Györ, Metz and Brest aim to keep winning streaks in round 4

In three of the four matches in group A, the rivals will meet for the first time in European club competitions. The only exceptions are Metz Handball and OTP Group Buducnost, who will face off for the 17th time and are now in very different positions, as the French team boasts a perfect record, while their Montenegrin rivals are yet to take their first points. Title holders Györi Audi ETO KC, who top the group, will try to extend their winning run against third-placed Gloria Bistrita, while Team Esbjerg hope to take their second straight victory at DVSC Schaeffler.

In group B, Sola HK and Krim Otp Group Mercator are still searching for their first points of the season as they face Ikast Håndbold and FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, respectively. The Match of the Week brings a top clash between two heavyweights, Odense Håndbold and Brest Bretagne Handball, with both sides determined to extend their strong starts. Meanwhile, CSM Bucuresti host HC Podravka, who travel to Romania without a defeat so far.

GROUP A

BV Borussia Dortmund (GER) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR)

Saturday 4 October, 13:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: no previous encounters in European competitions

• both teams are level on two points after three games, but Storhamar rank fifth, and Dortmund seventh, based on goal difference
• in round 3, Dortmund opened their account in the current EHF Champions League season by beating Debrecen 28:26; Storhamar lost 30:24 at Esbjerg
• the German side have conceded the largest number of goals in the entire competition, 107 in three matches
• in contrast, Storhamar have the most reliable defence in the tournament, with just 73 goals conceded
• the Norwegian team's goalkeeper Eli Marie Raasok has contributed a lot to the strong defence, delivering 46 saves for a nearly 40 per cent saving efficiency

DVSC Schaeffler (HUN) vs Team Esbjerg (DEN)

Saturday 4 October, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: no previous encounters in European competitions

• Esbjerg are fourth-placed in the group, while Debrecen take the sixth position; both teams have two points
• after two defeats, the Danish side finally earned their first win in round 3, defeating Storhamar 30:24 in a Nordic derby
• in turn, Debrecen could not claim any points at Dortmund, losing by two goals in a tight fight
• French right wing Alicia Toublanc is the Hungarian team's leading scorer in the competition with a tally of 16 goals
• Esbjerg’s centre back Henny Reistad and line player Tabea Schmid have scored 19 and 18 goals, respectively

Metz Handball (FRA) vs OTP Group Buducnost (MNE)

Saturday 4 October, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: 6-0-10
Last match: Metz Handball vs WHC Buducnost BEMAX, 15 January 2023 (29:23 (13:9))

• Metz have the maximum of six points and are second-placed in the group; Buducnost sit at the bottom with no points under their belt
• last week, Metz celebrated a 31:24 victory at Bistrica, while Buducnost lost 36:20 against Györ
• for the Montenegrin side, it was the first game under new coach Zoran Abramovic, who replaced Bojana Popovic
• with a tally of just 58 goals, Buducnost have the least effective attack in the competition; in contrast, Metz boast the third-best attack with 99 goals
• three Metz players, Léna Grandveau, Lucie Granier and Sara Bouktit, have a tally of 16 goals in the current tournament, while their teammate Petra Vamos has netted 15 times so far

Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) vs Gloria Bistrita (ROU)

Saturday 4 October, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: no previous encounters in European competitions

• reigning champions Györ top the group with three wins in as many matches, while Bistrita rank third with four points
• Györ's 36:20 win over Buducnost in round 3 is the biggest victory of any team so far in the current EHF Champions League season
• the Hungarian powerhouse boasts the best attack in the competition, having scored 110 goals, which is 36.7 goals on average per game
• following two wins at the start, Bistrita dropped their first points last week, when they lost 31:24 at home against Metz
• Bistrita's right wing Asuka Fujita is the second-best scorer of the tournament with 23 goals; her teammate Renata De Arruda boasts the biggest number of saves, 50

GROUP B

Sola HK (NOR) vs Ikast Håndbold (DEN)

Saturday 4 October, 18:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: 0-0-2
Last match: Sola HK vs Ikast Håndbold, 15 February 2025 (26:32 (14:14))

• Sola are still searching for their first-ever EHF Champions League win after defeats to Podravka, Brest and FTC
• Ikast arrive with two wins, against CSM and Krim, and one defeat, losing only in the domestic derby against Odense
• Sola's Rikke Marie Granlund is the third-best goalkeeper so far with 44 saves and a 38.26 per cent save efficiency, while Ikast's Amalie Milling follows closely with 36 saves and 34.29 per cent
• this will be Ikast's 130th match in the competition, underlining their vast European experience
• it is the first EHF Champions League clash between the two sides, while their only previous duels took place in the EHF European League and were both won by Ikast

Krim Otp Group Mercator (SLO) vs FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN)

Sunday 5 October, 14:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: 8-0-11
Last match: Krim Mercator Ljubljana vs FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, 11 January 2025 (22:27 (11:15))

• Krim were close to winning in round 3, but remain without a point this season, just like Sola and Buducnost
• after two opening defeats, FTC earned their first win in a narrow 26:25 victory against Sola last weekend
• Katrin Klujber leads the charge for FTC with 20 goals, while Ana Abina and Grace Zaadi Deuna top the scoring for Krim with 11 goals each
• FTC's Dragana Cvijic and Daria Dmitrieva both played for Krim previously — Cvijic in the 2021/22 season, and Dmitrieva in 2022/23 and 2023/24
• Krim have won eight of the 19 previous encounters between the two sides, but the last time they beat FTC at home was on 23 September 2023 with a 32:26 victory

MOTW: Odense Håndbold (DEN) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA)

Sunday 5 October, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: 8-1-3
Last match: Brest Bretagne Handball vs Odense Håndbold, 17 November 2024 (36:38 (17:18))

• Brest are the only team in the group with a perfect record and share that milestone in the competition with Metz Handball and Györi Audi ETO KC
• Odense remain unbeaten, but dropped points after sharing spoils with Podravka in round 3
• both sides feature players among the top six scorers of the competition — Thale Rushfeldt Deila leads Odense with 19 goals, while Annika Lott has netted 18 times for Brest
• this will be their 13th encounter — Odense have eight wins, and Brest's last victory in Denmark came in October 2020 when they won 31:24
• Odense boast the second-best attack in the competition with 100 goals at 71.9 per cent efficiency, while Brest hold the second-strongest defence, conceding only 75 goals, or 25 per game on average.
• the Danish side are nine goals shy of their 3,000th EHF Champions League goal — their current tally stands at 2,991 across seven seasons, including the current one

STAT OF THE MATCH (by Julian Rux): Two of the most accurate teams will face each other in the Match of the Week on Sunday. Brest Bretagne Handball rank fourth in shooting percentage at 64.3 per cent, without taking penalty shots and direct free throws into account, while their opponents Odense Håndbold lead the competition with 72.0 per cent.

CSM Bucuresti (ROU) vs HC Podravka (CRO)

Sunday 5 October, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
H2H: 4-0-0
Last match: CSM Bucuresti vs HC Podravka Vegeta, 9 February 2025 (31:30 (16:16))

• CSM are looking to return to winning ways after their only victory so far at home in round two against FTC, while Podravka remain unbeaten with two wins and one draw
• Elizabeth Omoregie is CSM's main engine with 22 goals, while Podravka's Katarina Pandža is the current top scorer of the competition with 24
• both sides have equally strong attacks, netting 89 goals each in three games, with only one per cent separating them in efficiency — Podravka 65 per cent, CSM 64 per cent
• Podravka have been more solid in defence, conceding 3.7 goals fewer per game on average
• CSM have won all four previous encounters against Podravka in the EHF Champions League

Photos © Peka Roland (main), Kevin Clement, BBH - Olivier Stephan, Anze Malovrh / kolektiff (in-text)