There are only eight teams left in the EHF European League Men, with four high-profile doubleheaders set for the quarter-finals phase, ready to throw off on this evening (13 April).

Three German teams and one from Denmark, France, Poland, Russia and Sweden headline the card, with the winners progressing to the EHF Finals Men 2021, scheduled for 22 and 23 May.

No undefeated team is left in the competition, but SC Magdeburg are definitely one of the favourites, having won 11 of their 12 games in the EHF European League this season, including a 67:48 aggregate win against RK Eurofarm Pelister in the Last 16. The German side will vie for a place among the last four teams in the competition against IFK Kristianstad, in a position of firm favourites.

Rhein-Neckar Löwen have also conceded only one loss in their first 12 games of the season, but have only won nine times, with the Last 16 tie against Croatian side RK Nexe finishing in a nail-biting 56:54 aggregate win for the Lions. Now, Martin Schwalb’s side will be facing the Russian bears from Chekhovskiye medvedi, who have qualified for the quarter-finals of a European competition for the first time in 10 years.

With all teams who finished second in the group phase out of contention after the Last 16, Montpellier HB can now dream again of European silverware, after securing the EHF Champions League Men title three seasons ago. However, the quarter-finals tie against Füchse Berlin is not a walk in the park, despite Berlin’s troubles in the group phase. The German side have had a roller-coaster season, both in the German Bundesliga, where they are currently ranked sixth, and in the EHF European League Men – therefore, the tie could be decided only in the small details.

It was a mindboggling finish between Orlen Wisla Plock and Sporting CP in the Last 16, but the Polish side got the better of the deal, taking a crucial 54:53 aggregate win. Now, Plock are facing GOG, the Danish side who dominated CSKA, taking a 68:61. All eyes will be on Danish left wing Emil Jakobsen, the top scorer in the competition, yet Plock’s defence is proven to be a tough nut to crack, irrespective of what competition they played in the last seasons.

The second leg of all games will take place next Tuesday, 20 April.

Visit the EHF European League Men website for more information.

Photo: Orlen Wisla Plock