Aalborg host Veszprém in MOTW as the 2025/26 season starts
After a two-month break, the Machineseeker EHF Champions League is about to throw off again, with some exciting clashes already on the menu.
The first Match of the Week in the new season brings together two teams with the clear goal to make it to Cologne: Aalborg Håndbold and One Veszprém HC, who have six EHF Champions League finals combined, but still wait for their trophies. After surprisingly parting ways with coach Jaron Siewert, 2025 finalists Füchse Berlin travel to HBC Nantes, their semi-final opponents last season. The clash between Sporting Clube de Portugal and Dinamo Bucuresti and the duel between Industria Kielce and Kolstad Håndball are both rematches of last season’s group phase.
In group B, titleholders SC Magdeburg will host a brand-new looking Paris Saint-Germain, while 2024 champions Barça will also play at home, against GOG. Plock will try to assess their ambitions right from the start in a tough away game at OTP Bank - PICK Szeged. In the meantime, HC Eurofarm Pelister and HC Zagreb will face each other in the Balkan derby of the group.
We are excited about the Champions League being back. And to meet such a strong opponent, it is really game on from the very first second. We want to end in the two top spots, and these can already be some crucial points. We are at home and have had the upper hand the last time we met, but we also know that Veszprém are a really strong team.
The first match is always special, simply because it’s the first — but at the same time, it’s difficult for everyone. I believe it’s not about how we start, but how we finish. This group will be extremely tough for every team. I don’t think any team can win all their matches — that would be impossible, because every week brings a tough opponent, and winning away is never easy. For now, the most important thing is to focus only on this first game. It’s not decisive, but it will surely be a tough one. If we manage to win, it will be a huge boost for our confidence.
I’m happy because we will play against Sporting. We had almost 10 days to prepare for this game and we want to do our best. We expect to have a lot of fans that will encourage us and will create an incredible atmosphere in the Dinamo Hall.
We know that winning any game is difficult enough on its own. It will be equally difficult at home, but away is a different matter, much more difficult at a stadium like Dinamo. I should also point out that, for the first time in history, two Portuguese coaches facing each other in the first round is a remarkable moment.
We are very excited to start this Machineseeker EHF Champions League season against Kielce. We all know it’s one of the toughest away matches in Europe, but we will be ready and, hopefully ,we will get points with us back to Trondheim.
Of course, playing against Magdeburg is special for me after so many years there, but what matters most now is starting our Champions League campaign with a victory. We know it will be difficult against the reigning champions, but we believe in our qualities and we are determined to begin strongly.
Zagreb is a competitive team, they play great defence, especially in the middle. We need to impose our game and play like we played in the preparation period.
I am ready for the atmosphere in Bitola. Everyone has been telling me since I arrived and I want them to enjoy our game.
