Strong sides aim for title in the EHF European League Men
08 Oct. 2024
The new season of the EHF European League Men, the second-tier club European competition, will throw off on Tuesday, 8 October, with 32 teams at the start, which are divided into eight groups of four teams each in the group matches phase of the competition.
32 teams are lined up at the start, representing 17 countries, with Germany, France and Spain having four teams each, while Switzerland, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Croatia and Iceland having two teams each.
Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Hungary and Czechia each have one team, in what promises to be a fantastic battle for the title, currently held by SG Flensburg-Handewitt, which won the trophy last season, in the EHF Finals in Hamburg, where the business end of the competition will also take place this season.
Flensburg will once again be one of the favoured teams to secure the title, with yet another challenge on their hands for the German side, which has a fantastic roster, with four Olympic champions -Simon Pytlick, Lukas Jørgensen, Emil Jakobsen and Niclas Kirkeløkke.
Adding to their stellar line-up are Germany’s captain Johannes Golla, centre back Jim Gottfridsson or right back Kay Smits, as Flensburg are clearly favourites in Group G, where they meet MOL Tatabanya KC, MRK Sesvete and HCB Karvina.
Another favourite will be THW Kiel, one of the three sides which won the title three times in the second-tier European competition, with the German side aiming to leapfrog SC Magdeburg and Frisch Auf Göppingen, the other two sides which won the title four times.
Kiel, a true powerhouse in its own nature, did not have a flawless start of the season, already conceding two losses in the domestic league, against Rhein-Neckar Lowen and against MT Melsugen, with the latter side also being in the competition, in one of the most balanced groups.
The former Egypt national team coach, Roberto Garcia Parrondo, currently at Melsungen, will face former Champions League winners, HC Vardar 1961, Icelandic side Valur and FC Porto, a team which has a lot of experience in the European premium competition.
Another interesting group will be the one which features Spanish side Bidasoa Irun, Romanian side CSM Constanta, Polish side KGHM Chobry Glogow and Swedish side Ystads IF HF.Â
Other challengers will likely be Montpellier Handball or VfL Gummersbach, another German side, which will aim to extend Germany’s dominance in the competition, with teams from that country winning 24 of the last 27 editions of the EHF European League Men.
The top two sides in each group will progress to the main round, with the knockout phase starting with the quarter-finals and then finishing with the EHF Finals, which will take place again in Hamburg.
EHF European League Men – group matches
Group A: HC Kriens-Luzern (SUI), RK Gorenje Velenje (SLO), Abanca Ademar Leon (ESP), GOG (DEN)
Group B: Montpellier Handball (FRA), GĂłrnik Zabrze (POL), Bjerringbro-Silkeborg (DEN), Fraikin BM. Granollers (ESP)
Group C: Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI), Limoges Handball (FRA), Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR), TATRAN Presov (SVK)
Group D: Bidasoa Irun (ESP), CSM Constanta (ROU), KGHM Chobry Glogow (POL), Ystads IF HF (SWE)
Group E: THW Kiel (GER), RK Nexe (CRO), Bathco BM. Torrelavega (ESP), Vojvodina (SRB)
Group F: FC Porto (POR), HC Vardar 1961 (MKD), MT Melsungen (GER), Valur (ISL)
Group G: SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER), MOL Tatabanya KC (HUN), MRK Sesvete (CRO), HCB Karvina (CZE)
Group H: IK Sävehof (SWE), FH Hafnarfjordur (ISL), FENIX Toulouse (FRA), VfL Gummersbach (GER)
Photo credit: THW Kiel / Sascha Klahn