Spectacular clashes await in first round of the group phase

In group A, the Romanian duel will heat up the atmosphere as the debutants CS Gloria 2018 BN are clashing with CSM Bucuresti. EHF European League Women champions Storhamar Handball Elite are back and are welcoming Metz Handball, FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria are hoping to start the campaign on a positive note against Nykøbing Falster Håndbold, while two familiar foes, Podravka Vegeta and Krim Mercator, will pit sides in Koprivnica.

The Match of the Week travels to Hungary in group B, as reigning champions Györi Audi ETO KC get ready to welcome Team Esbjerg. The biggest surprise from last season, HB Ludwigsburg, formerly known as SG BBM Bietigheim, hope to start their European journey the right way against Odense. The other two group B clashes will feature Brest Bretagne, who hope to put on a great performance against three-time EHF Champions League winners Vipers, while Buducnost travel to Romania to meet Rapid Bucuresti.

Group A

CS Gloria 2018 BN (ROU) vs CSM Bucuresti (ROU)
Saturday 7 September, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• the only debutants of the season are starting their campaign at home against Romanian rivals CSM Bucuresti; the two sides met two weeks ago in the Romanian Super Cup, with CSM winning  by 28:27
• the Romanian champions are heading into their 10th consecutive EHF Champions League Women season and have a new head coach – Helle Thomsen, who was also at the helm of CSM in the 2017/18 season
• star player Cristina Neagu became only the second player to pass the 1,100-goal milestone in the EHF Champions League; she starts the 2024/25 season on 1,132 goals, nine short of leader Jovanka Radicevic
• this will be Gloria's third European season, after playing the EHF Cup in the 2019/20 season and EHF European League Women 2023/24 season, winning the silver medal at the EHF Finals 2024
• ahead of the EHF Champions League Women start, CS Gloria 2018 BN beat Gloria Buzău and Zalău in the domestic championship, while CSM were successful against Iași and Slatina

FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs Nykøbing Falster Håndbold (DEN)
Saturday 7 September, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Nykøbing are the third Danish club in the competition, alongside Team Esbjerg and Odense Håndbold
• this is the second time Nykøbing are in the EHF Champions League Women; they played for the first time in 2017/18, when they made it to the main round
• FTC's head coach Allan Heine is entering his second season with the club, after taking over in October 2023 following coach Martin Albertsen’s departure
• in 2023/24, FTC's Andrea Lekic became only the fourth player to pass the 1,000-goal mark in the EHF Champions League Women history, now at 1,032 goals
• FTC had a good warm-up in Hungary against Budaörs ahead of the game; while Nykøbing had a narrow win against Ringkøbing in Denmark
• this will be the first time these two sides meet in the European competition

HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO)
Saturday 7 September, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• these two are well-known rivals – so far, they have played 12 mutual encounters in the EHF Champions League Women and two preparation matches ahead of the 2024/25 season start
• among strong signings for Krim are Ana Gros, Tamara Horacek and Jennifer Gutiérrez; Podravka welcomed Matea Pletikosic, Mia Brkic and Klara Birtic, all with EHF Champions League experience
• Podravka Vegeta head into their 23rd Europe's top-flight season, while Krim Mercator welcome their 29th
• legendary player Jovanka Radicevic is playing her last season; she is leading the 1,100-goal milestone ranking with 1,141 goals at the start of the 2024/25 season
• while Krim reached the play-offs of the EHF Champions League last season, Podravka Vegeta made it to the EHF European League Women quarter-finals 

Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) vs Metz Handball (FRA)
Sunday 8 September, 14:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Storhamar are back in the top tier competition after the 2022/23 season and return with the EHF European League Women trophy in their hands
• this will be Metz’s 18th season in the EHF Champions League; ninth for the head coach Emmanuel Mayonnade with the team
• Metz line player Sarah Bouktit was among the top three scorers of the 2023/24 season, netting 107 times; centre back Anniken Obaidli led the way for Storhamar in the EHF European League Women with 68 goals and received the competition's top scorer award
• Metz and Storhamar played two times against each other – with the French side winning both games (31:22, 26:24)
• Storhamar played against Romerike Ravens in their domestic championship winning 34:11, while Metz are still waiting for the French competition to start

Group B

MOTW: Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) vs Team Esbjerg (DEN)
Saturday 7 September, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Györ made it to the EHF Champions League 2024/25 as runners-up of the Hungarian league last season, behind rivals FTC
• Esbjerg enter this year’s top-flight competition as Danish champions, having won back-to-back titles for the second time
• eight players left this summer from the Hungarian powerhouse, including centre back Stine Bredal Oftedal, the MVP of the EHF FINAL4, who retired
• Tomas Axnér is the new coach of Esbjerg, as he replaced Jesper Jensen, who left after seven years to concentrate on the Denmark women’s national team
• coach Per Johansson, who replaced Ulrik Kirkely at Györ in the spring of 2024, will also lead the team in 2024/25

Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) vs Vipers Kristiansand (NOR)
Saturday 7 September, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• the three-time winners Vipers missed out on the EHF FINAL4 last season, being eliminated in the quarter-finals by Györ
• this is Vipers’ eighth consecutive season in the premium club competition
• Brest Bretagne Handball are also featuring in the EHF Champions League Women for the eighth consecutive season
• Vipers lost their top scorer from the previous year, right back Anna Vyakhireva, as well as eight other players, but brought in experienced players like Silje Solberg-Østhassel and Larissa Nusser
• Brest’s new coach Raphaëlle Tervel starts with a vastly changed squad; among the players who left is Valeriia Maslova, who netted 101 times last season

Rapid Bucuresti (ROU) vs Buducnost (MNE)
Sunday 8 September, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• Rapid enter their third consecutive season in the EHF Champions League Women; they made the quarter-finals in 2022/23, but missed out on a place in the knockout phase in the 2023/24 season
• Buducnost hold the record for most matches played in the EHF Champions League Women, 320; this is the 28th season in which Buducnost take part in the top-flight competition
• the Romanian side finished second in the domestic league last season, behind CSM Bucuresti
• former assistant coach David Ginesta Montes, who took over as head coach at Rapid in the autumn of 2023, will lead the team again in 2024/25
• coach Bojana Popovic, who won the competition six times as a player, will lead the Montenegrin team for the fourth consecutive season

Odense Håndbold (DEN) vs HB Ludwigsburg (GER)
Sunday 8 September, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• formerly known as SG BBM Bietigheim, HB Ludwigsburg come into 2024/25 on the back of their best season in the EHF Champions League Women, in which they finished as runners-up
• Odense Håndbold enter their sixth – and fifth consecutive – season in the EHF Champions League Women
• this will be the seventh appearance for the German team in the premium European competition; they were the first German club ever to reach the EHF FINAL4 Women
• Norwegian coach Ole Gustav Gjekstad, who won the title three times with Vipers, is into his second season at Odense
• eight players have left and eight have signed for Ludwigsburg, with new additions like goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen, centre back Jenny Carlson, and left back Guro Nestaker

Photos © 2024 Anze Malovrh / kolektiff (main & Györi Audi ETO KC in-text), 2024 Uros Hocevar / kolektiff (Metz in-text)