6. OTP Bank - PICK Szeged (HUN)
Will the new Swedish power help Szeged get to their first ever TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4? PICK Szeged have not only changed the coach duo to the Swedish Michael Apelgren and three-time EHF Champions League winner Jonas Kallman, but also signed Swedish goalkeeper Tobis Thulin, who had an extremely strong season last year at GOG and during the Olympic Games. Besides, Szeged signed Icelander Janus Smarason, who proved his strength at SC Magdeburg last season. In general, their squad has already been at the top last season, but a shaky start in the group phase was the reason why they ended their journey in the play-offs again, like in the previous one, against their local rivals Veszprém. Having opponents such as Barça, Kielce, Magdeburg and Aalborg in the group phase, it seems to be a steep road towards Cologne.
5. Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
They had to bid farewell to Nikola Karabatic without reaching the final destination Cologne last season – eliminated by later-on champions Barça in the quarter-finals. Still, the mission of the club and coach Raul Gonzalez is incomplete, waiting for their first-ever EHF Champions League title. Six times Paris made it to Cologne, but only in 2017 they made it to the final. Signing Egyptian goal machine Omar Yahia from Veszprém could be a crucial step towards this objective. His skills are enormous and he gained the international experience you need to be on top. Besides, PSG can count on the EHF Champions League 2023/24 top scorer Kamil Syprzak and the highly-experienced goalkeeper duo Andreas Palicka and Jannick Green. The last few years have proved that PSG were quite shaky in their performance level, but with a squad like this, Cologne is the goal. And there, anything can happen.