Former European champions meet in EHF European Cup Men round 3

Only one double-header takes place over the next two weekends. ACS HC Buzau and Maccabi Tel Aviv meet in Romania this Saturday and Sunday.

• 32 teams from 19 countries enter round 3 — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Greece and Luxembourg are represented by three teams each, more than any other nation
• European Cup 2021/22 winners HC Vojvodina meet EHF Champions League 2003/04 winners RK Celje Pivovarna Laško in their first leg in Serbia on Saturday (18:00 CET); the two sides have played four matches since 2017, with Celje winning three but Vojvodina winning the latest duel in 2023
• GRK Ohrid took the biggest aggregate win in the previous round, 82:32 against HC Baki, and now face Bosnian club MRK Sloga Doboj. Sloga Doboj boast the two top scorers of the competition: 19-year-old centre back Todor Milisavljevic (34 goals), and 21-year-old left back Dario Djenadija (32 goals)
• Balatonfüredi KSE beat Kur 81:39 on aggregate in round 2, and now face HC Fivers WAT Margareten who narrowly beat Förthof UHK Krems in an Austrian derby in the previous round
• for the first time in history, three teams from Luxembourg enter round 3 of a European club competition and all three play away this weekend: HC Berchem meet SKKP Handball Brno in Czechia, HB Red Boys Differdange travel to Türkiye to face Nilüfer BSK, and HB Dudelange play HC Izvidac in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sole double-header promises goals

The sole double-header of round 3 takes place in Buzau, Romania. Hosts ACS HC Buzau meet Maccabi Tel Aviv on Saturday and Sunday at 17:00 CET. This matchup promises many goals, as Buzau scored a combined 89 goals (46 and 43) in their second round win against RK Leotar. Buzau’s right wing Alexandru Mihai Tarita was top scorer for the Romanian side, scoring 17 goals, with left back Edin Klis contributing 14 goals.

Maccabi need defensive ideas to stop the flowing attack, but the Israeli club proved their offensive qualities in the first leg of the previous round, scoring 38 goals against Anorthosis Famagusta. Consistency over 120 minutes will be the key, as they only scored 22 in the second leg of round two.

Photos © HC Vojvodina, Dan Moldoveanu