Romanian teams to host unbeaten Nordic rivals

The two Romanian sides still alive in the EHF European League Women will face a daunting task in the quarter-finals, as they face Scandinavian powerhouses who are still unbeaten this season.

While CS Minaur Baia Mare play Sola HK, SCM Ramnicu Valcea meet Herning-Ikast Handbold, with both sides hosting their rivals in Romania this weekend in their quest to reach the EHF Finals Women.

Elsewhere, SG BBM Bietigheim will try to extend their winning run away at ES Besancon Feminin, while Storhamar Handball Elite take on Viborg HK in a Nordic duel.

QUARTER-FINALS, FIRST LEG
CS Minaur Baia Mare (ROU) vs Sola HK (NOR)
Saturday 26 March, 16:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• the game will pit the side with the most effective attack in the competition, Sola HK, with 196 goals, and the team that scored the lowest number of goals among the eight clubs in the quarter-finals, Baia Mare, with 154
• on their home court, the Romanian side won eight games and lost two in the past two seasons in the EHF European League Women
• Baia Mare secured only five points in the group phase — the lowest number among the quarter-finalists, while Sola are one of the three sides who have recorded the maximum six wins
• the Romanian side have the second highest number of wins in the history of the competition, 10, behind only Herning-Ikast in the all-time standings, with 13
• Sola left wing Camilla Herrem is the top scorer of the competition, with 49 goals, and she will return to her former home in Baia Mare, where she played during the 2014/15 season

Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) vs Viborg HK (DEN)
Saturday 26 March, 18:00 CET, live on EHFTV

• Storhamar, who did not reach the EHF European League Women quarter-finals last season, finished second in group C with six points
• the Norwegian side secured their quarter-final spot following a win at Handball Club Lada (30:25) in their last group encounter
• the three-time EHF Champions League winners Viborg, who were seeded directly into the group stage, finished top of group D
• the Danish side are unbeaten in the current competition, recording four wins and two draws in the group phase
• Viborg also boast the second most effective defence in the group stage after Bietigheim, conceding 149 goals so far

ES Besancon Feminin (FRA) vs SG BBM Bietigheim (GER)
Sunday 27 March, 14:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• both sides are the only representatives of their countries, France and Germany, respectively, in the quarter-finals
• Besancon finished second in group A, ahead of Hungary’s Motherson Mosonmagyarovari on head-to-head results
• Bietigheim have won all eight games in the competition, including both qualification round matches against Tertnes HE and all six encounters in group B
• the German side boasted the most effective defence in the whole group phase, conceding 134 goals (22.3 on average)
• the rivals have never faced each other in European club competitions
• Besancon captain Pauline Robert: "We are going to be up against a great team. We will have to be very rigorous. The objective remains the same for each match: victory."

SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU) vs Herning-Ikast Handbold (DEN)
Sunday 27 March, 14:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• while Herning-Ikast reached the EHF Finals Women last season, Valcea are eyeing qualification for the last phase of a European competition for the first time since the EHF Champions League Women 2009/10
• the Romanian side are unbeaten this season on their home court, having won against Chambray Touraine HB and Vaci NKSE and drawn against Viborg HK
• alongside fellow group winners Sola and Bietigheim, Herning-Ikast are one of the three teams who took victories in all their games in the group phase
• only group A winners Sola scored more goals in the group phase (196) than Herning-Ikast, who scored 193
• the two sides met in qualification round 3 of the Women’s EHF Cup in the 2018/19 season, when Herning-Ikast qualified for the next stage with a 43:35 aggregate win