Media Information VELUX EHF Champions League Season 2018/19 Last 16, Leg 1 HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) vs HC Vardar (MKD) Arena Zagreb (Zagreb, CRO) Saturday 23 March, 20:30 hrs HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) vs HC Vardar (MKD) Last 16 Saturday 23 March 2019, 20:30 hrs Leg 1 Playing hall Arena Zagreb Laniste 30 10000 Zagreb Croatia Capacity: 15,200 • Both sides boasted some of the strongest defences of the VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase 2018/19, with Zagreb conceding 388 goals and Vardar 390. Most games vs Vardar: • In attack, however, Vardar outscored Zagreb by 47 goals. Most games vs Zagreb: Zlatko Horvat 9 Vlado Nedanovski 6 Igor Vori 8 • Neither of the two Croats in the Vardar squad, Igor Karacic Ilija Abutovic 4 Josip Valcic 7 and Ivan Cupic, has played for Zagreb. Stevche Alushovski 4 Denis Spoljaric 6 • Arena Zagreb hosted the CL match with the highest Joan Cañellas 4 Niksa Kaleb 4 attendance so far this season: 9,134 fans against PSG. Luka Cindric 4 Tin Kontrec 4 Ivan Cupic 4 • Croatia’s Igor Karacic (to Kielce) and Latvian giant Dainis Stipe Mandalinic 4 Timur Dibirov 4 Kristopans (PSG) will leave Vardar. Dobrivoje Markovic 4 Rogerio Ferreira Moraes 4 Valter Matosevic 4 • Vardar played Zagreb both seasons they reached the Aleksandar Jovic 4 Matevz Skok 4 VELUX EHF FINAL4 (2016/17 and 2017/18): Vardar won three Jorge Maqueda 4 Tonci Valcic 4 times, Zagreb once. Mijajlo Marsenic 4 • In the group phase, Zagreb got seven of their 11 points at Zoran Petkovski 4 Most goals vs Vardar: home, Vardar got nine of their 19 points in away matches. Daniil Shishkarev 4 Zlatko Horvat 22 Arpad Sterbik 4 Stipe Mandalinic 21 • Zagreb are the record CL participants with 25 appearances Stojanche Stoilov 4 Igor Vori 20 in 26 seasons; Vardar are in their 13th CL season. Mirza Dzomba 15 • In the all-time CL ranking, Zagreb are fourth with 270 Most goals vs Zagreb: Dobrivoje Markovic 13 matches (119 wins, 30 draws, 121 defeats). Vardar have played Ivan Cupic 17 136 CL matches (64 wins, 15 draws, 57 defeats). Aleksandar Jovic 17 Stevche Alushovski 16 • Vardar are the only team from former Yugoslavia to win the VELUX EHF FINAL4 (in 2017), and the second to win the CL (after Celje in 2004). Regional league Regional league • In January, Zagreb replaced coach Lino Cervar, who now SEHA-Gazprom League SEHA-Gazprom League fully focuses on the Croatian national team, with Branko Tamse. Last 3 games: Last 3 games: • Zagreb only have players from former Yugoslavia: CRO, 13/03 vs Tatran Presov L28:29 SLO, MNE, SRB, BIH. Vardar's squad contains 10 nationalities: 12/03 @ HC Izvidac W28:31 MKD, SRB, MNE, GER, CRO, RUS, BRA, LAT, ALG, SLO. 09/03 @ Meshkov Brest L31:26 10/03 @ RK Nexe L24:21 • Vardar coach Roberto Parrondo won the CL twice as a 06/03 @ Zeleznicar Nis W32:33 05/03 vs Meshkov Brest L30:32 player - with Ciudad Real in 2008 and 2009. • Zagreb’s team captain and left wing Zlatko Horvat is the Next game (SEHA Final 4): third-best CL scorer still in competition with 73 goals, behind Next game (SEHA Final 4): Barys Pukhouski (HC Motor Zaporozhye/80) and Andy Schmid 02/04 vs RK Nexe 02/04 vs Meshkov Brest (Rhein-Neckar Löwen/78). • Vardar’s best scorer is Dainis Kristopans with 61 goals. Final standings regular season: Final standings regular season: • Vardar reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the 1. Vardar 18 512:467 42 last five CL seasons. 1. Vardar 18 512:467 42 2. Zagreb 18 484:442 39 • Both sides have qualified for the final tournament of the 2. Zagreb 18 484:442 39 3. Nexe 18 469:420 39 SEHA-Gazprom League, staged in Brest on 2/3 April. 3. Nexe 18 469:420 39 4. Brest 18 573:483 39 • Playing each other earlier this SEHA League season, both 4. Brest 18 573:483 39 sides won their home matches: Zagreb 26:23, Vardar 28:23. … … • Vardar are the record winners of the SEHA League with 10. Izvidac 18 444:529 4 four trophies (2012, 2014, 2017, 2018). Zagreb won the title 10. Izvidac 18 444:529 4 once (2013). 2 Previous matches in European Cup competitions HC PPD Zagreb vs HC Vardar 5-1-4 (267:262) 11:9 10.11.2002 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje vs RK Zagreb, EHF Champions League – Group D 25:28 (13:11) 08.12.2002 RK Zagreb vs Vardar Vatrost. Skopje, EHF Champions League – Group D 30:25 (17:9) 03.04.2005 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje vs RK Zagreb, Cup Winners’ Cup – Semi-final 23:21 (10:11) 10.04.2005 RK Zagreb vs Vardar Vatrost. Skopje, Cup Winners’ Cup – Semi-final 34:26 (16:11) 07.10.2007 HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb vs HC Vardar PRO – Skopje, EHF Champions League – Group C 28:28 (10:16) 10.11.2007 HC Vardar PRO – Skopje vs HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb, EHF Champions League – Group C 26:34 (12:16) 22.10.2016 HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb vs HC Vardar, VELUX EHF Champions League – Group B 28:27 (12:17) 11.02.2017 HC Vardar vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League – Group B 25:20 (14:8) 01.10.2017 HC Vardar vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League – Group A 28:21 (13:10) 11.11.2017 HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb vs HC Vardar, VELUX EHF Champions League – Group A 23:29 (10:15) Details of last HC PPD Zagreb vs HC Vardar match: 11.11. 2017 ( Z a g re b, C RO) HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb vs HC Vardar 23:29 (10:15) (VELUX EHF Champions League, Group A) Referees: Jonas Eliasson/Anton Palsson (Iceland). Suspensions: 6’ – 0 (Susnja 2’, Tonci Valcic 2’, Vuglac 2’). Number of 7m: 3/2 – 7/7. Attendance: 9,200. Urh Kastelic Arpad Sterbik -> Veszprém Sporting CP <- Matevz Skok Strahinja Milic -> left in 2018 --- --- Al-Duhail SC <- Zarko Markovic (1) Stojanche Stoilov Luka Mrakovcic (2) (4) Dainis Kristopans Josip Bozic Pavletic (1) Rogerio Ferreira Moraes Tin Kontrec (1) (3) Jorge Maqueda -> MOL-Pick Szeged retired <-Igor Vori (2) (2) Igor Karacic Zeleznicar Nis <- Dobrivoje Markovic Ilija Abutovic -> Rhein-Neckar Löwen Zlatko Horvat (3) (2) Joan Cañellas -> MOL-Pick Szeged Leon Susnja (2) Luka Cindric -> PGE Vive Kielce retired <-Josip Valcic (1) (7) Ivan Cupic retired <- Tonci Valcic (2) Timur Dibirov Füchse Berlin <- Stipe Mandalinic (6) (1) Daniil Shishkarev Matej Hrstic (6) Vuko Borozan retired <- Mario Vuglac (3) (1) Janja Vojvodic Damir Bicanic (2) Mijajlo Marsenic -> Füchse Berlin 3 Most goals in one game for HC PPD Zagreb vs HC Vardar: Mirza Dzomba 9 10.11.2007 HC Vardar PRO – Skopje-HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb 26:34 Stipe Mandalinic 9 01.10.2017 HC Vardar-HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb 28:21 Renato Sulic 8 08.12.2002 RK Zagreb-Vardar Vatrost. Skopje 30:25 Slavko Goluza 8 10.04.2005 RK Zagreb-Vardar Vatrost. Skopje 34:26 Zlatko Horvat 7 10.04.2005 RK Zagreb-Vardar Vatrost. Skopje 34:26 Igor Vori 7 10.04.2005 RK Zagreb-Vardar Vatrost. Skopje 34:26 Ljubo Vukic 7 07.10.2007 HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb-HC Vardar PRO – Skopje 28:28 Most goals in one game for HC Vardar vs HC PPD Zagreb: Aleksandar Jovic 8 10.11.2002 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje-RK Zagreb 25:28 Kiril Atanasovski 7 08.12.2002 RK Zagreb-Vardar Vatrost. Skopje 30:25 Ivan Markovski 7 03.04.2005 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje-RK Zagreb 23:21 Ivan Markovski 7 10.04.2005 RK Zagreb-Vardar Vatrost. Skopje 34:26 Alex Dujshebaev 7 11.02.2017 HC Vardar-HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb 25:20 Ivan Cupic 7 11.11.2017 HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb-HC Vardar 23:29 Last 10 games in the VELUX EHF Champions League: HC PPD Zagreb: current run – winless three 03.03.2019 Szeged HUN @ MOL-Pick Szeged HUN D 26:26 24.02.2019 Zagreb CRO vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER L 21:22 17.02.2019 Paris FRA @ Paris Saint-Germain HB FRA L 33:28 10.02.2019 Zagreb CRO vs Skjern Handbold DEN W 32:29 01.12.2018 Varaždin CRO vs HC Motor Zaporozhye UKR W 27:25 24.11.2018 Zagreb CRO vs HBC Nantes FRA D 27:27 18.11.2018 Celje SLO @ RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO L 30:21 10.11.2018 Zagreb CRO vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO W 24:22 03.11.2018 Nantes FRA @ HBC Nantes FRA L 23:20 14.10.2018 Zaporozhye UKR @ HC Motor Zaporozhye UKR L 35:27 HC Vardar: current run – won two 02.03.2019 Skopje MKD vs Montpellier HB FRA W 33:27 23.02.2019 Kristianstad SWE @ IFK Kristianstad SWE W 30:32 16.02.2019 Skopje MKD vs Telekom Veszprém HC HUN L 27:29 06.02.2019 Mannheim GER @ Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER W 27:30 01.12.2018 Skopje MKD vs PGE Vive Kielce POL W 28:27 24.11.2018 Brest BLR @ HC Meshkov Brest BLR D 31:31 17.11.2018 Barcelona ESP @ Barça Lassa ESP L 34:26 11.11.2018 Skopje MKD vs Barça Lassa ESP L 26:30 03.11.2018 Skopje MKD vs HC Meshkov Brest BLR W 30:23 14.10.2018 Kielce POL @ PGE Vive Kielce POL L 31:27 4 HC PPD Zagreb vs Macedonian clubs 12-1-5 Season Opponent Home Away Competition 2002/03 Vardar Vatrost.