Bumper weekend of matches throws off EHF European Cup Women

• last season’s runners-up, Slovakian club MKS IUVENTA Michalovce, will play their first-leg match on Saturday away at Kreuzlingen in Switzerland
• Austrian sides Greenpower JAGS Roomz Hotels and WAT Atzgersdorf will host each other this weekend; both clubs have previously reached round 3 of the competition
• Spain hosts two double-headers: Caja Rural Aula Valladolid will meet KHF Ferizaj from Kosovo while Porrino will be the venue for two matches between Conservas Orbe Zendal Bm Porrino and Italy’s SSV Brixen Südtirol
• there are also two double-headers in Azerbaijan. Fans in the capital Baku will cheer on local sides Garabagh HC and Azeryol HC as they take on Luxembourg’s HC Red Boys Differdange and Ukraine’s HC Galychanka Lviv respectively
• seven more double-headers are scheduled for next weekend, from 10 October to 13 October, to complete the round 3 line-up
• 2020/21 European Cup champions Malaga Costa del Sol are the only side who could lift the trophy for a second time, with the last three winners not participating this season. Malaga start their campaign on Saturday 5 October away to A.S.D. Handball Cassa Rurale Pontinia in Italy

Greece has five teams in round 2

Teams from 27 European countries are represented in round 2, with Greece the best-represented nation with five teams.

All five Greek clubs – A.C. Paok, AEP Panorama, AESH Pylaia Thessaloniki, Anagennisi Artas and O.F.N. Ionias – have played round 2 of the EHF European League Women before.

Paok has progressed furthest in the competition, reaching the quarter-finals in 2020/21 but losing to Rincon Fertilidad Malaga. Last year, Thessaloniki made it to the Last 16.

Several other countries have multiple clubs competing in the European League, but there is just one representative from each of Belgium, Montenegro, Poland and Sweden.

Photos © Costa del Sol Malaga / O.F.N. Ionias