Vardar or Veszprem? The road to the podium!

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On Sunday (20.30 CET), two SEHA - Gazprom League Final 4 regulars will fight for the glory and the trophy in the ninth final of the competition in Zadar, Croatia. Here are all Facts and Figures you need to know before this clash of handball giants between Telekom Veszprem and Vardar 1961:

The road to the final

Telekom Veszprem:

Group Phase: 8 wins – 0 draws – 2 defeats

1st place in Group B

Quarter-finals against HC Vojvodina: WIN 31:26 (A), WIN 10:0 (H)

Semi-final against Meshkov Brest: WIN 28:24 (12:13)

375 goals scored – 28.8 goals per match

315 goals conceded – 24.2 goals per match

Goal difference:  +60

Biggest win: 35:24 versus Eurofarm Pelister

Biggest defeat: 26:30 versus Metaloplastika

Points in total:  33 points (11 wins - 0 draws - 2 defeats)

Top scorers:  Manuel Strlek (34/5), Andreas Nilsson (34/0), Dejan Manaskov (33/2)

Most assists:  Petar Nenadic (26), Mate Lekai (25)

Vardar 1961:

Group Phase: 8 wins – 0 draws – 2 defeats

1st place in Group A

Quarter-finals against RK Nexe: WIN 31:30 (A), LOST 25:26 (H)

Semi-final against PPD Zagreb: 30:29 (after penalty shoot-out)

405 goals scored – 31.1 goals per match

376 goals conceded – 28.9 goals per match

Goal difference: +29

Biggest win: 37:23 versus Beijing Sport University

Biggest defeat: 26:42 versus Nexe

Points in total: 30 (10 victories - 0 draws - 3 defeats)

Top scorers:  Timur Dibirov (65/13), Ivan Cupic (43/18), Daniil Shishkarev (33/0, now Veszprem)

Most assists:  Stas Skube (25, now Brest)

Head-to-head statistics of the two finalists:

8 matches - 3 Vardar victories - 3 draws - 2 Veszprem victories - last Veszprem win was the final 2016 in Varazdin

Season 2014/2015 - regular season: Veszprem - Vardar 31:23, Vardar - Veszprem 28:21

Season 2015/2016 - regular season: Vardar - Veszprem 30:30, Veszprem - Vardar 24:24 - final: Veszprem - Vardar 28:26

Season 2016/2017 - regular season: Vardar - Veszprem 29:22, Veszprem - Vardar 28:28 - final: Vardar - Veszprem 26:21

All-time SEHA - Gazprom League records of the finalists:

Participations including 2019/20:

Vardar 1961: 9

Telekom Veszprem: 4

Participations at Seha - Gazprom League Final4 tournaments (including 2020):

Vardar 1961: 9

Telekom Veszprem: 4

SEHA - Gazprom League trophies:

Vardar 1961 (5): 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019

Telekom Veszprem (2): 2015, 2016

SEHA - Gazprom League runners-up:

Vardar 1961 (2): 2013, 2016

Telekom Veszprem (1): 2017

Other competitions

Telekom Veszprem:

Best results in EHF Champions League: finalists 2002, 2015, 2016, 2019

Hungarian champions: 26 times

Hungarian cup winners: 27 times

Vardar 1961:

Best results in VELUX EHF Champions League: Winner 2017, 2019, Semi-Final 2018

Macedonian champions: 13 times

Macedonian cup winners: 13 times

Team captains:

Telekom Veszprem: Mate Lekai

Vardar 1961: Stojanche Stoilov (replaced by Timur Dibirov at Final4 tournament in Zadar)

Coaches:

Telekom Veszprem: David Davis (ESP, since October 2018)

Vardar 1961: Stevche Alusovski (MKD, since January 2020)