22 clubs vying for group phase in EHF European League Women

QUALIFICATION ROUND 3 FIRST LEG:

• IK Sävehof will meet KGHM MKS Zaglebie Lubin for the first time, as the Polish side aim to return to the EHF European League group stage; HC Lokomotiva Zagreb also hope to make their second group phase appearance, but they will first have to get past the reigning EHF European Cup champions ATTICGO Bm Elche
• with three quarter-final participations, the Norwegian club Sola HK wants to go further this season and reach the EHF Finals on their fourth attempt, as they host LC Brühl Handball in the only double-header this weekend; after eliminating Armada Praxis Yalikavaspor (63:53 on aggregate), KPR Gminy Kobierzyce will also travel to Norway, to face former EHF Champions League winners Larvik for the first time
• debutants ZRK Zrinski Cakovec will have a difficult mission against JDA Bourgogne Dijon Handball, who had a perfect start in all competitions this season; sitting on top in the Bundesliga's standings, BV Borussia Dortmund also have big ambitions and will host DHK Banik Most, who managed to score an impressive 99 goals past Ankara Yenimahalle BSK over both legs in qualification round 2
• Thüringer HC and Vác meet again this weekend, after their previous encounter in the EHF European League's group phase back in 2022/23; the former won both matches by double-digits
• in the only local derby, HSG Blomberg-Lippe and TUSSIES Metzingen will fight for a ticket to the group phase; the clubs have already played each other in the Bundesliga this season and HSG Blomberg-Lippe celebrated a victory (26:21)
• SCM Ramnicu Valcea and DVSC Schaeffler are back in the EHF European League and the two will meet in what’s expected to be a thrilling match; relying on young and talented players, Paris 92 will also try to make a comeback in the group phase, facing the Swedish side H 65 Höörs HK this round
• Super Amara Bera Bera eliminated Sport Lisboa e Benfica in a dramatic fashion in qualification round 2 (62:60 on aggregate) and will now play against MKS FunFloor Lublin for a chance to reach the competition’s group phase for the first time

Previous EHF Champions League participants to face tough challenges

IK Sävehof, KGHM MKS Zaglebie Lubin and DVSC Schaeffler were all part of the top-flight competition last season and now start their EHF European League campaigns with big ambitions.

Swedish powerhouse IK Sävehof and the Polish side KGHM MKS Zaglebie Lubin meet in one of the first clashes of the weekend, on Saturday 9 November, at 15:00 CET, and will face each other for the first time ever. IK Sävehof are the reigning Swedish champions and currently stay on top in the national standings, while KGHM MKS Zaglebie Lubin are the titleholders in the Polish league. The Lubin-based club aims to reach the EHF European League group stage for the second time, after first featuring in 2021/22. Neither side managed to get past the group phase of the EHF Champions League last season.

DVSC Schaeffler enjoyed a more successful European journey in 2023/2024, as they reached the play-offs of the premium club competition, only to be narrowly eliminated by Vipers Kristiansand. The Hungarian club will face SCM Ramnicu Valcea on Sunday 10 November, at 17:00 CET. The Romanian team had their latest EHF European League appearance in the 2022/23 season, when they reached the quarter-finals.

Photos © Foxaep (main) MN Photo (in-text)