French and Danish sides clash as Champions League returns

Björn Pazen & Kevin Domas

22 November 2022, 10:00

As the Machineseeker EHF Champions League returns Aalborg Håndbold and HBC Nantes will meet in the Match of the Week in a mid-table duel in group B, and a win for the Danish hosts would put them ahead of Nantes in the standings.

The top clash in group A is the only match in the group to be played on Wednesday, as Paris Saint-Germain host GOG. In the event of a victory, the French side will widen the gap between the two clubs in the standings.

If they want to remain top of group A, Telekom Veszprém will have to take the points against HC PPD Zagreb, while SC Magdeburg will also be favourites when they host FC Porto.

Elsewhere in group B Barça are out to extend their winning streak at THW Kiel in the re-match of three EHF Champions League finals. Kielce are favourites against Elverum, while Szeged and Celje battle for points to rise from the bottom line.

GROUP A

Paris Saint-Germain HB (FRA) vs GOG (DEN)
Wednesday 23 November, 20:45 CET, live on EHFTV

Paris are currently second in the group with 10 points, just one point behind leaders Veszprém
GOG are in fourth place, three points behind, after winning their last two games before the international break
two PSG players are among the top five scorers of the EHF Champions League: Kamil Syprzak (41 goals) and Elohim Prandi (38)
GOG’s Jerry Tollbring and Simon Pytlick are also in the top 10, as they respectively netted 36 and 34 goals so far
with 181 goals conceded, Paris are currently the fourth most efficient defence in the Champions League, just five short of Orlen Wisla Plock
the two teams last played against each other in the 1996/97 season, when both won their home game in the Champions League
PSG coach Raul Gonzalez said: "It will be a complicated game because GOG is a very good team which has already won twice away from home this season. We want to play a serious and diligent match to continue to preserve our invincibility this year at home."

CS Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) vs Orlen Wisla Plock (POL)
Thursday 24 November, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV

after six rounds, the teams share fifth place in the group, with five points each
Dinamo’s best scorer, Andrii Akimenko, has netted 37 goals already, while Sergei Kosorotov has scored 29 for Plock
with 176 goals conceded, Plock are currently the best defence in the Champions League
Dinamo and Wisla have played four times against each other in Champions League history. Bucharest won twice, Plock once and one game ended in a draw
two Dinamo players wore the Plock shirt in the past: Valentin Ghionea (2012-18) and Dan Emil Racotea (2014-19)
last weekend, Dinamo won yet another game in the Romanian league against Bacau (37:27) while Plock also enjoyed success against Azoty-Pulawy (36:21)
Plock head coach Xavier Sabate said: "We are playing against one of the best rivals in the group. They have a lot of really, really good players and it is visible that they did a big qualitative step in this season. They have a great coach and play in a great atmosphere in Bucharest. It's going to be really tough match them on their turf, but of course we'll go there to try to make a surprise."

20221122 CLM Round 7 Preview Veszprem (1)

We didn’t start at our best in the Champions League. We hope it would be a great game against Madgeburg at their home. Right now we don’t have anything to lose so it will be a really difficult game but we’re going with not a lot of pressure, we’re going to do the best possible in bringing some points to Porto.

Magnus Andersson

Coach, FC Porto

GROUP B

MOTW: Aalborg Handbold (DEN) vs HBC Nantes (FRA)
Wednesday 23 November, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV

this is the duel for third position in this group, currently held by Nantes with eight points on their account, one point ahead of Aalborg
after four straight victories, Nantes’ winning streak came to an end before the break with defeat by Barça, while Aalborg took a lucky point at Kiel in round 6
both sides have featured in the EHF FINAL4: Nantes in 2018 (finalists) and 2021, while Aalborg were finalists in 2021
Aalborg’s new arrival Mikkel Hansen is third-ranked in the top scorer list with 40 strikes; Aymeric Minne is the best Nantes scorer with 27 goals, but is out with an ankle injury until next year
it is the third time that the two sides clash. In the 2020/21 group phase, each won their home match
in domestic competitions, Nantes top the table of the French league after a 40:32 win against Istres, while Aalborg surprisingly lost 25:27 to Kolding
Aalborg centre back Felix Claar commented: "It is an important game for us. Nantes are one point ahead of us, and we need to win our home games in order to reach for the two top spots in the group. They had a huge win at home against Kiel and I am excited to see where we stand against the top French club."

Pick Szeged (HUN) vs RK Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO)
Wednesday 23 November, 18:45 CET, live on EHFTV

both sides have only two points on their account after one victory each. Celje beat Kiel and Szeged defeated Elverum
Szeged have won the last seven duels against Celje. The last victory for the Slovenian record champions dates back to 2008 and the overall balance is seven wins for Pick, two for Celje and one draw
Celje’s Aleks Vlah is the current top scorer of the competition with 48 goals, four more than the combined top duo of Szeged, Mario Sostaric and Bogdan Radivojevic, who are on 20 strikes each
Celje line player Matic Suholežnik: "Our team is young, we always want to prove ourselves, so it's also important to be aggressive, to show a lot of focus and determination, and of course to always give our best."
Szeged’s coach Juan Carlos Pastor announced he will resign after this season
in the domestic leagues, Szeged won 41:29 against Budai and remain second below Kielce, while Celje beat Gorica 35:21 and are also runners-up

I spent my years as a youngster in Celje and then I had six seasons in their first team as well so that club will be always special for me. Now Celje have a young team where the players always want to show the best version of themselves in the Champions League.

Borut Mackovsek

Left back, Pick Szeged

We can make the difference in our defence and this will allow us to run. If we play good in defence and stop their fastbreaks we will have our chances. We know their arena is a hot one, one of the most important in Europe. But all the team is used to play these kind of games and we know what we have to do.

Aitor Ariño

Left wing, Barça