26 teams throw off round 3 of EHF European Cup Men

Round 3 starts on Friday (22 November) when Drammen HK and RK Leotar Trebinje lock horns for their first leg in a double-header in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The return leg will be played two days later, on Sunday. Six duels will be decided in double-headers, evenly distributed – three this weekend and three more next week. 

• ØIF Arendal and Diomidis Argous will decide their fate in a double-header in Greece this weekend, with the first leg taking place on Saturday and the return leg following on Sunday; both teams played against fellow EHF European Cup opponents in their domestic leagues; Argous won 28:25 against PAOK, who were eliminated in round 2, while ØIF beat Drammen HK 32:30
• the third double-header of the weekend will be played in Lovosice, Czechia; HK FCC Mesto Lovosice host SSV Brixen Handball from Italy; the Czech side have lost their last three matches in the Extraliga, winning a round of 16 cup match after the first league defeat; Brixen have won two of their last three Serie A matches
• Pfadi Winterthur hope to break out of their slump against Sabbianco Anorthosis Famagusta; after reaching round 3 of the EHF European Cup one month ago, they suffered two draws and two defeats in the Swiss league; they travel to Cyprus for the first leg on Sunday
• former EHF Challenge Cup winners AHC Potaissa Turda face last season’s EHF Cup runners-up Olympiacos; both teams lost one leg in the second round; while the Romanian side had to come back from a six-goal defeat in the first leg, the Greeks had to defend their nine-goal advantage until the last minute of the return leg, losing by six goals in the end
• Pölva Serviti and Besiktas already met in round 2 of the former EHF Cup in the 2010/11 season, both taking one win, with the Turkish side advancing 61:56 on aggregate; the Estonian champions have the chance to take a long-awaited revenge

Bjarte Myrhol’s side on fire at the right time?

Regarded as one of the best line players of his generation and a true fighter on and off the court, Bjarte Myrhol returned to Sandefjord before the start of this season to take on his first coaching job. After winning seven domestic titles with local rivals Sandefjord TIF in the early 2000s, Myrhol now coaches Runar Sandefjord. Following a shaky start to the season, with four losses in their first five matches, the team has caught fire lately, beating Drammen HK and ØIF Arendal in succession to start a run of six straight wins in the league. However, their opponents in round 3 of the EHF European Cup are none other than Slovenian powerhouse RK Celje Pivovarna Laško. This is a must-watch clash, as the two sides will meet for the first leg in Norway on Sunday (24 November) at 17:00 CET.

photos © Drammen HK (main), Mountrichas Kostas (in-text)