First leg duel in Slovenia tops round 3 action

Round 3 of the EHF European Cup Men is set to start this weekend with 12 matches scheduled, including four double-headers.

The round will open on Friday in Dobele, Latvia, where ZRHK TENAX Dobele will face HC Neva SPb.

• seven more games are scheduled for Saturday, including the return leg of the Dobele vs Neva tie, and four for Sunday
• two double-headers feature Estonian teams: Pölva Serviti are set to host HC Dukla Praha twice, while HC Tallinn will travel to Sweden to face Ystads IF also, Parnassos Strovolou will welcome CS Minaur Baia Mare twice in Nicosia
• five more double-headers are scheduled for the following weekend, 19/20 December, plus five return leg games
• Hafnafjordur vs HC Robe Zubri and SC kelag Ferlach vs Drammen HK will not be played due to the Covid-19 restrictions, so Zubri and Ferlach are proceeding to the Last 16

Velenje and Cocks to meet in Slovenia

One of the most exciting matches of the weekend will take place on Saturday in Velenje, where the local side RK Gorenje Velenje will host Cocks. Both sides have enough experience of playing in the EHF Champions League, but only one of them will reach the Last 16 in the third-tier European competition.

Also on Saturday, CSM Bucuresti, winners of the last Challenge Cup, will play their first leg match in Turkey against Spor Toto SC, who have not played any games in a European competition since 2012.