EHFCL Round 5 preview: clash of the last season's finalists Telekom Veszprem and Vardar

Kentin Mahe

The 5th round of the EHF Champions League brings a lot of excitement to SEHA clubs. This time, there will be two matches between 9th SEHA season participants. Telekom Veszprem will host Vardar, while Eurofarm Rabotnik will play against Tatran Presov.

Motor Zaporozhye will open the 5th round among SEHA clubs. On Saturday, 19th of October, Ukrainian champions will travel to Portugal where they will meet Porto Sofarma. With 4 defeats behind them, Motor will be extra motivated to win their first points in this match. While Ukrainian champions are placed on the bottom of the table in Group B, Porto Sofarma are currently holding 5th position with 4 points. The hosts have 2 victories and 2 defeats behind them. With wins against great clubs such as Meshkov Brest and PGE VIVE Kielce, Porto Sofarma have high self esteem. There is no doubt, it will be another tough match for Motor Zaporozhye where they will seek their chance for improving their position on the table. 

That same day, Meshkov Brest will play against PGE VIVE Kielce on the home court. The home atmosphere and cheering from the sidelines will once again carry Meshkov Brest, just like it did in the previous matches. In their most recent home appearance, Belarusian champions showed how much that support means to them by winning against Motor Zaporozhye in front of their fans. This match will be interesting because these two teams are placed one above the other on the table in Group B. The guests are currently placed on the 6th position with one victory, a draw and two defeats, while Meshkov Brest are right behind them on the 7th place with one victory and three losses.  

The last clash of the day will feature two SEHA clubs. On Saturday, 19th of October, Telekom Veszprem will meet Vardar. It will be a tough match in Veszprem Arena between the last season's EHF Champions League finalists. In the previous round, the home team secured big victory against Porto Sofarma which gave them extra motive to continue the winning streak. On the other side, reigning SEHA and European champions faced tough defeat on the home court against THW Kiel. After that match, Vardar's perfect 3/3 score was broken and they are not undefeated anymore. It will be interesting to see this re-match of the last season's final and how will this season's results shape their play in this tough clash. 

The EHF Champions League adventures for SEHA clubs will continue on Sunday when PPD Zagreb will host Hungarian MOL-Pick Szeged. Their clash is scheduled for 5 PM. Croatian champions are in need of winning their first points as they have four defeats so far. This will be fresh opportunity to leave the bottom of the table in Group A where they are currently placed. In the previous round, Veselin Vujovic's squad showed great play on the court against Flensburg-Handewitt. Even though they did not win at the end, they proved that they still can do great things against big clubs. On the contrary, the guests have had amazing opening of the season. They sensationally beat Barca Lassa in the first round which gave them a confidence boost. This clash will be especially interesting for Szeged's right back, Luka Stepancic who previously in his career played for PPD Zagreb. 

The match between Eurofarm Rabotnik and Tatran Presov will close the 5th round of EHF Champions League for SEHA clubs. Another clash between teams that are a part of the SEHA family is scheduled for Sunday, 20th of October at 5 PM. Eurofarm Rabotnik will try to secure new points on the home court, while Slovakian Tatran Presov will seek their debut points of the season. Slavko Goluza's squad are currently placed on the bottom of the table in Group C with zero points. On the other side, Eurofarm Rabotnik are holding 4th position with 2 points. In the previous round Eurofarm Rabotnik were better than Cocks, while IK Savehof beat Tatran Presov. 

Saturday, 19th of October:
16:30 Porto Sofarma – Motor Zaporozhye (Group B)
17:00 Meshkov Brest – PGE VIVE Kielce (Group B)
17:30 Telekom Veszprem – Vardar (Group B)

Sunday, 20th of October: 
17:00 PPD Zagreb – MOL-Pick Szeged (Group A)
17:00 Eurofarm Rabotnik – Tatran Presov (Group C)