VELUX EHF Champions League 2016/17 Champions
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2016/17 - Last 16 UPDATE Foreword 4 Media contacts 5 Map of participating clubs 6 Playing system diagrams - stages and dates 8 Road to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 10 Facts and figures of the group phase 12 Important regulations 14 Last 16 previews HBC Nantes vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball 15 Montpellier HB vs KS Vive Tauron Kielce 29 HC PPD Zagreb vs Telekom Veszprem 43 Bjerringbro-Silkeborg vs MOL-Pick Szeged 57 HC Meshkov Brest vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt 71 THW Kiel vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen 85 2016/17 Group Phase Top scorers 98 All-time stats VELUX EHF Champions League 99 Dear media representatives, Welcome to the Last 16 and the knock-out phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League. With FC Barcelona Lassa and HC Vardar having topped their respective groups, they have been rewarded with direct places in the quarter-finals, which means 12 teams competing in this round and a host of exciting clashes to look forward to. We witnessed what was perhaps one of the most interesting draws in the 24-year history of the competition last July, a result which brought together last season’s runners up, Telekom Veszprém, with many of the biggest names in the game includ- ing FC Barcelona Lassa, Paris Saint-Germain Handball, SG Flensburg-Handewitt and THW Kiel in the same group - it promised much and certainly delivered with many tough matches and several surprising results. Group B was no less exciting, with the final positions in the table only decided in the last matches of the group phase. In groups C and D we have also seen a fairy tale first season for HBC Nantes and following the knock-out matches we have no fewer than three French teams playing for a place in the quarter-finals. The new playing system introduced at the beginning of the 2015/16 season contin- ues to deliver thrilling action and close and attractive matches week after week. In the group phase, half of all matches were decided by three or fewer goals and of the 178 matches played, only four were decided by 10 or more goals. Figures from TV and social media channels also confirm the attractiveness of the competition, with match action being broadcast in 60 countries and further increases in the number of hours of coverage and overall audience on TV and ehfTV.com. Ahead of the Last 16, we saw the official launch of the new ‘Let’s Play’ campaign from title sponsor, the VELUX Group. This initiative offers youth teams between the ages of 8 and 14 the chance to win a set of handballs completely free of charge. This season more than 3,000 handballs will be distributed across Europe. The VELUX Group has always been very active in its support of the sport at both elite and grassroots levels and this project offers the perfect opportunity to engage and inspire the next generation of handball players. If you run a youth team or your children play in a team, I would encourage you to take part and take advantage of this generous offer! Finally, I would like to wish all those teams playing in the Last 16 the very best of luck as we look forward to the next step on the road to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne on 3/4 June 2017. Sporting wishes. Michael Wiederer EHF President EHF/M media contacts Clubs media contacts [email protected] Media accreditation for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 Three and a half months before the start of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 2017, the final round of the VELUX EHF Champions League, accreditation requests from media representatives are now being accepted. The event will take place in the LANXESS arena, Cologne on 3/4 June and will see the continent’s top four teams battling it out over two days to lift the coveted VELUX EHF Champions League trophy. Written media, photographers, TV and radio representatives can submit their request for accreditation via an online form at ehfFINAL4.com, the event’s official website. Requests can only be made online. Requests for media accreditation should be made by Friday 5 May 2017. Click here to enter the media accreditation page: https://accreditation.ehf.eu/final4/ VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SG Flensburg- Cocks THW Kiel Season 2016/17 IFK Kristianstad GER Handewitt GER FIN Orlen Wisla SWE Quarter-final teams Plock, POL Elverum HH NOR Last 16 teams Bjerringbro- Silkeborg, DEN HC Meshkov Brest Teams eliminated in group phase BLR TTH Teams eliminated in qualification Holstebro, DEN KS Vive Tauron Kielce POL VELUX EHF FINAL4 Host City Cologne, GER Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS Achilles Bocholt, BEL Tatran Presov Red Boys SVK Differdange, LUX Rhein-Neckar Löwen HC MotorZaporozhye GER UKR Paris Saint-Germain Handball, FRA Telekom Veszprém, HUN HBC Nantes FRA MOL-PickSzeged HUN Montpellier Handball, FRA Dinamo ABC/UMinho Bucuresti, ROU POR Besiktas Bregenz Gorenje MOGAZ HT, TUR Naturhouse Handball, AUT Velenje, SLO La Rioja ESP HC Vardar RUKOMETNI KLUB PRVO PLINARSKO DRUŠTVO ZAGREB MKD FC Barcelona Kadetten RK Celje Pivovarna HC PPD HC Metalurg Maccabi CASTRO Lassa ESP Schaffhausen SUI Lasko, SLO Zagreb, CRO MKD Tel Aviv, ISR VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SG Flensburg- Cocks THW Kiel Season 2016/17 IFK Kristianstad GER Handewitt GER FIN Orlen Wisla SWE Quarter-final teams Plock, POL Elverum HH NOR Last 16 teams Bjerringbro- Silkeborg, DEN HC Meshkov Brest Teams eliminated in group phase BLR TTH Teams eliminated in qualification Holstebro, DEN KS Vive Tauron Kielce POL VELUX EHF FINAL4 Host City Cologne, GER Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS Achilles Bocholt, BEL Tatran Presov Red Boys SVK Differdange, LUX Rhein-Neckar Löwen HC MotorZaporozhye GER UKR Paris Saint-Germain Handball, FRA Telekom Veszprém, HUN HBC Nantes FRA MOL-PickSzeged HUN Montpellier Handball, FRA Dinamo ABC/UMinho Bucuresti, ROU POR Besiktas Bregenz Gorenje MOGAZ HT, TUR Naturhouse Handball, AUT Velenje, SLO La Rioja ESP HC Vardar RUKOMETNI KLUB PRVO PLINARSKO DRUŠTVO ZAGREB MKD FC Barcelona Kadetten RK Celje Pivovarna HC PPD HC Metalurg Maccabi CASTRO Lassa ESP Schaffhausen SUI Lasko, SLO Zagreb, CRO MKD Tel Aviv, ISR Tournaments Last 16 Tournaments Last 16 Facts and figueres of the group phase Facts and figures of the group phase More matches than ever before (184) have been played to decide the participants of the VELUX EHF Champions League Knock-out Phase: 8 qualification matches, 112 matches in Groups A and B, 60 matches in Groups C and D, and 4 play-off matches. FC Barcelona Lassa from Group A and HC Vardar from Group B have qualified directly for the quarter-finals. First, 12 teams will compete in the Last 16: 10 from Groups A and B and 2 (both from France) from the Group C and D play-offs. Between 22 March and 2 April, 12 matches will decide the six remaining participants for the quarter-finals, which will confirm the teams for the trophy battle at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne on 3-4 June. So there are just 24 matches left until we know the VELUX EHF Champions League 2016/17 champions. With Paris SG vs Nantes and Kiel vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen in the Last 16, two nations (France and Germany) will definitely be represented in the quarter-finals. 0 teams have won or lost all their matches. 0 teams from the qualification are still in the compe- 7 tition. defeats have been conceded by THW Kiel, as many as never before in a single Champions League season. 1 EHF Champions League debutant has made it through to the knockout stage: HBC Nantes. 9 matches ended with a margin of 10 or more goals. 1 team - Barcelona - have finished top of their group 9 different nations are being represented by the 14 for the second time in this format, which was imple- teams still in the competition – including 3 from both mented prior to the 2015/16 season. Germany and France, 2 from Hungary, and 1 each from Poland, Spain, Belarus, Croatia, Macedonia and Denmark. There is only one change compared to 2 2016: Denmark has replaced Ukraine. points from 14 matches is the lowest points total for any team in the group phase, by Kadetten Schaffhausen. 10 rounds including 60 matches have been played in Groups C and D to confirm the top four teams, which appeared in the play-offs for the Last 16. In the end, 4 times, 70 or more goals were scored in a group Montpellier and Nantes advanced. match including the play-offs. 12 of the 14 teams still in the competition have also 5 former or current EHF Champions League winners been part of the knockout stage last season. New are – with 14 titles in total – still have a chance to win the Nantes and Bjerringbro, replacing Motor and Plock. trophy again: Vive Tauron Kielce, FC Barcelona (8-time winner), THW Kiel (3), Flensburg and Montpellier (each 1). Also, two former finalists have made it to the knockout stage: Veszprém and Zagreb. 14 points on home ground, the maximum from seven matches, were taken by Barcelona and Paris. 6 coaches still involved in the competition have won the CL before: Talant Dujshebaev (Kielce/4 titles), Alfred Gislason (Kiel/4), Xavi Pascual (Barcelona/2), 16 of the 176 group phase matches (including play- Patrice Canayer (Montpellier), Noka Serdarusic (PSG) offs) ended in a draw: 3 each in the Groups A, C and D; and Ljubomir Vranjes (Flensburg/each 1). 6 in Group B; 1 in the play-offs. 6 times, a group phase match ended with less than 45 17 goals scored by Elverum in their 18:17 defeat at goals scored.