EHFCL Round 4 preview: PPD travels to Germany, Vardar host Kiel

Josip Bozic Pavletic

After a longer break, the new EHF Champions League clashes are in front of SEHA clubs. This round will be especially interesting as 6 teams will play their matches on the home court, while only PPD Zagreb will face away appearance. 

Croatian champions, PPD Zagreb will open the 4th round on Wednesday, 9th of October. Veselin Vujovic's squad will travel to Germany where they will meet with Flensburg-Handewitt. After three defeats, PPD Zagreb are in need of securing their first points. On the other side, the home team already has two important victories as well as one tie behind them. It will be an important match for Croatian champions as they are currently placed on the bottom of the table in Group A. With their ambitions, PPD Zagreb will have to start securing points if they plan on reaching the next stage. 

A few days later, reigning SEHA and European champions, Vardar will host another big club. On Saturday, 12th of October, Vardar will meet with THW Kiel. This clash will raise a lot of attention as it will be the clash between the teams that are holding top positions on the table in Group B. Currently, Vardar are holding the first place with three victories and 6 points secured. The second-placed Kiel are only one point behind them. There is no doubt, SC Jane Sandanski will once again be the place of tough action and incredible handball. 

Another important home appearance is in front of Tatran Presov as well. Slovakian gem will host ambitious IK Savehof on the same day. A difficult job is waiting Slavko Goluza's squad as their opponents have three victories so far and maximum amount of points while the home team have three defeats on the start of the season. But, one of the main Tatran's advantages will be the home court and unbelievable support from their fans. These two teams met a long time ago, way back in the 2011. In their last clash the teams split points as the end result was 31:31. 

Another Saturday's clash in Group B will bring a lot of excitement to the SEHA fans. Well-known SEHA name, Meshkov Brest will host the team from Ukraine, Motor Zaporozhye. Even though these two teams did not have a chance to meet in the SEHA League, Belarusian and Ukrainian champions met in 2014 when Motor secured victory. Both clubs have three losses behind them, so it will be interesting to see who will win the first points of the season. 

Sensational team from Bitola will continue their EHF Champions League journey on Sunday, 13th of October when they will host Finnish team Cocks. As Stevce Alushovski's squad showed some incredible skills and amazing action on the SEHA court beating Telekom Veszprem, there is no doubt that they will enter the this match with great motive. This will also be a great chance for Eurofarm to secure their first points of the season in this copetition as they have three losses behind them so far. On the other side, beating Tatran Presov in the previous round gave confidence to the guest team. 

Telekom Veszprem will close the 4th round for SEHA clubs on Sunday, 13th of October. Hungarian champions will meet with Portugeese team Porto Sofarma on the home court. After two back to back defeats in the previous rounds, Telekom Veszprem are looking to redeem themselves and secure new points. On that path, the home team will have the help of their loud fans from the sidelines. However, the guests will be extra motivated on the court after their important victory against PGE VIVE Kielce in the 3rd round. There is no doubt, a lot of excitement and tough action is in front of Raul Alonso and his squad. 

Wednesday, 9th of October
19:00 Flensburg-Handewitt – PPD Zagreb (Group A)

Saturday, 12th of October 
17:30 Vardar – THW Kiel (Group B)
18:00 Tatran Presov – IK Savehof (Group C)
18:30 Meshkov Brest – Motor Zaporozhye (Group B)

Sunday, 13th of October
15:00 Telekom Veszprem – Porto Sofarma (Group B)
17:00 Eurofarm Rabotnik – Cocks (Group C)