EHF European Cup Men returns with exciting Last 16 clashes

The action starts on Saturday in Hungary, as Runar Sandefjord from Norway meet hosts MOL Tatabanya KC at 14:00 CET in a highly anticipated match. Both sides will face off again seven days later in Norway.

• 16 teams from 10 countries enter the Last 16 — Czechia are represented by three teams, more than any other nation
• for the first time in the history of the competition and its predecessors, two teams from Türkiye qualified for the Last 16; Nilüfer BSK face SKKP Handball Brno in Czechia, while Besiktas JK face RK Celje Pivovarna Laško in Slovenia on Saturday
• Besiktas and Celje met in a European club competition before, when they played in the EHF Champions League 2015/16 and the Slovenian side won 43:29 at home and 30:24 in Istanbul
• another rematch takes place in Czechia on Saturday at 20:00 CET, as HCB Karvina await Balatonfüredi KSE; Karvina met the Hungarian side during the EHF European League 2018/19 qualification, but were not able to advance to the next phase, as Balatonfüredi won both games — 34:33 in Karvina and 32:29 at home
• GRK Ohrid and HC Dukla Praha could deliver some interesting storylines, as the Macedonian side has been impressive in offence with 161 goals — or 40.25 on average — and in defence with 69 goals conceded — or 17.25 per game —, with goalkeeper Bojan Blazhevski saving at 47 per cent; Praha’s left back Jonáš Josef is ranked sixth in the top scorers’ list with 34 goals
• one match is scheduled to take place on Sunday, as HC Izvidac and RK Trimo Trebnje — who are leaders in their respective domestic leagues — face off in Bosnia and Herzegovina at 17:00 CET; Izvidac’s Diano Ćeško won the bronze medal with Croatia at the Men’s EHF EURO 2026

Czech trio with high expectations

Czechia is represented by three teams in the Last 16, more than any other nation. HCB Karvina sit at the top of the league with 17 wins, only two losses and four points clear of third-placed Dukla Praha. Since losing the second leg of round 3 in the EHF European Cup, Karvina have won 10 of their 11 matches played in domestic competitions — the national league and cup.

Praha have a similar record, winning eight of their last 10 matches since advancing to the Last 16. Safe to say that both sides arrive with a positive feeling ahead of their EHF European Cup clashes.

It is a different and more difficult situation for the third Czech team still in the competition — SKKP Handball Brno are ranked sixth in the league and have won only three of their last 11 matches. However, they managed to collect a draw against the second-placed team, Talent Plzen, on Wednesday, which could be a boost of confidence ahead of their Last 16 clashes.

Photos © MOL Tatabanya KC (main), HCB Karvina (in-text)