Table of contents Foreword 5 Media contacts 6 Map of clubs 2013/14 7 Playing system diagram - stages and dates 8 Regulations – rankings of the Group Phase 9 CL information - pre-match stats, accreditation for media 10 ehfTV-com - all matches live, first two MOTW released 11 Qualification review – Boarding completed 12 Group Phase overview - expert opinion - FX Houlet 13 Group A - teams, expert opinion – Mirza Džomba 15 head-to-head stats 16 MKB Veszprem KC 18 HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb 22 St. Petersburg HC 26 Rhein Neckar Löwen 30 Celje Pivovarna Laško 34 HC Motor Zaporozhye 38 Group B - teams, expert opinion – Frank von Behren 42 head-to-head stats 43 THW Kiel 44 KS Vive Targi Kielce 48 Orlen Wisła Płock 52 KIF Kolding København 56 Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral 60 FC Porto Vitalis 63 Group C - teams, expert opinion – Valero Rivera 67 head-to-head stats 68 FC Barcelona 69 3 Table of contents PSG Handball 73 HC Vardar PRO Skopje 77 Wacker Thun 81 HC Dinamo Minsk 84 HC Metalurg 88 Group D - teams, expert opinion – Lars Christiansen 93 head-to-head stats 94 Aalborg Handball 95 RK Gorenje Velenje 99 SG Flensburg-Handewitt 103 Naturhouse La Rioja 107 HK DROTT Halmstad 110 HSV Hamburg 113 VELUX EHF FINAL4 118 History CL 119 Past winners 121 Past top scorers 122 2012/13 top scorers 123 All-time standings 124 Appendix 1 – Results of the Qualification Appendix 2 – Schedule of the Group Phase matches 4 Foreword Dear Media Representative, Welcome to a new season of the VELUX EHF Champions League. We are now standing on the eve of the competition’s Group Phase and when I look at the four groups that were drawn at the end of June 2013, now completed by the teams that made it through the qualification stage, I am confident the 21st season of our premier club handball competition will be no less exciting than the previous editions. And what a promising prelude the qualification encounters already were - hotly-contested, narrow matches - which served as a fantastic appetizer of what is yet to come. 24 teams are vying for one of the 16 spots in the first knockout phase. There are newcomers among them, such as Wacker Thun from Switzerland or HK DROTT Halmstad from Sweden, and once again we welcome back well-known teams such as Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb, MKB-MVM Veszprem, and the competition’s record winners, FC Barcelona. But no matter whether it is a team’s first or twentieth season – what unites them all is the will to excel and to advance as far as possible, potentially even reaching the VELUX EHF FINAL4, the EHF Champions League’s grand finale in front of 20,000 spectators at the LANXESS arena in Cologne at the end of May 2014. To all teams, I wish them the best of luck in reaching their goals. We pride ourselves on our positive and cooperative relationship with the press and media and I am sure this will continue and develop in the future. I therefore hope you consider this media guide a useful and enriching resource for your work in the upcoming weeks and months. Should you require any further information, help or assistance during the course of the season, your first point of contact is the EHF Media and Communications Department based in our office in Vienna. They will be more than happy to assist you with any questions you might have. We look forward to working with you in the coming season! Jean Brihault EHF President 5 EHF/M Media contacts Media matters TV and Radio Vlado Brindzak Akos Moczan Media and Communications Media Manager European Handball Federation EHF Marketing GmbH +43 1 80 151 161 +43 1 80 151 226 [email protected] [email protected] Clubs – Media contacts Group A Group B Group C Group D MKB-MVM Veszprém KC (HUN) THW Kiel (GER) FC Barcelona (ESP) Aalborg Handball (DEN) Zsolt Sevinger Christian Robohm Gustau Galvache Poul Madsbjerg +36 305024547 +49 1635306300 +34 618522789 +4520804976 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb (CRO) Vive Targi Kielce (POL) PSG Handball (FRA) Gorenje Velenje (SLO) Goran Roknić Sebastian Kozubek Joachim Azouze Tanija Rednak +385 95 9999 334 +48 505031244 +33 (0)7 85 57 04 55 +386 38986440 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] St. Petersburg HC (RUS) Orlen Wisła Płock (POL) RK Vardar PRO – Skopje (MKD) Naturhouse La Rioja (ESP) Stanislav Fedorov Piotr Raczkowski Marko Savovski Jaime Luis Gonzalez Gutierrez +7-905-2340000 Tel: +48-691-99881 +389 75 200 008 +34 63 77 66 107 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Rhein Neckar Löwen (GER) KIF Kolding København (DEN) Wacker Thun (SUI) SG Flensburg Handewitt (GER) Ute Krebs Thomas Christensen Benedikt Anderes Sandra von Wallis +49 126 2500 933 +45 22 629062 +41 79 417 87 23 +49 4611609625 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] s.vonwallis@ sg-flensburg-handewitt.de RK Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO) Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral (FRA) HC Dinamo Minsk (BLR) Nejc Ajdnik Melanie Lefevbre Maxim Koshkalda HK DROTT Halmstad (SWE) +386 40687766 + 33 3 28 66 91 52 +375 296 477910 Ole Hagström [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] +46-705-437-020 [email protected] HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) FC Porto Vitalis (POR) HC Metalurg (MKD) Dmitriy Karpushchenko Joana Moreira Zoran Cvetanovski HSV Hamburg (GER) +380 50 5581181 Tel: +351 22 508 32 68 +389 78223505 Oliver Junggeburth [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] +49 40 30987653 [email protected] 6 VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Elverum KIF Kolding HB Herrer, NOR Kobenhavn, DEN HK Drott Füchse Berlin, Season 2013/14 Halmstad, SWE GER Aalborg Handbold, DEN Teams qualified for the Group Phase St. Petersburg HC, RUS Teams participating in qualification THW Kiel, HC Dinamo matches GER Minsk, BLR SG Flensburg- Handewitt, GER Orlen Wisla Plock, POL HV KRAS Volendam, NDL HSV Hamburg, GER KS Vive Targi Kielce, POL VELUX EHF FINAL4 Host City Cologne, GER Tatran Presov, SVK 7 Dunkerque HB HC Motor G. Littoral, FRA Zaporozhye, UKR Rhein-Neckar Löwen, GER MKB Veszprem, HUN Handball ESCH, LUX Pick Szeged, HUN PSG Handball, FRA HCM Constanta, ROU FC Porto Vitalis, POR RK Vojvodina Novi Sad, SRB Wacker Thun, SUI Besiktas JK, Alpla HC Hard, TUR AUT HC Croatia O. Zagreb,CRO RK Borac m:tel Banja Luka, BIH F.C. Barcelona, RK Celje Pivo. HC Vardar Pro ESP Lasko, SLO Skopje, MKD Naturhouse Montpellier RK Gorenje A.E.K. Athens, HC Metalurg, La Rioja, ESP Agglom. HB, FRA Velenje, SLO GRE MKD VELUX EHF Champions League 2013/14 playing system Qualication Group Phase Last 16 Quarter-nals FINAL4 Tournaments Semi-nals 4 vs. 1 3 vs. 2 2 vs. 1 vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. vs. 8 3rd Place Match vs. vs. vs. Qualication/ vs. Wild Card Matches vs. vs. Final Home Matches 5 1 1 vs. vs. Total Matches 10 2 2 vs. Season 2013/14 playing dates Qualication Tournaments Group Phase Last 16 Quarter-nals FINAL4 31.08. - 01.09.2013 18. - 22.09.2013 20. - 24.11.2013 rst leg rst leg 31.05 /1.06.2014 25. - 29.09.2013 27.11 - 01.12.2013 19.03. - 23.03.2014 16.04. - 20.04.2014 Qualication 09. - 13.10.2013 05. - 09.02.2014 and Wild Card Matches 16. - 20.10.2013 12. - 16.02.2014 second leg second leg 13. - 17.11.2013 19. - 23.02.2014 26.03. - 30.03.2014 23.04. - 27.04.2014 21.08. - 01.09.2013 Important regulations Scoring of the matches and ranking General Group Phase All matches of the VELUX EHF Champions League shall be played in 2 If two or more teams have scored the same number of points, the x 30 minutes with a half-time break of 10 minutes. The EHF reserves ranking will be determined as follows: the right to extend the half-time break in special circumstances to 15 minutes. During the Group Phase: a) higher goal difference in all matches; The matches shall be scored as follows: b) higher number of plus goals in all matches; a) win = 2 points b) draw = 1 point After completion of the Group Phase if two teams have scored the c) loss = 0 points same number of points: a) number of points in matches of the two teams directly involved; Teams’ rankings are obtained by adding up the number of points won. b) goal difference in matches of the two teams directly involved; c) higher number of goals scored in the away match of the two teams directly involved; d) goal difference in all matches of the group; e) higher number of plus goals in all matches of the group; After completion of the Group Phase if three or more teams have scored the same number of points: a) number of points in matches of all teams directly involved; b) goal difference in matches of all teams directly involved; c) higher number of plus goals in matches of all teams directly involved; d) goal difference in all matches of the group; e) higher number of plus goals in all matches of the group; If the ranking of one of these teams is determined, the criteria are consecutively followed until the ranking of all teams is determined. If no ranking can be determined, a decision shall be obtained by drawing lots.