Norwegian teams hope to keep winning

EHF / Sergey Nikolaev

11 January 2024, 16:00

The group stage of the EHF European League Women, which started last week, is about to continue soon, as all 16 participants will play their second matches on Saturday and Sunday.

Norwegian teams Storhamar Handball Elite and Sola HK, who started with away wins, hope to be successful again, this time on home court. In turn, the ambitious HC Podravka Vegeta and Nykøbing Falster Håndbold, whose results last week were frustrating, hope to bounce back in their mutual encounter.

It will be fun to play the first group phase match at home, against an unknown team. I watched the match they played against Podravka last weekend. Praktiker play nice and fast-paced handball and have some really good handball players in the team. So here we have to prepare very well.

Kenneth Gabrielsen

Head coach, Storhamar Handball Elite

HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs Nykøbing Falster Håndbold (DEN)
Sunday 14 January, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV

Nykøbing celebrated victories in three of the four previous encounters with Podravka in European club competitions
last season, the teams also met in the group phase of the EHF European League Women, and the Danish side won both times by five goals, 28:23 and 29:24
after the opening round, Nykøbing sit at the bottom of the group, even if they lost the first match by just one goal
Nykøbing's Sofie Bardrum scored 10 goals in the match, more than any other player in the opening group matches
Podravka were close to a win at Vác, but gave up a seven-goal advantage after their top scorer Tina Barišic received a red card

GROUP B

Chambray Touraine Handball (FRA) vs HC Lokomotiva Zagreb (CRO)
Saturday 13 January, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV

both teams were defeated in their opening group matches with nearly the same score: Chambray lost 27:21 at Braila, and Lokomotiva 28:21 at home against Thüringer
now they are looking for a win, which will improve their chances for a quarter-final berth
Lokomotiva are on a 21-game winless run in the group phases of the European club competition
the rivals have never faced each other in European club competitions

Thüringer HC (GER) vs H.C.Dunarea Braila (ROU)
Saturday, 13 January, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV

both sides have two points after the opening round, but Thüringer take the top position thanks to a slightly better goal difference
last weekend, both Thüringer and Braila won thanks to a second-half performance after being tied with their rivals at the break
in the 2022/23 season, Thüringer faced another Romanian team, SCM Ramnicu Valcea, in the group phase of the EHF European League Women and took three points, 38:31 and 32:32
Braila have won all their five matches in the current competition, starting from qualification round 2
with 24 goals, Braila's Mireya Gonzalez ranks third in the scoring chart of the tournament, including the qualification

GROUP C

HSG Bensheim/Auerbach (GER) vs CS Gloria 2018 BN (ROU)
Saturday 13 January 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV

Bensheim are playing their debut season in Europe, while for Gloria it is the second season at the continental club competition after they competed at the EHF Cup in the 2019/20 season
the German team were taught a lesson in their first ever group match at this level last week, as they lost at Nantes 39:27
in contrast, Gloria opened the group stage with a win, 26:23 against Lublin

A tough game awaits us in Germany, but we approach this game with confidence and the desire to play a good game to get a positive result. We have a balanced group and every point is very important.

Florentin Pera

Head coach, CS Gloria 2018 BN

MKS FunFloor Lublin (POL) vs Neptunes Nantes (FRA)
Saturday 13 January, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV

Nantes took the biggest win in the entire opening round, by 12 goals, and also scored the largest number of goals, 39, as they top group C with two points
Lublin are looking for their first points in the competition following a three-goal defeat in Romania
both sides won European club competitions in the past: Lublin triumphed in the EHF Cup in 2001 and in the Challenge Cup in 2018, while Nantes won the first edition of the EHF European League Women in 2021
in the 2020/21 season, Nantes beat Lublin twice in the group phase of the EHF European League, 31:26 and 25:21, on their way to the title

GROUP D

CSM Targu Jiu (ROU) vs Costa del Sol Malaga (ESP)
Sunday 14 January, 12:00 CET, live on EHFTV

for Targu Jiu, who are playing their debut season in the European club competitions, it will be the first group match at home
last week, the Romanian team came up short at Mosonmagyarovari, where they suffered a 33:27 defeat
Malaga will also be looking for their maiden points after a 26:22 home defeat against Sola last Sunday
it was the first loss in the current European season for the Spanish champions, who started their campaign in qualification round 2

Sola HK (NOR) vs Motherson Mosonmagyarovari KC (HUN)
Sunday 14 January, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV

both teams opened the group stage with a win, but Mosonmagyarovar are ranked first thanks to a better goal difference
Kristina Novak and Camilla Herrem, who won silver with Norway at the 2023 IHF Women's World Championship, played a big role in Sola's win at Malaga, combining 10 goals
the teams also met in the group phase of the EHF European League Women 2021/22 and Sola won both encounters with a five-goal margin, 31:26 and 27:22
in the group stage of the same tournament last season, Sola exchanged victories with another Hungarian team, DVSC Schaeffler, winning 30:25 at home and losing 25:21 in Hungary