After a thrilling second leg in the play-offs of the EHF European League against Motor from Ukraine, Nexe are only two matches away from the EHF finals in Flensburg, Germany. But the side of coach Branko Tamse have a high hurdle ahead, facing four-times EHF Cup winners Frisch Auf Goppingen (GER) in the quarter-finals. Also, this weekend is reserved for the semi-finals of the EHF European Cup which means that Vojvodina will travel to Sweden to face off Alingsås HK and try to reach the final. 

EHF European League

Last season, they eliminated the favoured Danish side of GOG in the quarter-finals of the EHF European League and made it to their first final tournament in a EHF competition in Lisbon, now Nexe hope to re-write history. After becoming winners of group C and eliminating Motor thanks to the 27:23 away win in the play-offs, the hopes are high at Nasice to cause another surprise on international ground before playing the quarter-finals in the SEHA - Gazprom League against their Croatian rivals PPD Zagreb.

In the matches against Goppingen, coach Branko Tamse will face two players, he had coached at Celje, – Vid Poteko and Blaz Blagotinsek. Besides, three Croats Marin Sego, Josip Sarac and Kresimir Kozina play for the German side, Kozina even was Nexe player some years ago.

Nexe’s current top scorers in the EHF European League are Fahrudin Melic (though he missed the play-offs due to an injury) with 55 goals, ahead of Marin Jelinic (47) and Tomislav Severec (41). But they also have to rely on another excellent performance of goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanovic, who tops the goalkeeper ranking of the competition by a saving rate of 33 percent.

Both sides had already faced in the group phase of the EHF Cup 2017/18, when Goppingen won twice 30:27 at home and 27:24 at Nasice. The last time Nexe were stopped by a German team in the quarter-finals was in the 2017/18 EHF Cup season, when Fuchse Berlin went through by one goal on aggregate after losing by eight goals at Nasice. Goppingen won the EHF Cup in 2010, 2011, 2016 and 2017. Their coach is German 2007 world champion Markus Baur. The re-match at Nasice is already next Tuesday.

Tuesday, 11 April (20:45 CEST): Frisch Auf Goppingen - Nexe

EHF European Cup

After Vojvodina beat their Slovenian rivals Gorenje Velenje 30:26 and won 61:56 on aggregate, the Serbian champions joined three Nordic teams in the semi-finals of the EHF European Cup. As coach Rojevic said the team from Novi Sad will try to prolong their historic EHF Cup run for as much as possible and will surely do their best to play the final match. The second leg match will be played in Novi Sad a week later (Saturday, 22 April) 

Vojvodina’s current top scorers in the EHF European Cup are Barys Pukhouski (42 goals), Milos Grozdanic (30 goals) and Milan Milic (28 goals).

The first final match of the EHF European Cup will be played on Saturday, 27 May and the second leg match is reserved for Saturday, 3 June.

Sunday, 16 April (16:00 CEST): Alingsås HK - Vojvodina