The eight teams which won their first matches at the 2022 IHF Men’s Super Globe will face off on the last day of the preliminary round, with four semi-final berths ready to be taken.

All four European sides competing are in pole position to progress to the next phase, with Lomza Industria Kielce, Barça and reigning champions SC Magdeburg being installed as big favourites, while the reigning EHF European League Men champions, SL Benfica, face a tough challenge against Egyptian powerhouse Al-Ahly SC.

Group C

• 12:15 AST Handebol Clube Taubaté (BRA) vs Lomza Industria Kielce (POL)

Back at the IHF Men’s Super Globe for the first time since 2016, Lomza Industria Kielce powered to a 47:26 win against Al-Kuwait SC, which means the game against Taubaté will basically count as the final for Group C, with both sides registering victories in their first matches, both against the Kuwaiti side.

Kielce, the runners-up of the EHF Champions League Men last season, will definitely be favoured against the Brazilian side, whose best finish in the competition was the fifth place in 2018. Coach Talant Dujshebaev managed to hand some key players, like Arkadiusz Moryto, Andreas Wolff and Alex Dujshebaev a rest in the first match; therefore, they should be fresh and ready to go.

Kielce also scored the second-largest number of goals in the first match of the competition at the 2022 IHF Men’s Super Globe, 47, using their high-octane attack and converting their fast breaks with ease, coming only three goals shy of the record set by Barça one day before.

Taubaté’s record at the IHF Men’s Super Globe does not sound promising for the match against Kielce, with the Brazilian side conceding five losses in five matches against European sides. Including a 30:33 loss against the Polish team in 2016, when Kielce went on and finished in third place in the final standings.

Group D

• 14:30 AST Barça (ESP) vs Espérance de Tunis (TUN)

Barça wrote history both in the IHF Men’s Super Globe and for their books in the first match of the 2022 edition, taking a huge win, 50:18, against Club Ministros. It was the largest-ever win in the history of the competition. It also had the largest number of goals scored by the Spanish side in an international match and the second-largest number of goals in their history.

The Spanish powerhouse also used several fringe players throughout the game, with right wing Pablo Urdangarin becoming the top scorer of the competition after the first round, with 12 goals. At the same time, goalkeeper Roberto Domenech had the most significant number of saves, 22, with the Spanish side seeing some of their future players at work in a competitive environment.

However, the game against Espérance de Tunis will not be a walk in the park for the Spanish powerhouse, with the African side boasting their own biggest win in history at the IHF Men’s Super Globe on Wednesday, 46:21, against Ministros.

But the head-to-head record clearly favours Barça, who secured clear wins in 2014, 37:23, and in 2017, 42:24, totally outplaying their opponents. It is also expected for players like Dika Mem or Luka Cindric to feature more prominently in Thursday’s match.

Group B

• 16:45 AST Al-Ahly SC (EGY) vs SL Benfica (POR)

In the first game at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, SL Benfica got off to a slow start against Mudhar, but by the end of the match, they delivered a strong performance, failing to reach the 40-goal mark by a single goal. 

They stayed true to their roots and used a fast-paced game with lightning-fast throw-offs, for which Mudhar had no answers. But Al-Ahly SC will be a totally different challenge for the Portuguese side, with plenty of Egyptian fans in the stands, which will definitely make their presence known.

However, the Egyptian side lost their matches played at the IHF Men’s Super Globe against European teams, one in 2002 against Ciudad Real and the second 13 years later against Barca. With their best-ever finish in the competition being the second place in 2002, they will need a win to have a chance to tie it, as a draw would see Benfica through, courtesy of the better goal difference.

Group A

• 19:00 AST SC Magdeburg (GER) vs Khaleej (KSA)

Khaleej threw off their first IHF Men’s Super Globe in style, taking a 35:21 win against Sydney-Uni on Wednesday afternoon and hoping to bring the same energy and produce the same performance against a much tougher opponent, the reigning champions, SC Magdeburg.

The German champions are on a five-game winning streak in the competition, dating back to the previous edition. They have two wins in three matches against opponents from Asia, with the only loss coming in 2002, against Qatari side Al-Sadd, in a tournament where they finished second.

Magdeburg are on the back of their biggest-ever win in the competition, an 18-goal win against Sydney-Uni in the first match of this edition, 41:23, where coach Bennet Wiegert managed to rest his key players, rotating the squad without putting too much pressure on stars.

No player has scored more than seven goals for Magdeburg, with right wing Lukas Mertens topping the scoring charts. Still, this challenge will surely be more difficult, as Khaleej have plenty of experience in their ranks, as Egyptian stalwarts Karim Hendawy, Ahmed Elahmar and Hassan Kaddah featured prominently. Kaddah, Elahmar and Bahraini centre back Hussan Al Sayyed combined for 15 goals in their win against Sydney-Uni, with Khaleej needing a win to become the first Saudi side to finish in the top 4 at the IHF Men’s Super Globe.