Favourites eye EHF Finals Women spots

Following their first-leg wins in Russia, Herning-Ikast Handbold and Nantes Atlantique Handball are looking to defend their advantages at home in the second leg of the EHF European League Women quarter-finals, while their rivals Handball Club Lada and HC Zvezda hope for strong comebacks.

With a superb home record in European competitions, CS Minaur Baia Mare aim to secure their EHF Finals Women 2021 spot in a domestic derby, following a 31:24 win against HC Dunarea Braila in the first leg.

Meanwhile, unbeaten Siófok eye a place among the top four teams as they start their quarter-final quest, hosting both games against Russian side Astrakhanochka in a double header format.

Astrakhanochka (RUS) vs Siófok KC (HUN)
Friday 2 April, 19:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

Siófok KC (HUN) vs Astrakhanochka (RUS)
Sunday 4 April, 16:00 CEST, live on EHFTV

• the sides will meet in Siófok for both matches, playing the first leg on Friday and the second on Sunday
• while the Russian squad finished second in group C, the Hungarian powerhouse won group D confidently, recording only one draw next to five triumphs
• Siófok scored the second most in the group stage. Astrakhanochka netted the second lowest number of goals of the quarter-finalists
• Siófok won the current series’ predecessor in 2018/19 and are eager to succeed again to fulfil the club’s dream

CS Minaur Baia Mare (ROU) vs HC Dunarea Braila (ROU)
Saturday 3 April, 12:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
First leg: 31:24

• after losing the first leg 24:31 last Saturday, Braila need a miracle — but they have not won against Baia Mare in any competition in the last eight years
• Baia Mare’s two Serbian backs, Jovanka Kovacevic (35 goals) and Jelena Lavko (26 goals), have combined for 61 of their side’s 181 goals scored this season in the EHF European League Women
• Braila’s biggest winning margin this season in all competitions was six goals — 31:25 against Fleury Loiret in the group phase of the European League
• Baia Mare won seven of their last eight home games in European competitions, with their only loss in that span coming against Buducnost in the quarter-finals of the DELO EHF Champions League in the 2015/16 season

Herning-Ikast Handbold (DEN) vs Handball Club Lada (RUS)
Saturday 3 April, 14:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
First leg: 31:29

• the first-leg match in Togliatti was a tough contest, with Herning-Ikast ultimately snatching a 31:29 win as they were dominant in the last 10 minutes
• the Danish side have enjoyed a five-match winning run in the EHF European League Women, having taken victories in all three home games in the current competition
• in contrast, Lada lost both away games played in the group phase. The third match, at Nantes, was assessed as a 10:0 result in the Russian team’s favour
• in the Women’s EHF Cup last season, Lada also lost to Herning at home (20:25), but later convincingly avenged that result in Denmark (38:28). However, those matches were in the group phase and both sides went through

Nantes Atlantique Handball (FRA) vs HC Zvezda (RUS)
Sunday 4 April, 14:00 CEST, live on EHFTV
First leg: 33:29

• Nantes are in the driving seat in this tie following a 33:29 win in Russia last Saturday. The French team have a good chance to reach their first semi-final in a European competition
• the impact of Deborah Kpodar and Nathalie Hagman, who scored eight and six goals respectively, was crucial for the French team’s first-leg win
• Nantes’ Bruna De Paula, who netted four times in Chekhov, is second-placed in the competition’s scoring chart, with 48 goals — four fewer than Marina Dmitrovic from Braila
• Zvezda lost seven of their last 10 matches in both the Russian League and the EHF European League Women, however, on Wednesday they comfortably beat Luch Moscow in a domestic league game, 34:20