Vojvodina have qualified for the semi-final of the European Cup, while Telekom Veszprem and Nexe are only a small step away from the quarter-finals of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League and the European League on Tuesday and Thursday. Both can seal the deal on home ground after winning the away matches in the first leg.

Machineseeker EHF Champions League

If you win the first leg of a knockout stage in the arena of your opponent by 13 goals, there shall be no more doubt that you will proceed to the next round - this is the way Telekom Veszprem goes into their second leg at home against their domestic rivals Pick Szeged. Last week, they won 36:23 and caused Szeged’s biggest-ever CL home defeat, this week, the team of head coach Momir Ilic just need to go through this gate to the quarter-finals. “It was an outstanding match, and I am sure that we will proceed,” said Gasper Marguc, who scored eleven goals in the first leg. Last season, Telekom Veszprem had made it to the EHF FINAL4 in Cologne for the seventh time, if they proceed to the quarter-finals this season, they would have the tough challenge ahead with 2022 finalists Industria Kielce. It would be the 21st quarter-final in the Champions League for Veszprem.

Thursday, 30 March (18:45 CEST) Telekom Veszprem - Pick Szeged

EHF European League

Nexe had taken a 27:23 away victory at Dusseldorf, Germany, in the first leg of the Last 16 against Ukrainian champions Motor - and this advance shall be quite comfortable for the team of head coach Branko Tamse. Intermediately the gap had been bigger, but finally, Predrag Vejin (7) and the duo Alexandar Bakic and Fran Mileta (each 5) in combination with goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanovic (10 saves) decided the match. In the group phase, Nexe had won four of five home matches, funny enough were only defeated by Austrian side Alpla Hard, the last in the table. Now the Nasice-based team is highly confident to make it to their third quarter-final in an EHF competition after the EHF Cup in 2017/18 and the European League in 2021/22, when they even advanced to the final tournament. If they beat Motor, they will face the winner of the matches Goppingen (GER) vs Valur (ISL) - and the German side had won the first leg on Iceland 36:29.

Tuesday, 28 March (18:45 CEST): Nexe - Motor

EHF European Cup

Vojvodina are the only non-Scandinavian team in the semi-finals of the European Cup. After winning the first leg of the quarter-finals at home against Gorenje Velenje in a close way (31:30), the team of head coach Boris Rojevic did not leave any doubt in the away match on Saturday. Leading from the first to the last minute, Vojvodina qualified for their first-ever international semi-final in club history. After a 14:12 halftime lead, the only tricky period was right after the start of the second half, when Velenje for the first and only time levelled the result at 18:18. But a 6:1 run for the 25:19 was the key for the success. Best Vojvodina scorers were Barys Pukhouski with seven goals and Milan Milic with six strikes. The Serbian side now will face the Swedish team Alingsås HK, which eliminated the Czechs from Dukla Prague in the quarter-final. The second semi is an All-Norwegian pairing of Nærbø and Sandefjord. The semi-finals are scheduled for 15/16 and 22/23 April.