EHF competitions preview: ‘to be or not to be’ for Nexe, Meshkov and PPD Zagreb still believe
A week ahead of the SEHA – Gazprom League Final 4 in Brest, four participants will play their last European matches before the season finale of the SEHA League. Nexe have a 6th round match versus Hannover-Burgdorf in Germany, Vardar will hope to preserve their huge lead versus PPD Zagreb, while Meshkov Brest are going to Flensburg with some hope. Here is what this week brings us!
EHF Cup Group B
March 27th, 20:30: TSV Hannover-Burgdorf – Nexe
After three opening wins, Nexe have recorded two consecutive losses and will need at least a draw to secure the next stage of the EHF Cup. The match today, on Wednesday, March 27th, will be crucial for Hrvoje Horvat’s team, as they will face the big German team Hannover. Nexe will hope for a repeat of the performance from Nasice, when they beat Hannover 29:25. However, the Bundesliga side demonstrated their power in the last round with a 12-goal victory over Eurofarm Rabotnik in Macedonia. The hosts recorded a draw at home versus Tatabanya in their last home EHF Cup match but have also defeated Füchse Berlin not so long ago. Hannover are favourites, but Nexe will surely give their best to achieve another upset in this fantastic season.
EHFCL Last 16
March 30th, 19:30: Vardar – PPD Zagreb
After an unbelievable performance in Arena Zagreb, Vardar will look to confirm their place in the quarter-finals of the EHF Velux Champions League. The 2017 European champions have a big lead going into the second leg, as they celebrated a 27:18 victory last week. This season, these teams met in Skopje once, in SEHA – Gazprom League, when Igor Karacic decided the winner with two late goals. It is also a repeat of the final of the 2017/18 season when Vardar defeated the Croatian champions. However, PPD Zagreb achieved their principal goal this season and will look for a terrific display, without much pressure. There are 60 minutes to be played in Skopje before the winner is announced.
March 31st, 19:00 Flensburg-Handewitt – Meshkov Brest
It looked like Flensburg will achieve a big win in Belarus, as they were up by 8 goals with less than 10 minutes on the clock in the first match. However, Meshkov players were not ready to give up yet, and they managed to bring down the deficit to -2, Flensburg ultimately winning the first leg 30:28. The last few minutes proved that nothing is yet finished, and Meshkov Brest are very capable of a terrific performance against a strong team, such as Flensburg. The Germans definitely have history on their side, but Meshkov Brest have high hopes, especially after knowing they can perform very well, when it is needed the most. They already defeated RN Loewen, Montpellier, Vardar and PPD Zagreb this season.