European Cup Men quarter-finals throw off with four exciting duels

QUARTER-FINALS, FIRST LEG

• eight teams from eight countries have qualified for the quarter-finals
• Celje enter the quarter-finals in impressive form, having won every match so far in 2026 and 11 in a row, dating back to mid-December 2025
• their opponents Buzau have lost two of their last four matches, including the first leg of the previous round in the EHF European Cup
• MOL Tatabanya showed their qualities in the Hungarian league shortly before the national team break, losing by two goals against powerhouses and EHF Champions League participants One Veszprém HC (29:31)
• Nilüfer BSK lost their dress rehearsal in the Turkish league against third-placed Istanbul GSK (27:32), remaining in second place, but now with a three-point gap to Besiktas, who have played one more match
• Olympiacos SFP and GRK Ohrid met once in a friendly match in 2023, which saw the Greek side take a 34:31 win; Olympiacos want to advance one step further than last season, where they were knocked out by Runar Sandefjord in the quarter-finals by four goals
• HC Izvidac are eager to return to the semi-finals for the second year in a row, led by top scorer, 41-year old Fahrudin Medic (30 goals)
• HCB Karvina could be reaching two semi-finals within a few days, as they need one more win in the Czech league play-offs to advance to the top four

Overwhelming offences clash in Slovenia

Two of the top four offences of the competition meet on Saturday in Celje. RK Celje Pivovarna Laško have scored 36.5 goals per match and sit fourth among all teams, while their quarter-final opponents, ACS HC Buzau 2012, lead the pack with an impressive 38 goals per match.

Mai Marguč, Aljuš Anžič, Uroš Milićević, and Andraž Makuc have all scored at least 30 goals for the Slovenian club so far. The Romanian side has two 30-goal scorers in the squad: both Alexandru Mihai Tarita and Edin Klis have netted 32 times this season.

The key to advancing to the semi-finals will be how both defences can cope with their opponent’s attack. Buzau seem to have a slight advantage, conceding 28 goals per match, while Celje have conceded 31.8 goals on average in the previous rounds.

Photos © Ivo Dudek, RK Celje Pivovarna Laško