Four teams in race for last two quarter-final tickets

Four teams in race for last two quarter-final tickets

Six teams in the Women’s EHF Cup 2019/20 have already locked up a top-two spot in their respective group, guaranteeing themselves a place in the quarter-final.

While all has been settled in groups A and B, the battle for the last two tickets will go to the wire in groups C and D.

In C, Gloria 2018 and ÉRD still hope to snatch their last opportunity, while in D Storhamar and Lada hope to extend their European season beyond this weekend.

Seven of the eight matches will be streamed live on ehfTV.com.

GROUP A

Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) vs Thüringer HC (GER)
Saturday 8 February, 13:00 CET, live on ehfTV.com

• both teams have already booked their quarter-final tickets
• THC are certain to finish first in the group while Kastamonu will stay second
• THC are the only team in the group phase with a perfect record of five wins from five games
• THC beat Kastamonu 27:24 in their earlier encounter  

DHK Banik Most (CZE) vs DVSC Schaeffler (HUN)
Sunday 9 February, 19:00 CET, live on ehfTV.com

• neither team can qualify for the quarter-final
• DVSC could still finish level on points with Kastamonu but the Turkish side have the better head-to-head results
• Most lost all five games and will finish last
• DVSC confidently won the reverse fixture at home, 36:29

GROUP B

Siófok KC Hungary (HUN) vs Magura Cisnadie (ROM)
Sunday 9 February, 15:00 CET, live on ehfTV.com

• Siófok will finish top of the group with a win
• the defending EHF Cup champions won the previous game in Romania with ease, 31:23
• Siófok’s Andrea Kobetic scored 27 goals in three matches since returning from injury
• this game is Cisnadie’s last chance to earn their first ever group phase points in the Women’s EHF Cup after 11 matches

HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs Kobenhavn Handball (DEN)
Sunday 9 February, 17:00 CET, live on ehfTV.com

• Podravka can still finish top of the group, while Kobenhavn are of the quarter-final race
• the Croatian side won the first match in Denmark 28:26 after trailing at half-time
• backs Tjasa Stanko and Dejana Milosavljevic combined for 71 goals, almost half of Podravka’s tally in the group phase

GROUP C

MKS Lublin S.A. (POL) vs Odense Håndbold (DEN)
Sunday 9 February, 17:00 CET, live on ehfTV.com

• the result won’t change their position: Lublin will remain last and Odense have won the group
• Odense have the best defence (113 goals) and Lublin are weakest attack (107) of the group phase so far
• Odense handed Lublin their worst ever loss in the competition a few weeks ago, 35:18

ÉRD (HUN) vs CS Gloria 2018 Bistrita-Nasaud (ROU)
Sunday 9 February, 17:00 CET, live on ehfTV.com

• ÉRD must win to reach the quarter-final, any other result will send Bistrita through
• Bistrita gained just one from four possible points in their previous away games in the group phase
• the first match in Romania ended in a 25:25 draw
• Bistrita conceded just 115 goals, but also scored just 117 times in the group phase
• ÉRD suffered their second straight domestic loss in a midweek game in Hungary, while Bistrita beat Rapid Bucuresti 34:25

GROUP D

Herning-Ikast Handbold (DEN) vs Handball Club Lada (RUS)
Sunday 9 February, 15.00 CET

• Herning are already through and can secure top spot with at least a draw
• Lada must win to keep any quarter-final hopes alive, but will still be dependent on the result in the other game
• the competition’s two top scorers will play against each other: Lada’s Elena Mikhaylichenko (60) vs Herning-Ikast’s Helene Fauske (55)
• in midweek domestic play, Herning-Ikast lost 24:22 away to NFH and Lada won 41:23 at home against Luch

SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR)
Sunday 9 February, 17:00 CET, live on ehfTV.com

• if Lada have not won their match earlier Sunday, Storhamar will be through to the quarter-final even before throw-off
• if Lada have won, Storhamar will need a draw against Bietigheim to advance and join Herning-Ikast in the quarter-final
• Bietigheim are out of the race for the quarter-final
• Storhamar beat Follo in the Norwegian league on Wednesday while Bietigheim had no match to play in the Bundesliga