick Arena, were just a bit too strong when it mattered. The visitors had the chance to equalise in the dying seconds, but fumbled the ball and Edin Klis's direct free throw did not go in.

20:11

A really nice fastbreak goal by Marin Jelenic gives Szeged a 23:22 lead and the fans are singing - Jelenic then gets an instant suspension for fouling Karpo Sirotic.

20:05

Tactics from Krisztián Kárpáti for Szeged in a timeout pay off with another equaliser from Miguel Martins, who is having a pretty solid outing today.

20:02

Imanol Garciandia shoots high and sends the ball over the net, and slaps the court in frustration. It's 20:20 and not much is going in for either team just now, largely due to mistakes rather than saves. Both keepers have made six saves and are under 30 per cent efficiency.

19:55

Miguel Martins equalises for Szeged at 18:18, but there's an instant response from Luka Klarica - followed by a suspension for Patrik Walczak. Mistakes like that could be costly for either team in what's turning into a great game, full of physicality.

19:47

Zagreb had a very good restart, scoring twice in less than two minutes to put them four up, but Szeged have responded and we're back to a two-goal lead for the visitors.

19:39

The second half is throwing off. Timur Dibirov is sitting in Szeged's fancy bench seats looking thoughtful.

Let's hope we get more goals like this one in the next 30 minutes!

19:24 | HALF-TIME

OTP Bank-PICK Szeged 13:15 HC Zagreb

As the first half drew towards its end, Zagreb coach Nenad Šoštaric called a timeout with his team leading 14:12. Zagreb's slow start turned into an aggressive attacking game which is paying off, despite Roland Mikler being on decent form for Szeged. 

Timur Dibirov is top scorer with four goals, but they're all from the seven-metre line. Luka Stepancic and Dean Bombac have both netted three times for Szeged. As we go into the break, it's definitely the visitors with the edge. 

19:15

Zagreb took advantage of their power play period and pulled ahead by two goals, but Szeged have steadied their ship and goals from Miguel Martins and Sebastian Frimmel meant they equalised again. They are continuing to pick up suspensions, however, with Matej Gaber currently sitting on the bench.

Meanwhile, enjoy this great in-flight goal from Dean Bombac.

19:07

Szeged lose a player after Borut Mackovsek is given a red card for a foul on Miloš Kos. After a video replay, the Bonaventura sisters agreed that Mackovsek hit Kos's face, and he is out for the rest of the game. 

Zagreb lead 10:9.

19:03

This excellent save from Matej Mandic kickstarted Zagreb's entry into the game, although Roland Mikler is still winning the goalkeeper duel in these early moments.

19:00

Zagreb are right back into the game, with a really good period in attack levelling the score at 6:6. Remarkably, they've also had six different scorers so far.

18:50

Szeged start with a massive statement, scoring three times in quick succession. Miloš Kos's two attempts on goal are blocked by Roland Mikler. 

18:45

We're ready for throw-off! 

18:35

Coverage of the first match has begun on EHFTV, so settle in and tune in! Remember geo-restrictions may apply if your local broadcaster is also showing the game.

18:20

The last two games today are both in group B. Porto host GOG, and Plock host Celje.

GOG have lost just one match so far this season, to Barça, while Porto are looking to get back into winning ways after winning two games and losing three. Past history suggests this will be a challenge as GOG have won both previous encounters.

Meanwhile, one of Plock and Celje (or both, in the event of a draw) will pick up their first points today. The two teams have lost all five games played to date; Plock have the better goal difference, -16 compared to -27 for Celje. 

Celje have won three out of four of their previous encounters. They're bringing a young squad to Poland, with an average age of only 22!

18:05

Paris Saint-Germain and Kiel are another pair of familiar foes. They last met in the 2023 quarter-finals, when PSG won both ties (31:27 in Kiel, and 32:29 at home). Both teams have won four games and lost one in this season of the Champions League to date - PSG lost 29:30 to Kielce in Poland in round 3, while Kiel lost 30:34 away to Kolstad last week. 

In the domestic leagues, PSG are undefeated after seven games, but Kiel have had a rocky start to the season in the Bundesliga with five wins and four defeats, and currently sit seventh in the table.

Whatever happens tonight, it's surely going to be another classic match!

17:50

In the second batch of matches today, the two games in Paris and Barcelona promise to be particularly exciting.

So far, Barça are the only unbeaten team this season. They know their opponents, Veszprém, very well as the two have played each other 25 times - with 17 wins for Barça so far, one draw, and seven wins for Veszprém. French internationals Dika Mem (33 goals for Barça) and Nedim Remili (28 for Veszprém) are among the top 10 scorers so far this season. Mem is likely to play a key role, as he did last time Veszprém travelled to Catalonia for the Champions League.

17:35

Welcome back to the live blog for the second day of Machineseeker EHF Champions League round 6 action!

We have five matches ahead tonight - one, Szeged vs Zagreb, at 18:45 CEST, with the other four following at 20:45 CEST. The games include tantalising top-of-table clashes between Paris Saint-Germain and Kiel, and between Barça and Veszprém. 

But first off, we go to Szeged for their match against Zagreb - both teams are keen to earn more points as they sit towards the bottom of group A at present. Here are their rosters for today.

WEDNESDAY 25 OCTOBER 

23:15

That's about it from us for today! Thank you for sticking with us through this three-game Wednesday, and we hope to see you tomorrow for the five remaining Machineseeker EHF Champions League round 6 encounters. Live blog is going to be up and running starting from 17.45 CEST again, with the first game scheduled for 18.45 CEST. 

Have a great night ahead, and see you soon!

23:05

And while waiting for the excitements to continue tomorrow with five more Machineseeker EHF Champions League games, take some time to check out the latest episode of The Spin: We talk handball, this time with Kielce's Alex Dujshebaev.

23:00

Our daily review, as always, contains absolutely everything you need to know about the matches we've seen today. Feel free to check it out!

22:52

With the final two games of the day behind us, it's time to check out the photo gallery for some of the best photos from Bitola and Montpellier. 

22:40

Reactions from after the MOTW are here, so let's hear from the winners - Stefan Madsen and Simon Hald. 

22:28

Matthias Musche finishes the match with six goals, while Felix Claar and Janus Dadi Smarason add five as Magdeburg secures points on the road in Montpellier. Nikola Portner was once again shining with 15 saves. When it comes to the hosts, Sebastian Karlsson netted nine, while Kyllian Villeminot and Valentin Porte scored four each. Remi Desbonnet and Charles Bolzinger combined for nine saves. 

In Bitola, Kielce secured an in the end hard-fought win over Eurofarm Pelister. Michal Olejniczak led Kielce's offense in this one with five goals, while Arkadiusz Moryto and Haukur Thrastarson scored four each. Milosz Walach grabbed eight saves. Bogdan Radivojevic, who sparked Eurofarm's comeback in the second half, in the end led Eurofarm with six goals, while Zharko Peshevski added four. Urban Lesjak had nine saves. 

22:20 | FULL-TIME

MONTPELLIER HB 25:28 SC MAGDEBURG

HC EUROFARM PELISTER 21:24 INDUSTRIA KIELCE

22:16

Uros Borzas scores to bring Eurofarm to only -1 with two minutes left to go!

22:04

Sometimes, you have to do it all by yourself!

That's TOUGH 😤#ehfcl #clm #daretorise pic.twitter.com/Ig4dOk3lMY

— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) October 25, 2023

21:55

Two-goal Magdeburg lead in France with just over 15 minutes left to play! In Bitola, Eurofarm has managed to cut the gap all the way to -1 (15:16)! Bogdan Radivojevic is leading the comeback with three goals. 

21:45

Seven minutes into the second half, and the game in Montpellier is now levelled at 16:16! Everything points out that we're up for a close one in France today. 

21:33

A great first-half display helps Industria Kielce secure a comfortable lead at the break in Bitola. Arkadiusz Moryto and Haukur Thrastarson netted three each for the guests from Poland, while Zharko Peshevski scored just as much for Eurofarm Pelister. 

In France, Montpellier has a two-goal lead with Sebastian Karlsson leading them with five goals from just as much attempts. Remi Desbonnet added five saves. Nikola Portner, on the other side, has six saves for Magdeburg, while Matthias Musche and Tim Hornke netted three goals each. 

21:25 | HALF-TIME

MONTPELLIER HB 14:12 SC MAGDEBURG

HC EUROFARM PELISTER 8:14 INDUSTRIA KIELCE

21:15

With 10 minutes left to play until the half-time buzzer, Kielce have a 3:11 lead in Macedonia. In Montpellier, Sebastian Karlsson scored four from just as much attempts as Montpellier leads 11:10. 

21:04

Beautiful save!

BIG SAVES 👀🚨#ehfcl #clm #daretorise pic.twitter.com/fgMjoPTVkz

— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) October 25, 2023

20:53

Three early goals for Haukur Tharastarson as Kielce take a 2:5 lead in Macedonia. In Montpellier, Remi Desbonnet has three saves, and Diego Simonet two goals as the hosts lead 5:3. 

20:45

And the games are on! Haukur Tharstarson opens the scoring in Bitola, while Diego Simonet scores the first goal of the day in Montpellier. 

20:37

In the last two games of the day, Eurofarm is going to welcome Kielce, and Magdeburg will hit the road to meet Montpellier. 

Eurofarm Pelister is the only team in Group A that is yet to win a point, while Industria Kielce has five at the moment which is enough for position No.6. With Aalborg's win over Kolstad earlier today, Talant Dujshebaev and his guys will surely be looking for a win in Macedonia that would help them keep up with the group leaders. 

In France, fifth-placed Montpellier is going to play fourth-positioned Magdeburg. It is a duel of two former champions in which both teams will surely be giving their best for the win that would help them narrow the gap with the group leaders in a very close Group B at the moment. 

20:27

MOTW is now behind us. Aalborg celebrated another win in the competition, with Niklas Landin securing the MOTW POTM title with 16 saves in this one. As we're slowly turning towards Bitola and Montpellier for the final two games of the days, it is - you already know it, time to check out some of the best photos from Denmark!

20:18 | FULL-TIME

AALBORG HANDBOLD 27:25 KOLSTAD HANDBALL

An important win for Aalborg that helps them snap Kolstad's two-game winning streak. Niklas Landin was absolutely amazing grabbing 16 saves today. Mads Hoxer added seven goals, while Mikkel Hansen scored five. Sander Sagosen netted 10 for Kolstad, Torbjorn Bergerud grabbed 15 saves, but unfortunately for the Norwegian representatives in the competition - it just wasn't enough to defeat Aalborg here today. 

20:14

It takes a lot to find a way past Niklas Landin in this one. 

"That was a beautiful piece of play!" - @ChrisJOReilly #ehfcl #clm #daretorise #MOTW pic.twitter.com/5wEeqNGUF9

— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) October 25, 2023

20:06

Three in a row for Kolstad, and we have a two-goal game in Denmark! It's 23:21 with seven minutes left to play!

19:58

Amazing 14 saves for Niklas Landin half-way through the second half (46%), and six goals for Mad Hoxer as Aalborg maintains the lead at home (22:18). 

19:47

Eight minutes into the second part, Aalborg has 18:14 lead at home. And here is a reminder of how the first half ended!

🚨 𝐁𝐔𝐙𝐙𝐄𝐑-𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 🚨#AalborgHandbold lead comfortably in the Scandinavian Derby at half-time! 👀

Can @KolstadHandball come back in the second half? Find out LIVE on EHFTV! 🤝#ehfcl #clm #daretorise #MOTW pic.twitter.com/ZxllzjhVMF

— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) October 25, 2023

19:38

The second half if under way! We'll see if Stiam Gomo Nilsen and his guys have managed to come up with a way to close the gap again the way they did early in the first!

19:25 | HALF-TIME

AALBORG HANDBOLD 17:12 KOLSTAD HANDBALL

In what looked like a leveled encounter throughout the bigger part of the first half, Aalborg is ultimately leading 17:12 going into the break following an amazing buzzer-beater from Mikkel Hansen. Hansen finished the first with four goals, while Mads Hoxer netted five from just as many attempts. Sander Sagosen is, on the other side, leading Kolstad' attack with five. Niklas Landin and Torbjorn Bergerud have seven saves each after 30 minutes. 

19:15

A fantastic display from both goalkeepers so far this season! MOTW is really meeting the expectations!

What a start to #MOTW 🚀 #ehfcl #clm #daretorise pic.twitter.com/yh0vGuR6Tr

— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) October 25, 2023

19:04

Torbjorn Bergerud is looking good so far today for Kolstad, but Mads Hoxer finds the way past him on this occasion. 

What a start to #MOTW 🚀 #ehfcl #clm #daretorise pic.twitter.com/yh0vGuR6Tr

— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) October 25, 2023

19:02

Half-way through the first, Mikkel Hansen scores his first of the day to put his team back in front (7:5). Five saves for Niklas Landin in the opening 15 minutes of the game. 

18:56

Magnus Rod scores his first of the day ten minutes into the encounter, and the result is now leveled at 5:5! Two saves from Torbjorn Bergerud certainly paved the way for his team to close the initial gap right away!

18:52

Mads Hoxer opens the game in the perfect way going 3/3 as Aalborg takes an early 5:3 lead. Two goals for Sander Sagosen on the other way. 

18:45

The match is on! Hosts will have the first possession!

18:41

The stage is all set, and the Sparekassen Danmark Arena appears to be sold out for the MOTW! Official announcements are on, less than five minutes left until go-time!

18:30

With only 15 minutes left until the opening buzzer, the warm-ups are slowly coming to an end in Denmark! 

18:20

The ain't no better way to find out everything you need to know about our MOTW, than to go through our MOTW Media Guide!

• Aalborg play their ninth CL season and are the only team from Denmark to reach the final of this competition; they lost against Barça in 2021.

• Kolstad play only their second European season; in 2022/23, they lost in qualification for the group phase of the EHF European League Men.

• As a result, both teams have not played each other before in a European club competition.

• Kolstad are ranked third in group A with six points; Aalborg are one of three teams in the group on five.

• Last week, both teams played against the top-two ranked sides of group A: Kolstad handed THW Kiel their first defeat of the season (34:30), while Aalborg played well in Paris but ultimately lost 33:30 against Paris Saint- Germain handball.

• Kolstad captain Sigvaldi Gudjonsson is the leading scorer in the CL after netting 36 times in five rounds; Mikkel Hansen is Aalborg's best scorer, with 31 goals. 

• Aalborg's squad includes Norwegian internationals Sebastian Barthold and Kristian Bjørnsen .

• Kolstad's Sander Sagosen played two seasons for Aalborg – in 2014-16, before he joined PSG.

• Besides five Aalborg players from that time, Sagosen faces three former teammates from his last two clubs: he played with Henrik Møllgaard and Mikkel Hansen at PSG, and with Niklas Landin at Kiel.

• The arena in Aalborg is the venue where Sagosen played during his first major event with Norway – the EHF EURO in 2014, when he was just 18 years old.

• Aalborg's Aleks Vlah (SLO) is the only player across both squads who is not from a Nordic country.

• Kolstad have only one non-Norwegian player in their squad: team captain and right wing Sigvaldi Gudjonsson is from Iceland.

• Seven players involved in this MOTW all competed for German teams last season: Aalborg's Niklas Landin (Kiel), Fabian Norsten (VfL Gummersbach), and Lukas Nilsson (Rhein-Neckar Löwen); and Kolstad's Sander Sagosen (Kiel), Gøran Johannessen , Magnus Rød , and Simon Hald (all SG Flensburg-Handewitt).

• Kolstad head coach Christian Berge previously led the Norwegian men's national team for eight years.

• Aalborg lost to GOG in the play-offs for the Danish league title for a second straight year in 2022/23; Kolstad beat Elverum Handball in the final series for the domestic title in Norway last season.

18:10

Aalborg's head coach Stefan Madsen believes that his team has to find a way to continue where it stopped in the last round against Paris Saint-Germain in France: ''We've played really good 50 minutes in Paris in the last round of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League proving that we're capable of defeating everyone once again this season. What we did was obviously not enough for us to secure points in Paris, but we've got to keep it up against Kolstad.''

''In Aalborg, we'll face one of the favorites on Wednesday to reach the Final 4 tournament this season. A team that's full of world-class players in all positions, and has a really deep roster. We're going there with respect, but also eager to deliver a good performance!'' concluded Kolstad head coach Stian Gomo Nilsen ahead of the MOTW. 

17:55

MOTW is going to feature a duel between the two incredible players - Mikkel Hansen, and Sander Sagosen. And while we all know how good and important they are for their respective teams whenever they're out there, it is interesting to dig a bit deeper into the stats from time to time, and we did exactly that to help you get in the best possible mood ahead of the clash between Aalborg and Kolstad!

17:45

With only an hour left until the opening throw-off, our live coverage of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League is of course up and running! We've got a super-exciting handball Wednesday ahead of us that we'll kick start with the MOTW that's going to be played in Denmark with Aalborg hosting Kolstad! Later on Eurofarm will welcome Kielce, and Montpellier will play Magdeburg in France. 

17:00

Last week was a special match for Sander Sagosen with his new club Kolstad, when he met his former club Kiel. This week he will experience similar feelings as Kolstad visit Aalborg, another former club of the Norwegian star center back, for the Match of the Week at 18:45 CEST.

Sagosen played for the Danish side in 2014-16 and will meet five Aalborg players from that time who are still (or again) with the club, plus various former teammates from his stints with PSG and Kiel. EHF journalist Björn Pazen wrote this feature about this "very special place" for Sagosen:

16:35

Also at 20:45 CEST tonight is Pelister vs Kielce, two teams that will meet again for the first time after more than 27 years! On their X account, the runners-up of the last two EHF Champions League seasons recall how they were eliminated by the Macedonian club in the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup 1995/96. Kielce lost the first leg by 10 goals in Bitola (29:19), but almost managed to make up the deficit in the return leg at home: 30:22.

Are we in for more such excitement between those teams tonight?!

16:22

A lot of attention tomorrow will go to the two direct duels between the top-ranked teams: PSG vs Kiel in group A, and Barça vs Veszprém in B. The schedule includes three more games on Thursday...

... but for now we will focus on the three matches taking place tonight – and they are more than just promising, too!

One of the late matches at 20:45 CEST involves two two-time EHF Champions League winners: Montpellier (2003, 2018) and Magdeburg (2002, 2023). Both teams are middle of the table after five rounds, with four and six points, respectively, making their encounter even spicier.

EHF journalist Courtney Gahan did a terrific piece with Montpellier's Egypt international Ahmed Hesham for our This is me series. A must-read story:

16:12

A good starting point to prepare yourself for round 6 is our weekly round preview from EHF journalists Björn Pazen and Kevin Domas:

16:00

Wednesday four o'clock... good afternoon and welcome to the live blog for round 6 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League!

The line-up for tonight and tomorrow is nothing short of spectacular: