Historic final ticket at stake for unknown rivals

Who will cap the season with an historic final participation? In the second semi-final at the DELO EHF FINAL4 on Saturday, both Vipers and CSKA have the chance to reach the final of the DELO EHF Champions League for the first time.

In contrast with the first semi-final, which will see Györ and Brest meet for the third time this season, the Vipers versus CSKA match will be the first ever encounter between the sides.

SEMI-FINAL

Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) vs CSKA (RUS)
Saturday 29 May, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• it is the second DELO EHF FINAL4 participation for Vipers, who reached the 2019 edition and ranked third after defeating Metz in the 3/4 placement match
• CSKA are playing not only their first DELO EHF Champions League season, but their first ever international competition. The club’s women’s handball team was formed in 2019
• for Vipers, it is the fourth season in the top flight and the ninth year overall in European competitions
• CSKA played the regular season in group B alongside Györ and Brest, placing second with 23 points — just one behind Györ — following 11 wins, one draw and two defeats. They started the season with an attention-grabbing draw versus the Hungarian side
• Vipers were the only DELO EHF FINAL4 participants in group A, where a fifth-place ranking was enough to see them through to the play-offs. The Norwegian team earned 16 points following seven wins, two draws and five losses (including three assessed results)
• in 2019/20, Vipers’ campaign ended in the main round on the back of their semi-final success the previous season
• CSKA were the only team to turn a first-leg quarter-final loss around to clinch the DELO EHF FINAL4 ticket, defeating CSM Bucuresti based on more goals scored away. They also lost the first leg in the play-offs, before beating Krim in the return fixture to proceed
• Vipers eliminated another Russian side, Rostov-Don, in the quarter-finals, despite playing both legs away with spectators supporting their rivals. In the play-offs, they knocked Odense out of the competition
• alongside Györ, Vipers are the only other team at the DELO EHF FINAL4 to count past title winners in their squad — Heidi Løke, Nora Mørk, Katrine Lunde, Linn Jorum Sulland and Jana Knedlikova
• Sulland was the top scorer of the last full season of the DELO EHF Champions League, with 89 goals
• both sides are led by centre backs as their top scorers in 2020/21, with Henny Ella Reistad first for Vipers with 66 goals and Ekaterina Ilina on top for CSKA with 67
• CSKA changed coach after the Champions League play-offs, with Jan Leslie replaced by his former assistant, 2016 Olympic gold medallist Olga Akopian
• in terms of injuries, CSKA left back Elena Mikhaylichenko, who ruptured a ligament in November, has recently returned but was back on court only to shoot penalties in the final stage of the domestic league