On the last main round of the Handball Champions League there is a long-distance duel for third place in group B. THW Kiel has to win today (6.45 p.m.) at the Norwegian champions Elverum Handball and at the same time hope that Nantes does not win in Szeged at the same time.
The 14-match group stage ends this week. The final standings result in the pairings for the round of 16, which will be played from March 22nd to 30th in a two-legged match. As fourth in Group B, THW would meet fifth in Season A – probably Dinamo Bucharest. The sixth in Group A is waiting for the third, probably HC Zagreb.
And a glimpse into the quarter-finals is already possible: In fourth place, Kiel would – assuming they progress – then have to deal with Paris Saint-Germain, in third place either with SC Magdeburg or Veszprém.
Narrow victory in the recent guest appearance in Elverum
But first Elverum: A year ago, the “Zebras” prevailed only very thinly with 31:30 in Norway. At that time, the THW half-left Eric Johansson shone with eight goals – still for Elverum. Now the team of trainer Börge Lund, who wore the THW jersey from 2007 to 2010, is far behind at the end of the table and will probably say goodbye to the European premier class in the long term.
In Norway, the financially strong, up-and-coming Kolstad IL, to which THW backcourt ace Sander Sagosen will also switch, is replacing the previous permanent champion. Elverum already lost the Norwegian Cup on Sunday, and the club is already eight points behind in the league.
THW Kiel without four important forces
The THW clearly won the first leg with 36:26. “This team will certainly be much more dangerous at the end of the group phase,” speculated THW left-hander Harald Reinkind at the time. For the next few weeks he will have to do without his position colleague Steffen Weinhold, who is suffering from a shoulder injury. Niclas Ekberg (ankle), Sven Ehrig (torn cruciate ligament) and Karl Wallinius (knee surgery) are out anyway.
“We are now entering a very important phase of the season, it is not the time for selfishness,” emphasized THW coach Filip Jicha. “We need everyone with a clear focus on the next tasks.”
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NDR 2 Sports | 03/01/2023 | 11:03 p.m
