Ambitious EHF European Cup Women finalists return as round 3 wraps up

• Madeira Andebol SAD meet SSV Brixen Südtirol in Funchal on Saturday after losing the first clash by one goal (25:26); neither team was able to create a sufficient gap in the first leg, promising a dramatic reverse fixture; Sarah Hilber and Neide Duarte were the top scorers for the two sides last week, each scoring eight goals

• Maccabi Haarazim Ramat Gan and Westfriesland SEW meet in the Netherlands for their double-header on Saturday and Sunday; the sides met in this competition five years ago in a thrilling round 3 duel; Maccabi advanced by an aggregate score of 50:49 after winning the first leg by two goals and losing the second leg by just one goal

• CASCADA - HC Garliava SC travel to Italy to face Handball Erice SSD ARL in a double-header; the sides also met two years ago, in round 2, when Erice took two convincing victories to advance; Erice made the headlines with the addition of Slovenian international Erin Novak, who took part in the EHF EURO 2024

• HC Byala’s Jaqueline Anastacio was the top scorer of the previous round with 26 goals; this weekend, her team meets YALIKAVAKSPOR in a double-header in Türkiye, hoping for more decisive goals from the experienced left back; Anastacio is playing her 11th season in European club competitions, including one for YALIKAVAKSPOR, in the EHF European League 2022/23, scoring 15 goals

• two teams from the Faroe Islands remain with a chance of advancing after VIF were eliminated last week; H71 travel to Poland to face HC Galychanka in a double-header this weekend, hoping that top scorer Maria Hálsdóttir Weyhe can reproduce her round 2 performance (25 goals); Neistin meet LK Zug Handball in Torshavn and hope to bounce back from two consecutive defeats in the domestic league

Finalists aim for the trophy

Last season’s finalists MSK IUVENTA Michalovce return to the competition in a double-header at home this week. The Slovakian side meets Bnot-Herzliya H.C at home on Saturday and Sunday at 17:30 CET. The sides also met in the EHF Cup 2013/14, when Michalovce comfortably won both round 2 encounters. MSK have reached the EHF European Cup final in two of the last three seasons, without winning it all, losing to Spanish sides on both occasions.

The squad has been strengthened over the summer with four interesting signings. Catalina Dascalu (Rapid Bucuresti), Karyna Kolodiuk (HC Galychanka), Teodora Dukoska (HC Gjorche Petrov – WHC AD Skopje) and Valéria Policarpo Santos (HC DAC Dunajská Streda) have joined the club, adding international experience.

Photos © Marek Findrik (main), Jan Sørensen/H71 (in text)