National derbies avoided in quarter-final draw
Two potential national derbies in the EHF European Cup Men quarter-finals have been avoided, with the two Czech sides and two Norwegian teams all drawing opponents from another nation.
However, there remains the possibility of an all-Norwegian semi-final should both defending champions Nærbø IL and local challengers Runar Sandefjord Elite win their quarter-final games.
At the draw event in Vienna on Tuesday, Nærbø were drawn against Croatia's MRK Sesvete, who are in their debut European season. Meanwhile Sandefjord will meet HCB Karvina, one of the two Czech teams left.
Fellow Czech side HC Dukla Praha play Alingsås HK of Sweden. Alingsås reached the semi-finals in 2021/22 by beating Czech club Talent tym Plzenskeho kraje in the quarter-finals.
Finally, there is a Balkan clash in the fourth quarter-final between Serbia's Vojvodina and 2021 semi-finalists RK Gorenje Velenje of Slovenia.
The quarter-final first legs will take place on 18/19 March, with the second legs on 25/26 March.
Semi-final 1 could potentially feature both Norwegian teams, as this pairing will be the winner of the first two quarter-finals. As the two Czech sides are on opposite sides of the draw, an all-Czech final also remains possible.
The semi-finals will be played on 15/16 and 22/23 April.
Quarter-finals
Quarter-final 1: MRK Sesvete (Croatia) vs Nærbø IL (Norway)
Quarter-final 2: HCB Karvina (Czech Republic) vs Runar Sandefjord Elite (Norway)
Quarter-final 3: Alingsås HK (Sweden) vs HC Dukla Praha (Czech Republic)
Quarter-final 4: Vojvodina (Serbia) vs RK Gorenje Velenje (Slovenia)
Semi-finals
Semi-final 1: Winner of quarter-final 2 (Karvina/Sandefjord) vs winner of quarter-final 1 (Sesvete/Nærbø)
Semi-final 2: Winner of quarter-final 3 (Alingsås/Dukla Praha) vs winner of quarter-final 4 (Vojvodina/Gorenje Velenje)
