One round left to determine EHF Champions League play-off places

Veszprém are guaranteed to win group A, while Barça are safe in the top two teams of group B. But Sporting CP, Paris Saint-Germain Handball and Füchse Berlin in group A, and Aalborg Håndbold and HBC Nantes in group B, are all still in the running to join them with a direct place in the quarter-finals. Nantes will host Aalborg in the Match of the Week on Wednesday 5 March, with the winner progressing.

Meanwhile Fredericia Håndbold Klub and HC Eurofarm Pelister are out of the running for the play-offs. Orlen Wisla Plock and Dinamo Bucuresti are fifth and sixth in group A, with the final standings to be decided after Thursday's clashes.

In group B, Kolstad Håndbold and Industria Kielce are in sixth and seventh positions, as both face away fixtures to decide their fates, against Barça and HC Zagreb, respectively.

GROUP A

One Veszprém HC – finish first and advance to the quarter-finals

Sporting CP – finish second and advance to the quarter-finals if they:

• win or tie against Orlen Wisla Plock

• lose against Orlen Wisla Plock AND Füchse Berlin do not win AND PSG do not win

Füchse Berlin – finish second and advance to the quarter-finals if they:

• win against One Veszprém HC AND Sporting CP lose

Paris-Saint Germain Handball – finish second and advance to the quarter-finals if they:

•  win against HC Eurofarm Pelister AND Sporting CP lose AND Füchse Berlin do not win

In the case that Sporting CP, Füchse Berlin and PSG are tied on points, the following three-way table of the direct encounters will be applied to determine the ranking of these clubs:

Orlen Wisla Plock and Dinamo Bucuresti have secured their play-off spots.

Orlen Wisla Plock – finish fifth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• beat Sporting CP AND Dinamo Bucuresti do not win

• tie against Sporting CP AND Dinamo Bucuresti lose

Dinamo Bucuresti – finish fifth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• beat Fredericia Håndbold Klub

• tie against Fredericia Håndbold Klub AND Orlen Wisla Plock do not win

• lose against Fredericia Håndbold Klub AND Orlen Wisla Plock lose

HC Eurofarm Pelister – finish seventh and therefore cannot advance to the play-offs

Fredericia Håndbold Klub – finish eighth and therefore cannot advance to the play-offs

In case HC Eurofarm Pelister win and Dinamo Bucuresti and Orlen Wisla Plock lose, the following three-way table of the direct encounters will be applied to determine the ranking of these clubs:

GROUP B

Barça – finish first and advance to the quarter-finals

Aalborg Håndbold – finish second and advance to the quarter-finals if they:

• win or tie against HBC Nantes

HBC Nantes – finish second and advance to the quarter-finals if they:

• win against Aalborg Håndbold

OTP Bank - PICK Szeged – finish fourth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• win or tie against SC Magdeburg

• lose against SC Magdeburg by no more than one goal AND Kolstad Håndbold do not win

OTP Bank - PICK Szeged – finish fifth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• lose against SC Magdeburg by two goals or more, but no more than seven goals AND Kolstad Håndbold win

• lose against SC Magdeburg by eight goals, but score 25 goals or more AND Kolstad Håndbold win

• lose against SC Magdeburg 32:24 AND Kolstad Håndbold win with no more than 20 goals difference

SC Magdeburg – finish fourth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• win against OTP Bank - PICK Szeged by two goals or more

• win against OTP Bank - PICK Szeged by one goal AND Kolstad Håndbold win

SC Magdeburg – finish fifth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• beat OTP Bank - PICK Szeged by one goal

• tie against OTP Bank - PICK Szeged AND Kolstad Håndbold do not win

• lose against OTP Bank - PICK Szeged AND Kolstad Håndbold lose AND Kielce do not win

SC Magdeburg – finish sixth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• tie against OTP Bank - PICK Szeged AND Kolstad Håndbold win

• lose against OTP Bank - PICK Szeged AND Industria Kielce win (independently of Kolstad Håndbold’s result)

• lose against OTP Bank - PICK Szeged AND Kolstad Håndbold win or tie AND Industria Kielce do not win

Kolstad Håndbold – finish fifth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• win against Barça AND OTP Bank - PICK Szeged lose by nine goals or more

• win against Barça AND OTP Bank - PICK Szeged lose by eight goals and score 23 goals or less

• win against Barça with 24 goals or more AND OTP Bank - PICK Szeged lose 32:24 

• win against Barça with 23 goals difference, while scoring 49 goals or more AND OTP Bank - PICK Szeged lose 32:24

• win against Barça AND SC Magdeburg do not win

• tie against Barça AND SC Magdeburg lose

Kolstad Håndbold – finish sixth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• win against Barça AND SC Magdeburg win

• tie against Barça AND SC Magdeburg do not lose

• lose against Barça AND Industria Kielce do not win

Industria Kielce – finish fifth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• win against HC Zagreb AND SC Magdeburg lose AND Kolstad Håndbold lose

Industria Kielce – finish sixth and advance to the play-offs if they:

• win against HC Zagreb AND Kolstad Håndbold lose AND SC Magdeburg do not lose

Photos © Sporting CP (main), Rene Schute (in-text)