Media Information VELUX EHF Champions League Season 2015/16. Group Phase

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1 Media Information VELUX EHF Champions League Season 2015/16 Group Phase

2 VELUX EHF Champions League 2015/2016 OFFICIAL PROGRAMME Title sponsor Premium sponsor Regional Premium sponsor Partners VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPONSORS

3 Handle as you like The convenient top operation not only makes it easy to open the window with a single-handed tug at the elegant control bar, it also offers the opportunity to place furniture beneath the window. A unique ventilation flap is cleverly integrated in the control bar. Watch the movie here:

4 Table of contents Foreword 6 Media contacts 7 Map of participating clubs 8 Playing system diagrams - stages and dates 9 Where to follow - live ticker, live streaming, EHF_live 11 List of TV stations 13 ehftv.com relaunches, first MOTWs announced 14 VELUX EHF FINAL4 countdown 16 Ticket partners for VELUX EHF FINAL4 announced 18 Qualification review 19 Facts & Figures of the Group Phase 20 Important regulations - scoring of matches and ranking 23 GROUP A Preview 25 Head-to-heads in the EC 26 THW Kiel 30 MVM Veszprem 34 Paris Saint-Germain Handball 38 RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko 42 Orlen Wisla Plock 46 HC Prvo Plinarsko Drustvo Zagreb 50 Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu 54 SG Flensburg-Handewitt 58 GROUP B Preview 63 Head-to-heads in the EC 64 FC Barcelona Lassa 67 KS Vive Tauron Kielce 71 HC Vardar 75 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 79 MOL-Pick Szeged 83 Rhein-Neckar Löwen 87 IFK Kristianstad 91 Montpellier HB 94 4

5 Table of contents GROUP C Preview 99 Head-to-heads in the EC 100 Naturhouse La Rioja 101 HC Meshkov Brest 105 Chekhovskie Medvedi 109 Futebol Clube do Porto 113 HC Vojvodina 117 Tatran Presov 120 GROUP D Preview 125 Head-to-heads in the EC 126 HC Metalurg 127 Skjern Handbold 131 HC Motor Zaporozhye 135 Kadetten Schaffhausen 139 HCM Baia Mare 143 Elverum Handball Herrer 146 HISTORY 2014/15 Top scorers /15 All-Star Team 150 Past winners 151 History of the EHF Champions League 152 All-time club standings 154 5

6 Foreword Dear handball friends, On behalf of the European Handball Federation, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Group Phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League 2015/16. As we enter the opening stages of the 23rd season, we are looking forward to a fresh challenge for Europe s top teams as a new playing system has been introduced with more teams and many more tough and exciting matches for fans to enjoy. Starting the season are 28 of the continent s leading teams, the expanded field representing 20 countries from across Europe. Denmark, Spain, France, Hungary, FYR Macedonia and Poland each have two teams in the competition this season, whilst Germany is the only country represented by three clubs. Thanks to the expanded number of participants, fans can look forward to a record-breaking number of 176 matches in the Group Phase, which is an increase of 56 games compared to last season. The VELUX EHF Champions League is a living product, and as such it needs to adapt and change over time, which is why it was decided introduce these important changes this season. The new system will involve more teams and more markets whilst at the same time creating a playing modus that produces close matches throughout the competition. Sixteen teams will compete in Groups A and B in the new playing system, while Groups C and D contain six teams each. The best two teams from C and D will make it through to the Last 16 where they will join the teams placed two to six from Groups A and B. The two group winners qualify directly for the quarter-finals stage. There are five clubs in the competition with a EHF Champions League title to their name. The defending champions and record winners, FC Barcelona Lassa, will launch their new campaign in Group B together with the 2002/03 trophy holders Montpellier Handball, whilst three-time winners THW Kiel will play in Group A with 2013/14 champions, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, and the 2003/04 winners Celje Pivovarna Lasko. IFK Kristianstad, Vojvodina, HCM Baia Mare and the qualifier Elverum will also make their premiere amongst the heavyweights of European handball, but there will be no time for the newcomers to find their feet with tough clashes promised right from the very first round. The dream of Cologne and the VELUX EHF FINAL4 may seem a distant one as the season throws off but there is much to look forward to over the months ahead. I wish all teams the very best of luck on their VELUX EHF Champions League journey and wish you, the fans, a very enjoyable season! Jean Brihault EHF President 6

7 EHF/M media contacts Media matters Vlado Brindzak Media and Communications European Handball Federation [email protected] TV and Radio Miguel Mateo Marcellan Media Manager EHF Marketing GmbH [email protected] Clubs media contacts GROUP A GROUP B GROUP C GROUP D THW Kiel (GER) Christian Robohm [email protected] FC Barcelona Lassa (ESP) Gustau Galvache [email protected] Naturhouse La Rioja (ESP) Jaime Luis Gonzalez Gutierrez [email protected] HC Metalurg (MKD) Ana Neloska [email protected] Veszprém HC (HUN) Zsolt Sevinger [email protected] KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL) Sebastian Kozubek [email protected] HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) Alexandr Kulbaka [email protected] Skjern Handbold (DEN) Jette Alstrup [email protected] Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) Louise Cosnard [email protected] HC Vardar (MKD) Marko Savovski [email protected] Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) Olga Belysheva [email protected] HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) Dmitriy Karpushchenko [email protected] RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (SLO) Nejc Ajdnik [email protected] KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (DEN) Thomas Christensen [email protected] Futebol Clube do Porto (POR) Joana Moreira [email protected] Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI) Barbara Imobersteg [email protected] Orlen Wisla Płock (POL) Tomasz Bauman Tel: [email protected] MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) Levente Juhasz [email protected] HC Vojvodina (SRB) Dan Fracile [email protected] HCM Baia Mare (ROU) Paul Ursachi [email protected] HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) Goran Roknic glasnogovornik@rk zagreb.hr Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) Christopher Monz [email protected] Tatran Presov (SVK) Branko Benko [email protected] Elverum Handball Herrer (NOR) Erik Henriksen [email protected] Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu (TUR) Berk Karahan [email protected] IFK Kristianstad (SWE) Anders Hallengren [email protected] SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) Sandra von Wallis [email protected] Montpellier HB (FRA) Suzy Demonte [email protected] 7

8 VELUX EHF FINAL4 Naturhouse La Rioja, ESP Futebol Clube do Porto, POR Montpellier HB, FRA Paris Saint-Germain Handball, FRA Rhein-Neckar Löwen, GER FC Barcelona Lassa, ESP Host City Cologne, GER OCI-Lions, NED Skjern Handbold, DEN Kadetten Schaffhausen, SUI KIF Kolding Kobenhavn, DEN Teams eliminated in qualification Groups C&D teams Groups A&B teams Season 2015/16 VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 8 Alpla HC Hard, AUT Elverum Handball Herrer, NOR A G R E B IFK Kristianstad, SWE HC PPD Zagreb,CRO RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko, SLO Z P RVO P L I N A R S KO D R U Š T VO R U KO M E T N I K L U B SG FlensburgHandewitt, GER RK Borac m:tel Banja Luka, BIH THW Kiel, GER HC Metalurg, MKD HC Vojvodina Novi Sad, SRB MOL-Pick Szeged, HUN Veszprem HC, HUN HCM Baia Mare, ROU HC Motor Zaporozhye, UKR Tatran Presov, SVK Chekhovskie Medvedi, RUS KS Vive Tauron Kielce, POL Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu, TUR HC Meshkov Brest, BLR HC Vardar MKD Orlen Wisla Plock, POL

9 Group Phase Groups A & B (draw) Last 16 (no draw) Quarter-finals (no draw) Season 2015/16 playing system A1 B1 A1 bye M6 vs A1 A2 B2 B1 bye M5 vs B1 A3 B3 M1 K1 vs A2 M4 vs M1 A4 B4 A5 B5 M2 K2 vs B2 M3 B6 vs A3 M3 vs M2 Semi-finals (draw) vs A6 B6 A7 B7 M4 A6 vs B3 M5 B5 vs A4 vs A8 B8 Group Phase Groups C & D (draw) C1 D1 K1 C2 C2 D2 Group Phase KO Matches (no draw) K2 vs D1 D2 vs C1 M6 A5 vs B4 3 rd place match vs Final vs Qualification Tournament (no draw) C3 D3 C4 D4 C5 D5 C6 D6 Season 2015/16 playing schedule Qualification Tournament Group Phase Last 16 Quarter-finals FINAL first leg first leg Group A & B only Group A & B only Group A & B and KO Group C & D Group A & B and KO Group C & D second leg second leg

10 DRAWS: VELUX EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2015/16 Qualification Tournament (1); (2); 05./ (3); (4) / tournament (5); (6) first leg first leg tournament played in semi finals and finals (7); (8) (9); (10) played in in one venue (11 - A/B); (12 -A/B) second leg second leg semi finals and finals (13); (14) in Cologne 26 June 2015 in Vienna/AUT 26 June 2015 in Vienna/AUT no draw no draw Group A and B (16 teams) 2 groups with 8 teams 1 GER 1 THW Kiel 2 ESP 1 FC Barcelona Lassa 3 HUN 1 MKB-MVM Veszprem 4 POL 1 KS Vive Tauron Kielce 5 MKD 1 HC Vardar 6 FRA 1 Paris Saint Germain HB 7 DEN 1 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 8 SLO 1 RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko 9 HUN 2 MOL-Pick Szeged 10 POL 2 Orlen Wisla Plock 11 CRO 1 HC PPD Zagreb 12 GER 2 Rhein-Neckar Löwen 13 SWE 1 IFK Kristianstad 14 TUR 1 Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu 15 FRA 2 Montpellier HB 16 GER 3 SG Flensburg-Handewitt Group C and D (12 teams) 2 groups with 6 teams 1 ESP 2 Naturhouse La Rioja 2 MKD 2 HC Metalurg 3 DEN 2 Skjern Handball 4 BLR 1 HC Meskov Brest 5 RUS 1 Chekhovskie medvedi 6 UKR 1 HC Motor 7 SUI 1 Kadetten Schaffhausen 8 POR 1 Futebol Clube do Porto 9 ROU 1 HCM Baia Mare 10 SRB 1 Vojvodina 11 SVK 1 Tatran Presov 12 NOR 1 Elverum Handball Herrer 13 AUT 1 ALPLA HC Hard 14 BIH 1 RK Borac m:tel 15 NED 1 OCI/Lions 1 group with 4 teams 4th placed team of CL Qualification Tournament goes to EHF Cup Qualification Rd 2, 2nd and 3rd placed team of CL Qualification Tornament go to EHF Cup Qualification Rd 3 Group Phase Winner of the Qualification tournament 1st and 2nd placed team of CL Group Phase Group C and D play Group KO matches. Winners of these matches qualify for L16 Last 16 1st placed team of Group A and B qualify directly for the Quarterfinals; 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th placed team of Group A and B as well as winners of KO matches from Group C and D qualify for the Last 16 Quarterfinals 6 Winners of VELUX EHF Champions League Last Winners of Group A + B FINAL4 12 teams 8 teams 4 teams 4 Winners of VELUX EHF Champions League Quarterfinals status:

11 EHF Champions League information New ways to follow the VELUX EHF Champions League When Elverum Handball Herrer face OCI-Lions in the opening semifinal of the VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Tournament on Saturday at 17:30 CET, the live stream on ehftv.com will not be the only way fans can follow the action. The tournament in Banja Luka will be covered on a variety of platforms, ensuring that anyone interested will not miss a beat, wherever they are. The EHF Live Ticker will track the scores of all four matches this weekend and for the rest of the season. Every goal, missed shot and yellow card will be documented and live statistics made available online for the first time at this stage of Europe s elite club competition. EHF Live launched The EHF s social media channels will provide a very different view of the chase for the final group phase place. As well as the coverage on the EHF Champions League Facebook page and Instagram EHF journalist Nemanja Savic will be on site to launch coverage of the matches, reserved typically for the final weekends of major competitions, on two new channels. This season fans can follow Twitter account to keep up to date with all aspects of the event and add EHF_Live on Snapchat for a behind the scenes look. Team line-ups and match reports Online match reports Accreditation for Group Phase The written media and photographer s accreditation procedure in the Group Phase is entirely in the responsibility of the participating clubs. TV and Radio accreditations are subject to approval by EHF Marketing GmbH please contact Miguel Mateo Marcellán. Online information Regulations of the VELUX EHF Champions Facebook: ehf.champions.league Official name The official name of the competition is: VELUX EHF Champions League. The full name of the competition should always be used. VELUX and the three letter abbreviation for the European Handball Federation should always be displayed in capital letters before the name of the competition. Please note: If the season is required, it has to be positioned after Champions League e.g. VELUX EHF Champions League 2014/15. The wording Champions League should be written with a capital letter at the beginning of each word, i.e. Champions League. The remaining letters should be in lower case. The word Champions does not have an apostrophe after the s. From the opening matches of the season, the complete team line-up is available online at eurohandball.com and available to download as a PDF document. The change has been made possible thanks to the introduction of a new online solution, which sees the EHF match delegate complete the final team line-up immediately after the technical meeting. This development means that team line-ups are available for commentators and reporters hours before each match throws-off. A further change means that a short time after each match, a completed match report will also be available online with details such as goal scorers and number of spectators. Team line-ups and match reports can be viewed by clicking on a particular match on the eurohandball.com or ehfcl.com websites. The online system is also under further development with the ultimate aim being to provide live scores and statistics from EHF competitions and to be available on the EHF website. 11

12 Hol Dir Sky und freu Dich auf die VELUX EHF Champions League. Erlebe alle Spiele der deutschen Teams sowie das VELUX EHF FINAL4 live, exklusiv und in HD. sky.de/sports

13 TV stations to broadcast matches all over the world The matches of the upcoming season will be shown live or delayed almost all over the world. Not less than 47 TV stations will broadcast matches live or delayed. Only in Europe fans will be able to watch matches in 30 countries, but also the handball TV audience in America (USA and Brazil), Asia and Africa (countries of Middle East and North Africa, Malaysia and Singapore) can look forward to a television coverage. See the list of TV stations and countries below: EUROPE BEL Eleven Sports BIH Arena Sport BLR BYRBCT Belarus 5 CRO HRT CRO Arena Sport DEN DR ESP TV3 Catalunya ESP TVE/ teledeporte FRA bein Sports 1/ 3 GER Sky Germany GRE OTE HUN sport1/2 ISL STod2 ISR Charlton Sport / Sport 1 ITA sportitalia MKD MKRTV MKD Arena Sport MNE Arena Sport NOR Viasat Sport POL NC+ POR Sport TV Portugal POR Porto TV ROU Digisport Romania ROU Dolce Sport RUS NTv+ Sport SLO Sport TV Slovenia SRB RTS SRB Arena Sport SUI Teleclub SVK/CZE Sport 1 SWE Viasat 10 TUR Dsmart UKR Xsport AMERICA BRA Esporte Interactivo USA bein Sports USA ASIA MENA bein Sports MENA MYS Eleven Sports SGP Eleven Sports 13

14 Important regulations Scoring of the matches and ranking General All matches of the VELUX EHF Champions League shall be played in 2 x 30 minutes with a half-time break of 10 minutes. The EHF reserves the right to extend the half-time break in special circumstances to 15 minutes. The matches shall be scored as follows: a) win = 2 points b) draw = 1 point c) loss = 0 points Teams rankings are obtained by adding up the number of points won. Group Phase If two or more teams have scored the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows: During the Group Phase: a) higher goal difference in all matches; b) higher number of plus goals in all matches; After completion of the Group Phase if two teams have scored the same number of points: a) number of points in matches of the two teams directly involved; 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. Lots shall be drawn by the EHF, if possible in the presence of a representative of each club. Group Phase KO matches If, after the completion of the two matches, both clubs have won the same number of points (no extra time will be played), the teams standings shall be determined by the following criteria: a) goal difference b) higher number of plus goals scored in away match c) penalty throws Rules of execution of penalty throws - Prior to the penalty throws, each team shall name five players eligible to play at the end of the match by handing the referees a list of numbers. These players shall then take one throw each, alternating with their opponents. Each team is free to determine the sequence in which throwers take their throws. - The goalkeepers may be freely selected from the match report and exchanged in accordance with the Rules of the Game. Goalkeepers may take throws and throwers may perform as goalkeepers. - The referees shall choose the goal at which throws are taken. The team taking the first penalty throw shall be determined by the referees by drawing lots. The team winning the draw may choose whether it wishes to throw first or last. - If the scores are equal after the first round of penalty throws, it shall be continued until a decision is reached. In the second round, the other team shall start. Again five players shall be named who are eligible to play (the players named before may be named once again). - In the second round, a decision is reached when a goal difference arises after both teams have taken one throw each. - Eligible players are players entered in the match report that have not been disqualified or suspended at the time of the final whistle. - Serious infractions committed during penalty throws shall be sanctioned by disqualification. If a thrower is disqualified or suffers an injury, an eligible substitute player shall be named. - While the throws are being taken, only the player taking the throw, the current goalkeeper and the referees may enter the respective half of the playing court. - If the number of eligible players falls below five, players may be named to take a second throw in the same round. 14

15 Relaunch >> Compatible with smartphones and tablets >> New design and user-friendly menu >> All matches of the VELUX EHF Champions League and Women s EHF Champions League live and on-demand >> Additional matches from EHF competitions incl. EHF EURO events ehftv.com

16 VELUX EHF FINAL4 countdown The VELUX EHF FINAL4 is the culmination of the European club handball season. The two-day event sees the best four men s teams in Europe playing to decide the ultimate winner of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Introduced in the 2009/10 season and to be played until at least 2020 in the LANXESS arena, Cologne, the decision to create a new format for the final phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League was seen as crucial for the growth of handball across Europe. The aim was to create a flagship event, one that could compete on the international sports market and make the Europe s leading club competition even more attractive to fans, partners and sponsors. The success of the first six editions of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 showed that this new format was the right strategy. It has set new standards in organisation and entertainment: it is not just four games played over two days but a true entertainment event. Yet again the 2015 VELUX EHF FINAL4 was the season s highlight in European handball 20,000 spectators in the LANXESS arena and millions of fans at home watched four unforgettable handball games and a unique entertainment show. Tickets for the 2015 edition of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 went on sale on the opening day of the VELUX EHF FINAL Now, eight months before the participating teams are known, only a very limited number of tickets remain. The success of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 is also thanks to the commitment of a great number of volunteers who have been active on the weekend of the event. The application procedure for next edition has already started and applications are invited also in the area of media. Full information at: VELUX EHF FINAL4 Media Accreditation The accreditation procedure of media representatives for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 will start in March

17 VELUX EHF FINAL / 29 May 2016 LANXESS arena Cologne ATMOSPHERE SHOW EXCITEMENT YOUR THRILLING EXPERIENCE The VELUX EHF FINAL4 is the most popular handball event for fans from all over Europe 19,750 spectators are again expected in Cologne in May Do you want to be part of this gigantic event? Book your personal VIP arrangement via phone or via und #EHFFINAL4

18 VELUX EHF FINAL4 travel and ticket partners announced With over 12,000 tickets already sold for the next edition of the VELUX EHF FINAL4, those unlucky enough not yet to have secured their place in the LANXESS arena, Cologne on 28/29 May 2016 have been waiting for a chance to buy their ticket. The event s organiser, EHF Marketing GmbH, has released details of the first of its official travel and ticket partners, through which fans will be able to purchase not just tickets but also hotel and travel packages. The first nine official partners covering Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary and Switzerland have been announced, and will be offering complete packages for fans wanting to travel to Cologne in May Additional official ticket partners will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans wanting to make a booking with one of the official travel partners should contact one of the following companies direct: Vietentours The well-known German sports travel specialist, Vietentours, has been a partner of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 since 2010 and offers travel packages to all major handball and sports events worldwide. Contact: [email protected] Handbollsresor.nu Official partner for both the Swedish and Danish markets and has been a partner for several years. Contact: [email protected] Hemispheres Voyages A new partner, Hemispheres Voyages is the exclusive travel partner for the French market. Specialising in sports travel, the company has been organising travel arrangements to major rugby, football, tennis and handball events for the past 18 years. Contact: [email protected] Travel Sense A/S Travel partner for the Danish market and official partner of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 for the second time is Travel Sense A/S. The company has tickets available in all categories. Contact: [email protected] Treff AG Official travel partner for the Swiss market for a number of years Contact: [email protected] OPProductions (OlliP) Partner for both Swedish and Danish markets (Travel packages available from October) Contact: [email protected] Tensi Kft Partner for the second time and covering the Hungarian market Contact: Tel: Ticket2Final A partner for several years, offering unique reservation packages, which entitle you to tickets should your team qualify. Contact: [email protected] TF travels A long-standing partner covering the Swedish market. [email protected] Kagan s Turist Aps Travel partner for the Danish market Contact: [email protected]

19 Qualification Tournament review Qualification Tournament Elverum Handball Herrer (NOR) OCI-Lions (NED) Alpla HC Hard (AUT) RK Borac m:tel (BIH) Group D HC Metalurg (MKD) Skjern Handbold (DEN) HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI) HCM Baia Mare (ROU) Elverum Handball Herrer (NOR) Playing hall Sportska Dvorana Borik Aleja Svetog Save Banja Luka Bosnia Herzegovina Capacity: 3,500 2 nd ranked team - Alpla HC Hard - EHF Cup, Qualification Round 3 3 rd ranked team - OCI-Lions - EHF Cup, Qualification Round 3 4 th ranked team - RK Borac m:tel - EHF Cup, Qualification Round 2 vs Winner of Round 1: HB Dudelange (LUX)/Haslum Handballklubb (NOR) Review: Elverum qualify for group phase Elverum Handball Herrer ended a long five-year barren spell for Norwegian clubs by reaching the VELUX EHF Champions League group phase after winning the qualification tournament in grand style. Having tamed Dutch rivals OCI-Lions in Saturday s semi-final, Elverum overpowered Austrian outfit Alpla HC Hard in the final on Sunday thanks to majestic performances by centre back Steffen Stormo Stegavik and left wing Andre Lindboe. RK Metalurg, Skjern Handbold, Kadetten Schaffhausen, Motor Zaporozhye and HCM Baia Mare await them in Group D of the European top flight. The Lions finished third after a well deserved win over tournament hosts RK Borac m:tel in the day s curtain raiser, as both teams joined Alpla in the EHF Cup preliminary rounds. VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Tournament Final: Elverum Handball Herrer (NOR) vs Alpla HC Hard (AUT) 28:25 (15:11) Elverum made Norway proud after capping a memorable weekend in Banja Luka with a decisive victory against battling Alpla HC Hard in the qualifying tournament s final, which fully lived up to expectations. Buoyed by Saturday s dramatic extra-time win over Borac, Alpla made the brighter start and took an early 4:2 lead after Roland Schlinger scored three quick goals for the Austrian team. But the Norwegian side s playmaker Steffen Stormo Stegavik quickly outshone his counterpart, rifling in one goal after another to put Elverum in the driving seat and give them a 9:6 advantage midway through the first half. He scored five of his team s opening six goals and when Andre Lindboe joined the party, Elverum scored four without reply in the closing stages of the opening period to give themselves a comfortable cushion at the interval. It was literally a two-man show in the Borik Hall, as Stegavik and Lindboe scored 13 of their team s 15 goals in the first half, the former leading the way with eight. As Alpla pressed hard after the break, Lindboe took over and scored his eighth to keep the Norwegian outfit 18:15 ahead in the 35th minute. Clearly missing some fuel in the tank after Saturday s strengthsapping encounter with Borac, Alpla looked deflated in the next few minutes and allowed Elverum to pull away to 21:16. Alpla were not to be trampled, however, and they hauled themselves back into the contest with a 3:0 run which forced Elverum to call a time-out midway through the second half. With Stegavik and Lindboe tightly marked and stifled out in the last quarter of the game, the support cast stepped up to keep Elverum ahead as Alpla launched a fierce fightback. Lindboe scored Elverum s final goal to put the icing on the cake for the determined Norwegian side, who can now look forward to mixing it with Europe s best in the forthcoming months. Alpla s consolation is a berth in the EHF Cup third qualifying round and the Austrian club can head home with their heads high after leaving at all on the court against a pair of more heralded opponents. Third place match: OCI-LIONS (NED) vs RK Borac m:tel (BIH) 33:29 (16:14) Semi-finals match: Elverum Handball Herrer (NOR) vs OCI-Lions (NED) 35:30 (14:15) Alpla HC Hard (AUT) vs RK Borac m:tel (BIH) 35:33 AET (30:30, 17:14) 19

20 Facts and figures of the group phase 200 matches on the road to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 To celebrate the return of the VELUX EHF Champions League, here are the most important facts and figures of the upcoming group phase and beyond: 0 times since the inauguration of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in 2010 has the champions defended their title. The last team to do so was BM Ciudad Real in draw only will be held this season - the one for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 semi-finals in Cologne. Due to the new playing system, all pairings of the Last 16 and quarter-finals are set by the rankings of the groups phase. 1 coach led two different teams to the EHF Champions League trophies: Icelandic born Alfred Gislason (2002 SC Magdeburg, 2010 and 2012 THW Kiel) 1 person won the EHF Champions League as a player and a coach: Talant Dujshebaev. The current coach of Vive Tauron Kielce won the competition in 1994 as a player of Santander (ESP) and 2006, 2008 and 2009 as a coach of Ciudad Real. Veszprem coach Carlos Antonio Ortega was close to becoming number 2 on 31 May 2015, but failed in the final against his former club Barcelona, with which he took the title six times as a player. 2 winners of Groups A and B for the first time skip the Last 16 and directly qualify for the quarter-finals due to the new playing system. 4 teams are debutants of the VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase: Baia Mare (ROU), Kristianstad (SWE), Vojvodina (SRB) and Elverum (NOR), winner of the qualification tournament) 4 (which means all) participants of the VELUX EHF FINAL 2015 have qualified for the group phase again: Barcelona, Veszprem, Kielce and Kiel. 4 countries are represented by the previous 22 EHF Champions League champions: Spain (14 titles), Germany (6), Slovenia and France (each 1). 4 cross matches of the two best ranked teams of Groups C and D in March will decide the two Last 16 spots of those groups. 5 times have Barcelona and Kiel each qualified for the VELUX EHF FINAL4. Both won the trophy twice in Cologne s LANXESS arena. 5 former or current EHF Champions League champions with a collection of 14 trophies are part of the 2015/16 group phase: Barcelona, Kiel, Flensburg, Montpellier and Celje. 5 times only Spanish and/or German teams had qualified for the finals of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 (2010 Kiel vs Barcelona, 2011 Barcelona vs Madrid, 2012 Kiel vs Madrid, 2013 Hamburg vs Barcelona, 2014 Flensburg vs Kiel). The first and only exception was Hungarian record champions Veszprem in times with three different clubs (Celje, Ciudad Real/3, Barcelona/2) Belarusian Siarhei Rutenka won the EHF Champions League and thus is the most successful active player, ahead of Thierry Omeyer (Paris Saint-Germain), who the trophy four times (Montpellier, Kiel/3). If Rutenka and Barcelona win again, he joins all-time record winner Andrej Xepkin (six trophies with Barcelona, one with Kiel). 6 pairings will compose the Last 16 this season. Those teams on the positions 2-6 of Groups A and B and those teams winning the qualification matches of Groups C and D will face in the first knock-out stage. 7 former or current top scorers of the VELUX EHF Champions League are still playing in the 2015/16 season: Momir Ilic (2014/ goals, 2013/ goals, Veszprem), Mikkel Hansen (2011/12-98 goals for AG Kobenhavn, now PSG), Uwe Gensheimer (2010/ goals, Rhein Neckar Löwen), Filip Jicha (2008/09-99 goals, and 2009/ goals for Kiel, now Barcelona), Kiril Lazarov (2007/08-96 goals for Zagrab and 2005/06-85 goals for Veszprem, now Barcelona), Nikola Karabatic (2006/07-89 goals for Kiel, now PSG), Siarhei Rutenka (2003/ goals, 2004/05-85 goals for Celje, now Barcelona). 8 times ( , 2011, 2015) record winners FC Barcelona have won the EHF Champions League. 8 former or current IHF World Handball Players of the Year are part of the 28 squads of this Champions League season, four of them are contracted by PSG: Arpad Sterbik (2005/Vardar), Nikola Karabatic (2007, 2014/PSG), Thierry Omeyer (2008/PSG), Slawomir Szmal (2009/Kielce), Filip Jicha (2010/Barcelona), Mikkel Hansen (2011/PSG), Daniel Narcisse (2012/PSG) and Domagoj Duvnjak (2013/Kiel). Kielce coach Talant Dujshebaev was awarded twice (1994, 1996). 11 years ago, was the last time, a club not from Germany or Spain won the EHF Champions League: RK Pivovarna Lasko Celje (Slovenia). 14 times Spanish teams have won the EHF Champions League - Barcelona (8), Ciudad Real (3), Santander, Irun and Portland (each 1). 14 rounds will be played in Groups A and B, Groups C and D will play 10 rounds. 20 nations are represented by the 28 group phase participants. Germany have three clubs, Spain, France, Denmark, Hungary, FYR Macedonia and Poland each two. In the 2014/16 season (with 24 participating teams) it had only been 15 different nations. 21 teams, which had been part of the 2014/15 group phase, have qualified for this stage again. 20

21 22 Champions League participations in 23 years since the start of the competition in the 1993/94 season make RK Zagreb become the record holder ahead of Veszprem and Celje (21 participations). 22 goals in the 43:21 quarter-final clash of Barcelona against Zagreb was the biggest margin of all matches in the 2014/15 season. 25 players - an all-time record - left Macedonian runners-up Metalurg Skopje before the 2015/16 season. 28 teams are part of the new look group phase, split into eight teams each in Groups A and B and six teams each in Groups C and D. 29 points in 16 matches was FC Barcelona s record during their successful 2014/15 VELUX EHF Champions League campaign (14 wins, one draw and one defeat) goals were scored in average in all 160 matches of the 2014/15 VELUX EHF Champions League season. 204 matches will be carried out in the 2015/16 season of the VELUX EHF Champions League - a large increase on the 160 last season. After the four qualification matches, which took place already, 172 group matches, four Group C/D cross matches, 12 Last 16 matches, eight quarter-finals and four matches at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 will follow. 408 goals were conceded by Barcelona in their 16 matches of the 2014/15 season - the best defensive record. 527 goals were scored by Barcelona in their 16 matches of the 2014/15 season - the best attacking record. 8,989 goals were scored the 2014/15 VELUX EHF Champions League season, 657 in the qualification tournaments, 6816 in the group phase, 850 in the Last 16 matches, 442 in the quarterfinals and 224 at the VELUX EHF FINAL4. 15,200 spectators attended the quarter-final Zagreb vs Barcelona - the record attendance of the 2014/15 season prior to the VELUX EHF FINAL4. Teams by age average HC Vardar 28,74 HCM Baia Mare 28,25 KS Vive Tauron Kielce 28,24 HC Meshkov Brest 28,05 FC Barcelona Lassa 28 SG Flensburg-Handewitt 27,78 HC Motor Zaporozhye 27,55 Naturhouse La Rioja 27,41 Besiktas JK 26,96 TATRAN Presov 26,76 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 26,67 Orlen Wisla Plock 26,57 Kadetten Schaffhausen 26,52 Rhein-Neckar Löwen 26,29 Paris Saint-Germain Handball 26,29 THW Kiel 26,27 Elverum Handball Herrer 26,11 MVM Veszprém 25,68 HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb 25,26 Skjern Handbold 25,1 Futebol Clube do Porto 24,89 Vojvodina 24,81 Montpellier HB 24,76 IFK Kristianstad 23,95 MOL-Pick Szeged 23,92 Chekhovskie Medvedi 23,11 HC Metalurg 22,86 RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko 22,21 CL average 25,9 Teams by weight average HC Vardar 97,74 Orlen Wisla Plock 96,48 HC Meshkov Brest 95,7 Besiktas JK 95,48 Naturhouse La Rioja 95,35 Rhein-Neckar Löwen 95,29 THW Kiel 94,91 KS Vive Tauron Kielce 94,19 TATRAN Presov 94,19 FC Barcelona Lassa 93,35 Elverum Handball Herrer 92,94 HCM Baia Mare 92,63 IFK Kristianstad 92,19 HC Motor Zaporozhye 92 Futebol Clube do Porto 92 MVM Veszprém 91,93 HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb 91,91 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 91,79 Kadetten Schaffhausen 91,62 Montpellier HB 91,56 HC Metalurg 91,44 SG Flensburg-Handewitt 91,17 MOL-Pick Szeged 90,77 Paris Saint-Germain Handball 90,21 Vojvodina 89,90 Skjern Handbold 89,81 RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko 89,21 Chekhovskie Medvedi 86,41 CL average 92,37 Teams by height average Orlen Wisla Plock 195,9 Naturhouse La Rioja 194,88 THW Kiel 194,14 FC Barcelona Lassa 193,26 KS Vive Tauron Kielce 193,14 HC Motor Zaporozhye 193,11 HC Vardar 193 HC Meshkov Brest 192,7 TATRAN Presov 192,64 HC PPD Zagreb 192,48 Vojvodina 192,29 Futebol Clube do Porto 192,16 Besiktas JK 191,83 HC Metalurg 191,8 Rhein-Neckar Löwen 191,29 Chekhovskie Medvedi 191,26 Paris Saint-Germain 191,07 Kadetten Schaffhausen 190,9 Montpellier HB 190,64 MVM Veszprém 190,57 Skjern Handbold 190,52 MOL-Pick Szeged 190,49 Elverum Handball Herrer 190,47 HCM Baia Mare 190,26 IFK Kristianstad 190,24 SG Flensburg-Handewitt 189,61 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn 189,04 RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko 187,89 CL average 191,56 21

22 Facts and figures of the group phase Ljubomir Vranjes SG Flensburg-Handewitt SWE 168 Tadej Matijasic HC Metalurg SLO 174 Adam Arokszallasi MOL-Pick Szeged HUN 174 Balazs Molnar MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN 175 Davor Palevski HC Metalurg MKD 175 Rene T. Rasmussen Skjern Handbold DEN 176 Ugur Coban Besiktas MOGAZ HT TUR 177 Eljub Alagic RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO 177 Gal Marguc RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO 177 Victor Tomas FC Barcelona Lassa ESP 178 Miha Zarabec RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO 178 Sergio Muggli Kadetten Schaffhausen SUI 178 Ivan Cupic KS Vive Tauron Kielce CRO 178 Hugo Delgado Futebol Clube do Porto POR 178 Benedek Szakaly MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN 178 Zlatko Horvat HC PPD Zagreb CRO 179 Luka Rakovic HC PPD Zagreb CRO 179 shortest vs tallest Timofei Maslennikov Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS 60 Benedek Szakaly MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN 65 Adam Arokszallasi MOL-Pick Szeged HUN 66 Artem Kozakevych HC Motor Zaporozhye UKR 68 Simon Opstrup Skjern Handbold DEN 70 Balazs Molnar MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN 70 Roland Selmeczi MOL-Pick Szeged HUN 70 Davor Palevski HC Metalurg MKD 70 Michal Daszek Orlen Wisla Plock POL 70 Hugo Delgado Futebol Clube do Porto POR 70 Eduardo Cadarso Naturhouse La Rioja ESP 71 Kyllian Villeminot Montpellier HB FRA 72 Lukas Blohme SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER 72 Gal Marguc RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO 72 Martin Varju MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN 73 Anze Dobovicnik RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO 73 Tilen Dobovicnik RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO 73 Luka Savanovic RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko BIH Bence Gödör MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN Eduardo Cadarso Naturhouse La Rioja ESP Adam Dimovics MOL-Pick Szeged HUN Martin Nagy MOL-Pick Szeged HUN Grega Ocvirk RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO Gasper Dobaj RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO Eljub Alagic RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO Barnabas Nagy MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN Anze Dobovicnik RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO Todor Jandric Vojvodina SRB Tilen Dobovicnik RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO Kyllian Villeminot Montpellier HB FRA Jakub Bulski KS Vive Tauron Kielce POL Stefan Trkulja Vojvodina SRB Branko Vujovic KS Vive Tauron Kielce MNE Zoltan Szita MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN lightest vs heaviest youngest vs oldest Dainis Kristopans HC Meshkov Brest LAT 213 Angel Montoro Cabello Orlen Wisla Plock ESP 213 Mateusz Piechowski Orlen Wisla Plock POL 210 Marko Kopljar FC Barcelona Lassa CRO 210 Antonijo Peshevski HC Metalurg MKD 209 Josip Sandrk HC PPD Zagreb CRO 209 Alberto Val Sancho Naturhouse La Rioja ESP 208 Laszlo Nagy MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN 208 Sergii Burka HC Motor Zaporozhye UKR 208 Ivan Ivkovic TATRAN Presov CRO 207 Michal Kasal Futebol Clube do Porto CZE 207 Milan Vuckovic Vojvodina SRB 207 Kamil Syprzak FC Barcelona Lassa POL 206 Aleksander Borresen Elverum Handball Herrer NOR 206 Gleb Kalarash HC Motor Zaporozhye RUS 205 Rogerio Ferreira Moraes THW Kiel BRA 204 Marco Oneto Orlen Wisla Plock ITA 204 Dainis Kristopans HC Meshkov Brest LAT 135 Strahinja Milic HC Vardar SRB 132 Rafael Baena Rhein-Neckar ESP 128 Andrej Petro Tatran Presov SVK 127 Kamil Syprzak FC Barcelona Lassa POL 120 Zbigniew Kwiatkowski Orlen Wisla Plock POL 120 Arpad Sterbik Capar HC Vardar ESP 119 Rogerio Ferreira Moraes THW Kiel BRA 118 Josip Buljubasic Besiktas CRO 118 Tolga Özbahar Besiktas TUR 118 Marco Oneto Orlen Wisla Plock ITA 117 Viachaslau Shumak HC Meshkov Brest BLR 116 Julen Aguinagalde Akizu Vive Tauron Kielce ESP 116 Blaz Blagotinsek Celje SLO 116 Fredric Pettersson IFK Kristianstad SWE 116 Francisco Garcia Rubio La Rioja ESP 115 Matej Gaber Montpellier HB SLO 115 Alexandr Radcenko Presov CZE Jesper Larsson Kristianstad SWE Ljubomir Vranjes Flensburg SWE Ibrahim Demir Besiktas TUR Kasper Hvidt KIF DEN Nikola Marinovic Kadetten AUT Thierry Omeyer PSG FRA Torsten Jansen THW Kiel GER Maik Machulla Flensburg GER Petar Angelov HC Vardar MKD Danijel Saric FC Barcelona Lassa BIH Gurutz Aguinagalde La Rioja ESP Thomas Klitgaard Skjern DEN Lars Jorgensen KIF DEN Radoslav Antl Presov SVK Mattias Andersson Flensburg SWE

23 ehftv.com All matches of new season live Handball fans across Europe will not miss a single match in the new season of both elite European club competitions. All matches starting from Group Phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League and Group Matches of the Women s EHF Champions League will be broadcast live on ehftv.com and the videos of all matches will be also on demand. Furthermore, like in the past season fully produced highlights magazine - Rewind - the handball show will feature stories and highlights from all Men s top matches will be played out on Monday 7:00 / 8:00 GMT after each playing round. The complete coverage of all matches means that only during the group stage of both competitions handball fans will be spoilt by 176 men s and 84 women s matches. Together with men s knockout stage, respectively women s main round and knockout stage this is supposed to create this season more than 260 hours of live handball on ehftv.com. New look ehftv relaunches The EHF Champions League Draw in Vienna on Friday, 26 June signaled the start of the 2015/16 season and with it came a new look for the video streaming platform, ehftv. Based on feedback from fans, the platform has been given a fresh face and new features have been added to make the site much easier to navigate. The new web page will offer a responsive design, with viewers able to stream all of the content from the platform, both live matches and on-demand videos, direct to their mobile devices. ehftv already offers a plethora of handball video content including magazine shows, features and interviews as well as each and every match from the VELUX EHF Champions League and Women s EHF Champions League. Additionally, the platform offers streaming from other EHF competitions including European Cups and the European Championships. In the new season there will also be a renewed focus on coverage of top league competitions, with selected matches from both the German Handball Bundesliga and Spain s Asobal. After a big premiere in Mannheim, Germany where he will follow the first steps of the defending champions on their title-defence path as FC Barcelona Lassa undergo a more than challenging opening test with the hosts Rhein-Neckar Löwen. Matches in Veszprem, Hungary (Round 2), Montpellier, France (Round 3), Skopje, FYR Macedonia (Round 4), Kielce, Poland (Round 5) will follow. The first stage of the European top flight will culminate in Paris in Round 6 as the home star-studded team of Paris Saint-Germain Handball receive last season s runners-up from Veszprem. Matches of the Week in Rounds 1-6 Round 1 Sunday, 20 September 2015 (19:30 hrs), SAP Arena (Mannheim, GER) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs FC Barcelona Lassa Round 2 Saturday, 26 September 2015 (17:30 hrs), Veszprem Arena (Veszprem, HUN) Veszprem Handball Club vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt Round 3 Sunday, 4 October 2015 (17:00 hrs), Palais des Sports Rene Bougnol (Montpellier, FRA) Montpellier HB vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn Round 4 Saturday, 11 October 2015 (18:00 hrs), SC Jane Sandanski (Skopje, MKD) HC Vardar vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen Round 5 Saturday, 17 October 2015 (18:00 hrs), MOSIR Hala Legionow (Kielce, POL) KS Vive Tauron Kielce vs FC Barcelona Lassa Round 6 Sunday, 25 October 2015 (17:00 hrs), Halle George Carpentier (Paris, FRA) Paris Saint-Germain Handball vs Veszprem Handball Club All times are local. *Note that live matches will be geo-blocked in some territories. First six stops of MOTW announced The Match of the Week has become already a traditional feature on ehftv.com and all handball fans can already look forward to a new series as the schedule for the first six rounds of the VELUX EHF Champions League 2015/16 has been announced. The ehftv commentator Tom O Brannagain, who guides the viewers through the MOTW games with his unique way of commentating, will not be able to complain for a lack of adventure as he is to visit six handball arenas in five countries in just a five-week span. 23

24 Roof Windows Skylights Roof Windows & Skylights Roof Windows Skylights Ready. Pick. Click! The patented VELUX Pick&Click! system makes installation fast and simple thanks to pre-fitted mounting brackets. And no matter what type of VELUX roof window you have small or large, old or new rest assured that all our blinds and shutters will fit flawlessly every time.

25 Group A preview RUKOMETNI KLUB PRVO PLINARSKO DRUŠTVO Z A G R E B EUROPEAN HEAVYWEIGHTS CONGREGATE The strongest group ever in the history of the competition, the Kiel manager says and many agree. One half of Group A are aiming for the VELUX EHF FINAL4, the others are merely aiming for the knock-out stages, and with even six teams proceeding from the new playing system, two will miss out on their goals. This group is the strongest ever in the history of the EHF Champions League, said Sabine Holdorf-Schust, director of THW Kiel after the draw event in Vienna, and this was all before PSG Paris had started their shopping spree. There s no lack of star power, with five former of current IHF World Handball Players of the year and three former or current Champions League top scorers among the Group A teams. In terms of transfers, the French champions did all they could to push themselves to Cologne: Noka Serdarusic as the new coach and the Karabatic brothers carry all the hopes of this star-studded team. If not now, then when? said TV expert Francois-Xavier Houlet, when asked if Paris would make it to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 for the first time after missing out on it twice in a row. Both times, MVM Veszprem was, where it ended for the Parisians, now they have the chance to take revenge in the group phase. The 2015 Champions League finalist and SEHA Liga winner from Hungary have boosted their squad particularly with Icelandic playmaker Aron Palmarsson (MVP of the 2014 VELUX EHF FINAL4). Palmarsson is the third former Kiel player after Momir Ilic and Christian Zeitz to have made the move to Hungary. And those three will face their ex-club again. If we look at their transfers, Kiel has lost power, despite signing goalkeeper Niklas Landin from Löwen. But losing Palmarsson, Rasmus Lauge (to Flensburg) and Filip Jicha to Barcelona means a setback for the back court axis, in which Domagoj Duvnjak and Joan Canellas will have to carry more responsibility, as young new arrival Christian Dissinger will need some time to adapt. And in the left wing position, Dominik Klein and Torsten Jansen are currently out due to injuries. And Flensburg? The 2014 Champions League winners have bolstered their squad not only with Lauge, but with three arrivals from Hamburg: Henrik Toft Hansen, Petar Djordjic and Kentin Mahe - but the French playmaker (MVP of the EHF Cup Finals 2015) will miss the start of the Champions League due to an ankle injury. From the width of the squad, Flensburg even seem to be stronger than Kiel and openly speak about the possible qualification for Cologne. Those four are seen to be seeded for the Last 16 or the quarter-final, for which the group winner qualifies directly. Zagreb, Celje, Besiktas and Plock will fight for the two remaining spots for the knock-out stage. Zagreb again lost some key players, but coach Veselin Vujovic is confident that his rejuvenated team can do it all again in their 22nd appearance in the EHF Champions League. Last season, Zagreb managed to cause major upsets on home ground by beating Kiel, Paris and Kolding. Celje (like Veszprem are for the 21st time part of the Champions League) have the same structure in their team, composed by highly skilled Slovenian talents. Coach Brank Tamse can count on some experienced players too - as Celje have proved in the previous seasons, when they beat Kiel and Hamburg at home, however, their away performances are much weaker than at home. The same holds true for the Oilers from Plock, who were the only team in the 2014/15 season, which managed to beat Barcelona. With some new arrivals and Manuel Cadenas as their coach they should be able to make it to the Last 16 again. So Besiktas Istanbul - in their second ever appearance in the group phase - seems to be the big underdog, after the Turkish champions had only won one of ten matches in the previous season. And from the names of their mostly Serbian internationals added to the squad the chance of any upset does not seem too likely. Björn Pazen 25

26 Group A head-to-heads Historic encounters of the Group A opponents in the EC THW Kiel vs MVM Veszprém (326:318) 12: THW Kiel vs Fotex Veszprém SE, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 28:25 (17:15) Fotex Veszprém SE vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 23:21 (11:9) THW Kiel vs Fotex KC Veszprém, European Championship for Club Teams Semi-final 23:31 (11:15) MKB Veszprém KC vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 39:36 (19:20) THW Kiel vs MKB Veszprém KC, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 39:32 (22:15) MKB Veszprém KC vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 31:30 (14:15) THW Kiel vs MKB Veszprém KC, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 32:21 (17:13) THW Kiel vs MKB Veszprém KC, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 32:31 (15:16) MKB Veszprém KC vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 28:29 (14:12) MKB-MVM Veszprém vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League FINAL4 Semi-final 26:29 (13:13) THW Kiel vs MKB-MVM Veszprém, VELUX EHF Champions League FINAL4 Semi-final 27:31 (13:13) THW Kiel vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball (198:160) 12: THW Kiel vs Paris Handball, EHF Cup Last 16 34:27 (19:12) Paris Handball vs THW Kiel, EHF Cup Last 16 30:32 (14:19) Paris Handball vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 21:28 (11:13) THW Kiel vs Paris Handball, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 44:28 (22:12) Paris Saint-Germain Handball vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 25:27 (13:12) THW Kiel vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 33:29 (14:15) THW Kiel vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (202:176) 8: THW Kiel vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, European Championship for Club Teams Final 29:30 (17:15) RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs THW Kiel, Champions Trophy Final 34:38 (17:23) HC Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 28:34 (10:18) THW Kiel vs HC Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 43:27 (23:16) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 31:28 (12:12) THW Kiel vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 30:26 (13:12) THW Kiel vs Orlen Wisla Plock (199:160) 10: Wisla Plock SSA vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Group E 32:31 (16:15) THW Kiel vs Wisla Plock SSA, VELUX EHF Champions League Group E 37:22 (17:12) Orlen Wisla Plock vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 24:36 (12:14) THW Kiel vs Orlen Wisla Plock, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 27:24 (15:10) Orlen Wisla Plock vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 33:34 (14:14) THW Kiel vs Orlen Wisla Plock, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 34:25 (16:11) THW Kiel vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb (325:309) 13: THW Kiel vs Badel 1862 Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Semi-final 23:23 (8:11) Badel 1862 Zagreb vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Semi-final 25:23 (12:14) THW Kiel vs Badel 1862 Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Semi-final 32:21 (14:11) Badel 1862 Zagreb vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Semi-final 22:13 (8:7) RK Zagreb vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 23:28 (8:15) THW Kiel vs RK Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 24:28 (14:10) HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 28:28 (13:12) THW Kiel vs HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 31:27 (17:11) Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 31:31 (15:12) THW Kiel vs Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 33:27 (16:16) HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 27:25 (9:13) THW Kiel vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 34:27 (16:16) 26

27 Group A head-to-heads Historic encounters of the Group C opponents in the EC THW Kiel vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (292:275) 13: SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs THW Kiel, EHF Cup Final 25:23 (12:9) THW Kiel vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, EHF Cup Final 26:21 (16:9) THW Kiel vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, European Championship for Club Teams Place 3/4 33:31 (17:14) THW Kiel vs SG Flensburg Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 28:32 (13:12) SG Flensburg Handewitt vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 32:34 (16:17) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Final 28:28 (10:12) THW Kiel vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Final 29:27 (15:10) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League FINAL4 Final 30:28 (14:16) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs THW Kiel, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 21:30 (9:16) THW Kiel vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 33:28 (16:10) MVM Veszprém vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball (117:104) 7: PSG Handball vs MKB-MVM Veszprém, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 26:28 (14:12) MKB-MVM Veszprém vs PSG Handball, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 31:26 (12:12) Paris Saint-Germain Handball vs MKB-MVM Veszprém, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 24:24 (10:12) MKB-MVM Veszprém vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 34:28 (16:12) MVM Veszprém vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (260:231) 17: Fotex Veszprem vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Round 2 22:18 (8:9) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs Fotex Veszprem, VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Round 2 21:24 (12:10) MKB Veszprém KC vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group F 24:24 (14:11) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs MKB Veszprém KC, VELUX EHF Champions League Group F 28:23 (15:14) MKB Veszprém KC vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 32:22 (16:11) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs MKB Veszprém KC, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 19:24 (9:11) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs MKB-MVM Veszprém, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 26:31 (14:15) MKB-MVM Veszprém vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 27:26 (13:10) RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs MKB-MVM Veszprém, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 21:24 (9:14) MKB-MVM Veszprém vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 29:26 (15:10) MVM Veszprém vs Orlen Wisla Plock (132:109) 6: Wisla Plock SSA vs Fotex KC Veszprém, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 25:30 (9:13) Fotex KC Veszprém vs Wisla Plock SSA, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 38:24 (20:14) Orlen Wisla Plock vs MKB-MVM Veszprém, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 34:33 (16:16) MKB-MVM Veszprém vs Orlen Wisla Plock, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 31:26 (16:11) MVM Veszprém vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb (206:201) 9: Badel Zagreb vs Fotex Veszprem, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 30:18 (16:8) Fotex Veszprem vs Badel Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 23:23 (11:12) Fotex KC Veszprém vs Badel 1862 Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 27:25 (14:14) Badel 1862 Zagreb vs Fotex KC Veszprém, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 19:18 (14:8) Fotex KC Veszprém vs Badel 1862 Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 27:25 (13:12) Badel 1862 Zagreb vs Fotex KC Veszprém, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 30:26 (16:12) HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb vs MKB-MVM Veszprém, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 22:33 (8:15) MKB-MVM Veszprém vs HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 34:27 (19:11) Veszprém vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (100:113) 2: SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Fotex KC Veszprém, Cup Winners Cup Quarter-final 31:22 (13:12) Fotex KC Veszprém vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, Cup Winners Cup Quarter-final 20:22 (9:10) MKB Veszprém KC vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Group F 29:28 (14:14) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs MKB Veszprém KC, VELUX EHF Champions League Group F 32:29 (15:15) Paris Saint-Germain Handball vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (42:57) 0: Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs PSG Asnières Hand-Ball, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 31:22 (11:10) PSG Asnières Hand-Ball vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 20:26 (11:13) 27

28 Group A head-to-heads Historic encounters of the Group C opponents in the EC Paris Saint-Germain Handball vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb (51:47) 2:2) Paris Saint-Germain Handball vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 27:22 (11:9) HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 25:24 (14:13) Paris Saint-Germain Handball vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (68:57) 2:2) SG Flensburg Handewitt vs Paris Handball, VELUX EHF Champions League Group H 37:24 (17:13) Paris Handball vs SG Flensburg Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Group H 33:31 (16:16) RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs Orlen Wisla Plock (61:53) 4: Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs Wisla Plock SSA, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 29:23 (15:10) Wisla Plock SSA vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 30:32 (16:16) RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb (311:335) 13: RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs RK Zagreb, Champions Cup Qualification Round 2 18:17 (6:9) RK Zagreb vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko, Champions Cup Qualification Round 2 26:17 (13:7) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs Croatia Banka Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Round 3 25:21 (11:9) Croatia Banka Zagreb vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Round 3 25:20 (14:11) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs Badel 1862 Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 26:21 (13:8) Badel 1862 Zagreb vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 26:22 (14:10) Badel 1862 Zagreb vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Semi-final 27:20 (14:10) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs Badel 1862 Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Semi-final 25:24 (10:10) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs Badel 1862 Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 29:26 (12:12) Badel 1862 Zagreb vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 22:22 (12:11) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Main Round Group 2 22:25 (11:16) HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Main Round Group 2 31:18 (14:6) HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 24:21 (13:10) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 26:20 (14:11) RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (301:305) 9: SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Group F 29:29 (14:14) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Group F 29:28 (12:17) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Final 34:28 (17:13) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Final 30:28 (15:15) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 41:31 (21:14) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 36:26 (20:12) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, EHF Cup Quarter-final 33:29 (15:12) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, EHF Cup Quarter-final 32:35 (16:15) Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 26:25 (13:12) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Celje Pivovarna Lasko, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 30:27 (15:14) Orlen Wisla Plock vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb (41:61) 0: HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb vs Wisla Plock SA, VELUX EHF Champions League Group H 34:17 (15:7) Wisla Plock SA vs HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group H 24:27 (12:16) Orlen Wisla Plock vs Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu (61:49) 4: Orlen Wisla Plock vs Besiktas MOGAZ HT, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 28:19 (13:7) Besiktas MOGAZ HT vs Orlen Wisla Plock, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 30:33 (14:15) Orlen Wisla Plock vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (120:111) 4: SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Orlen SSA Plock, Cup Winners Cup Last 16 33:27 (19:12) Orlen SSA Plock vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, Cup Winners Cup Last 16 25:23 (10:9) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Orlen Wisla Plock, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 35:28 (21:16) Orlen Wisla Plock vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 31:29 (14:13) 28

29 Group A head-to-heads Historic encounters of the Group C opponents in the EC HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (269:286) 6: SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs RK Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 30:27 (17:15) RK Zagreb vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 26:28 (13:12) RK Zagreb vs SG Flensburg Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 25:23 (11:8) SG Flensburg Handewitt vs RK Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 28:24 (14:12) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs RK Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 35:28 (14:12) RK Zagreb vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 21:23 (11:13) HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Main Round Group 3 29:25 (12:15) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb, VELUX EHF Champions League Main Round Group 3 36:29 (16:15) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs HC Croatia Osiguranje ZAGREB, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 32:29 (19:15) HC Croatia Osiguranje ZAGREB vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 31:26 (14:12) Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (47:58) 0:4) Besiktas MOGAZ HT vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 20:27 (11:11) SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs Besiktas MOGAZ HT, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 31:27 (15:14) No previous encounters in European competitions THW Kiel vs Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu Veszprém HC vs Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu Paris Saint-Germain Handball vs Orlen Wisla Plock Paris Saint-Germain Handball vs Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko vs Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb vs Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu 29

30 GROUP A THW Kiel (GER) It is the biggest transition of the past decade for THW Kiel - but still the German record champions (with 20 titles) hope to court a team, which can make it to Cologne again. Since the inauguration of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in the LANXESS Arena in 2010, Kiel have qualified five times, only missing the event in The team of Alfred Gislason (who extended his contract to 2019) has won the trophy twice (2010 and 2012), and in 2015 they missed out on making it to the final after a defeat to Veszprem. Three top players (Aron Palmarsson/Veszprem, Filip Jicha/Barcelona, Rasmus Lauge/Flensburg) and three goalkeepers (Johan Sjöstrand, Kim Sonne and Andreas Palicka) have left THW prior to the start of the season. Kiel s biggest transfer was Danish goalie Niklas Landin, who arrived from Rhein-Neckar Löwen. In addition, some young players like German Christian Dissinger or Brazilian Rogerio Ferreira have arrived in Kiel, but THW have also signed experience, in the transfer of left wing Torsten Jansen (from Hamburg) and Norwegian left back Erlend Mamelund (from Haslum), who arrives as one of the successors of Jicha. Preparation for the new VELUX EHF Champions League season was anything but easy for Gislason and his squad. Jicha was injured and left the club in the middle of August, Jansen got injured, Dominik Klein is still out until October after a rupture to his cruciate ligament, Landin was injured and started his preparation only middle of July - so Gislason never had his full squad for any test match or training session, and some clear defeats like against Veszprem or Barcelona were only expected. Playing hall Sparkassen-Arena-Kiel Europaplatz 1, Kiel Germany Capacity: 10,000 Club Address: THW Kiel Ziegelteich Kiel Germany Media contact: Christian Robohm [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook:thwhandball Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: black Dark Player shirt: black Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: red We are in the second year of a major transition, but still we hope to make it to Cologne again - and to fight for all domestic trophies, says manager Thorsten Storm, adding: It is important for us to be part of the Champions League, to compete with the best of the best and to be part of the competition as long as possible. New team captain Rene Toft Hansen (successor of Filip Jicha) comments: This group is simply tough. Kiel, Paris, Veszprem, Flensburg, Celje, Zagreb, Plock and Istanbul are all fighting to win. There s nothing better for the fans, and we want to win every match. But again our final dream is to make it to Cologne, says the THW line player. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: German champions Coach: Alfred Gislason (since 2008) Captain: Rene Toft Hansen Newcomers: Niklas Landin (Rhein-Neckar Löwen) Nikolas Katsigiannis (HC Erlangen) Christian Dissinger (TuS N-Lübbecke) Torsten Jansen (HSV Hamburg) Alexander Williams (THW youth academy) Rogerio Ferreira (VO Manoel Tubino/Brazil) Erlend Mamelund (Haslum HK) Dominik Plaue (THW youth academy) Left the club: Aron Palmarsson (Veszprem HC) Johan Sjöstrand (MT Melsungen) Andreas Palicka (Aalborg Handbold) Fynn Ranke (VfL Bad Schwartau) Rasmus Lauge (SG Flensburg-Handewitt) Kim Sonne (GWD Minden) Filip Jicha (FC Barcelona (ESP)) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 19 Winners (3): 2006/07, 2009/10, 2011/12 Runners-up (4): 1999/2000, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2013/14 Semi-final (4): 1996/1997, 2000/01, 2012/13, 2014/15 Quarter-final (5): 1998/99, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2010/11 Group phase (2): 1994/95, 1995/96 Other EHF Cup: Winners 1997/98, 2001/02, 2003/04 German league: 20 titles (1957, 1962, 1963, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) German Cup winners: 9 times 30

31 THW Kiel (GER) Biggest win: 26:50 (13:24) v Banik OKD Karvina CZE (a), Biggest defeat 22:13 (12:8) v Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO (a), Longest winning run 11 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 17 matches ( ) Longest losing run 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win 3 matches ( ) Most goals 50 v Banik OKD Karvina CZE 26:50W (a), Most goals opponent 44 v FC Barcelona ESP 44:37L (a), Most goals both teams 81 v FC Barcelona ESP 44:37L (a), Fewest goals 13 v Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO 22:13L (a), Fewest goals opponent 15 v SKA Minsk BLR 15:27W (a), v SKA Minsk BLR 21:15W (h), Fewest goals both teams 35 v Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO 22:13L (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 1994/95 THW Kiel GER : :6 2nd Gr. B 1995/96 THW Kiel GER : :6 2nd Gr. A 1996/97 THW Kiel GER : :7 1/2-finals 1998/99 TKW Kiel GER : :2 1/4-finals 1999/00 THW Kiel GER : :9 Runner-up 2000/01 THW Kiel GER : :9 1/2-finals 2002/03 THW Kiel GER : :7 1/4-finals 2004/05 THW Kiel GER : :4 1/4-finals 2005/06 THW Kiel GER : :4 1/4-finals 2006/07 THW Kiel GER : :5 Winner 2007/08 THW Kiel GER : :6 Runner-up 2008/09 THW Kiel GER : :7 Runner-up 2009/10 THW Kiel GER : :3 Winner 2010/11 THW Kiel GER : :8 1/4-finals 2011/12 THW Kiel GER : :5 Winner 2012/13 THW Kiel GER : :10 4th Place 2013/14 THW Kiel GER : :5 Runner-up 2014/15 THW Kiel GER : :8 4th Place Total: : :111 31

32 THW Kiel (GER) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 28 Malte Abelmann-Brockmann GER Left Wing Kiel, GER Thies Bergemann GER Right Back Kiel, GER Joan Cañellas Reixach ESP Centre Back St. Maria de Palau, ESP Rune Dahmke GER Left Wing Kiel, GER Christian Dissinger GER Left Back Ludwigshafen, GER Domagoj Duvnjak CRO Centre Back Dakovo, CRO Niclas Ekberg SWE Right Wing Ystad, SWE Rogerio Ferreira Moraes BRA Line Player Abaetetuba, BRA Lucas Firnhaber GER Right Back Buxtehude, GER Torsten Jansen GER Left Wing Adenau, GER Dominik Klein GER Left Wing Miltenberg, GER Erlend Mamelund NOR Left Back Bærum, NOR Christian Sprenger GER Right Wing Ludwigsfelde, GER Rene Toft Hansen DEN Line Player Rybjerg, DEN Marko Vujin SRB Right Back Backa Palanka, SRB Steffen Weinhold GER Right Back Fuerth, GER Patrick Wiencek GER Line Player Duisburg, GER Alexander Williams GER Left Back Hamburg, GER Niklas Landin Jacobsen DEN Goalkeeper Soborg, DEN Nikolas Katsigiannis GER Goalkeeper Werne, GER Dominik Plaue GER Goalkeeper Bad Homburg, GER Fynn Malte Schröder GER Goalkeeper Bremen, GER Average: 26,27 194,1 94,9 Alfred Gislason coach won nine German championships (with Magdeburg and Kiel), four German cup titles, five European club titles five times coach of the year in Germany his first job on the bench was in his home town Akureyri, before taking over Hameln, Magdeburg and Gummersbach in Germany joined Kiel in 2008 as the successor of Noka Serdarusic to lead THW to 15 trophies to date EC trophies: CL 2002, 2010, 2012 (as coach), EHF Cup 2001 (as coach) 32

33 Niklas Landin goalkeeper joined Kiel in the summer of 2015 after three seasons with bundesliga rivals Rhein-Neckar Löwen successor of legendary Kasper Hvidt in the Danish national team broke through during the 2011 WCh played also for Gudme in Denmark, where he was number 1 already at the age of 20 best goalkeeper at the 2013 WCh, the EHF EURO 2014 and the 2013/14 CL EC trophies: EHF Cup 2013 WCh: S 2011, 2013, EURO: G 2012, S 2014 Domagoj Duvnjak centre back THW s top signing before the 2014/15 season 2013 IHF World Handball Player of the Year arrived from Hamburg, where he played since 2009 not just a typical playmaker he is also a scorer and is an essential part of defence best Bundesliga player in 2013 started his career in Zagreb EC trophies: CL 2013 OG: B 2012, WCh: S 2009, B 2013, EURO: S 2010, B 2012 Rene Toft Hansen line player even better in defence than on the line in attack, but after Marcus Ahlm s departure in 2013, the learning period in attack is over for him new captain since Jicha s departure EHF EURO 2012 All-Star Team member in the CL since 2007 with former clubs KIF Kolding and AG Kobenhavn his brother Henrik is playing for Flensburg, his brother Allan for Mors-Thy and his sister Majbritt for Skive and all four are line players WCh: S 2011, 2013, EURO: G 2012, S 2014 EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 2008 EURO: S 2012 Marko Vujin right back in 2012 the Serbian shooter arrived to fill the gap after the departure of Kim Andersson to KIF top scorer of the 2013/14 Bundesliga (248 goals) won seven consecutive national championships with Veszprém and Kiel in the national team he is one of the stalwarts who were key to silver at the EHF EURO 2012 started his international career in Dunaferr (Hungary), then played five years in Veszprem WCh G 2013, B 2011, EURO: B 2014 EC trophies: CL 2014, EHF Cup 2008 Men s 20 EHF EURO: G 2006, Junior WCh: S 2008 OG: S 2012 Rune Dahmke left wing only Kiel-born player in the THW squad and was in his younger days sitting on the stands cheering for his idols got his first professional contract in December 2013 after being part of the THW youth teams his father Frank Dahmke was THW player and now is member of the club board at least until October 2015 replacement for Dominik Klein who tore his cruciate ligament in the previous season Joan Canellas centre back scored 50 goals in eight matches on the way to the top goal scorer title of the EHF EURO 2014 fits perfectly with Domagoj Duvnjak, with whom he played in Hamburg in 2013/14 with Barcelona and Ciudad Real Spanish champion and cup winner twice (2011, 2012) CL finalist with Ciudad Real and Atletico Madrid the club with which he also won the IHF Super Globe twice (2010, 2012) Steffen Weinhold right back one of the most prominent players in current German handball after the 2008 junior WCh, the Bavarian changed from Fürth to HSG Nordhorn winning the EHF Cup in his first season after signing for TV Großwallstadt he was in the focus of the national team coach Heiner Brand made the next step in his career, signing for SG Flensburg-Handewitt in 2012 and joined THW just weeks after Flensburg beat them in the 2014 CL final Niclas Ekberg right wing spotted and signed by AG Kobenhavn in 2010 tall winger from Ystad has large variety of shots, also effective on counterattacks and reliable on penalty throws these qualities have also earned him more than 90 internationals for Sweden joined Kiel in 2012 after AG went bankrupt and after he experienced his first VELUX EHF FINAL4 top scorer of the London Olympics 2012 with 50 goals 33

34 GROUP A MVM Veszprém (HUN) Antonio Carlos Ortega has a dream - to become the second man in handball to win the VELUX EHF Champions League as a coach and a player after he has raised the trophy six times as part of the golden FC Barcelona team in the 1990 s. He has led Veszprem twice consecutively to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne in 2014 and and in May he even made it to the final against his former club FC Barcelona. The fans of the Hungarian record champions are confident too - shown by long queues in front of the ticket counter for the 2016 FINAL4 event in May Most of the coaches and experts have Veszprem also on their list to go all the way to Cologne again, this is mainly due to the fact that the club from Lake Balaton signed two top-class players to strengthen their squad again: Croatian top star Ivan Sliskovic from Celje and playmaker Aron Palmarsson - the third former THW Kiel player to sign after the Champions League top scorer Momir Ilic and right back Christian Zeitz both put pen to paper for the Hungarian side. With only Iman Jamali having left Veszprem, the well-balanced and well-rehearsed squad is expected to be on a high this season. We are out to qualify for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 again, that is the clear message given by club director Csaba Hajnal. Playing hall Veszprém Arena Külso Kadartai ut 8200 Veszprém Hungary Capacity: 5,020 As Veszprem is also competing in the multi-national SEHA Liga (which they won in 2015), team captain Laszlo Nagy expects a long and difficult season. But we hope to achieve great results in all competitions. Nagy two-time Champions League winner with FC Barcelona - believes that PSG are the strongest team in their group, but also estimates the two German sides as main contenders for Veszprem in the fight for a top position. In preparation Veszprem already clashed with some of Europe s top teams at the tournaments in Ehingen (Germany) and Strassbourg (France) in order to be right on top for the start of the season. Just a few days before the season s start they made their premiere trip to the IHF Super Globe and yet again they had to settle with the runners-up position after losing 27:28 to Füchse Berlin in extra-time. Club Address: MVM Veszprém Marcius 15. ut Veszprém Hungary Media contact: Zsolt Sevinger [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: mkbveszprem Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: grey Dark Player shirt: red Player short: red Goalkeeper shirt: black Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Hungarian champions Coach: Antonio Carlos Ortega (since 2012) Captain: Laszlo Nagy Newcomers: Aron Palmarsson (THW Kiel) Ivan Sliskovic (RK Celje) Left the club: Iman Moorchegani Jamali (IFK Kristianstad) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 21 Final (2): 2001/02, 2014/15 Semi-final (3): 2002/03, 2005/06, 2013/14 Quarter-final (9): 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2006/07, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2012/13 Last 16 (3): 1993/94, 2010/11, 2011/12 Group Phase (3): 1994/95, 1995/96, 2007/08 Other Cup Winners Cup: Winners 2007/08, Runners-up 1996/97 SEHA-league: 1 title (2015) Hungarian league: 23 titles (1985, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Hungarian Cup winner: 24 times 34

35 MVM Veszprém (HUN) Biggest win: 38:17 (18:9) v HC Granitas Kaunas LTU (h), Biggest defeat: 30:18 (16:8) v Badel Zagreb CRO (a), Longest winning run: 11 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 11 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 4 matches ( ) Most goals: 46 v MSK SIRS Povazska Bystrica SVK 46:26W (h), v MSK SIRS Povazska Bystrica SVK 30:46W (a), Most goals opponent: 39 v THW Kiel GER 39:32L (a), Most goals both teams: 76 v MSK SIRS Povazska Bystrica SVK 30:46W (a), Fewest goals: 15 v TEKA Santander ESP 25:15L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 13 v SO Chambery FRA 29:13W (h), v Panellinios AC Athens GRE 19:13W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 32 v Panellinios AC Athens GRE 19:13W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 1994/95 Fotex Veszprem HUN : :6 3rd Gr. A 1995/96 Fotex Veszprem HUN : :6 3rd Gr. A 1997/98 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : :5 1/4-finals 1998/99 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : :9 1/4-finals 1999/00 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : :8 1/4-finals 2001/02 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : :6 Runner-up 2002/03 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : :4 1/2-finals 2003/04 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : :6 1/4-finals 2004/05 Fotex KC Veszprém HUN : :6 1/4-finals 2005/06 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : :6 1/2-finals 2006/07 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : :6 1/4-finals 2007/08 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : :6 3rd Gr. F 2008/09 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : :8 1/4-finals 2009/10 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : :6 1/4-finals 2010/11 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : :6 Last /12 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : :10 Last /13 MKB Veszprém KC HUN : :6 1/4-finals 2013/14 MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN : :9 4th Place 2014/15 MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN : :5 Runner-up Total : :124 35

36 MVM Veszprém (HUN) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 34 David Fekete HUN Left Back Budapest, HUN Daniel Füzi HUN Line Player Veszprém, HUN Peter Gulyas HUN Right Wing Veszprem, HUN Momir Ilic SRB Left Back Andrelovac, SRB Gergö Ivancsik HUN Left Wing Györ, HUN Mate Lekai HUN Centre Back Budapest, HUN Gasper Marguc SLO Right Wing Celje, SLO Balazs Molnar HUN Left Wing Veszprem, HUN Laszlo Nagy HUN Right Back Szeged, HUN Andreas Nilsson SWE Line Player Trelleborg, SWE Aron Palmarsson ISL Centre Back Reykjavik, ISL Jose Maria Rodriguez Vaquero ESP Centre Back Palencia, ESP Peter Schmid HUN Centre Back Veszprém, HUN Istvan Timuzsin Schuch HUN Line Player Nagyatad, HUN Ivan Sliskovic CRO Left Back Split, CRO Renato Sulic CRO Line Player Rijeka, CRO Benedek Szakaly HUN Right Wing Budapest, HUN Erik Szeitl HUN Line Player Tapolca, HUN Zoltan Szita HUN Left Back Veszprem, HUN Mirsad Terzic BIH Left Back Priboj, BIH Attila Toth HUN Right Back Budapest, HUN Cristian Ugalde Garcia ESP Left Wing Barcelona, ESP Martin Varju HUN Right Wing Szekszard, HUN Christian Zeitz GER Right Back Heidelberg, GER Roland Mikler HUN Goalkeeper Dunaujvaros, HUN Mirko Alilovic CRO Goalkeeper Ljubuski, CRO Barnabas Nagy HUN Goalkeeper Veszprem, HUN Bence Gödör HUN Goalkeeper Veszprem, HUN Average: 25,68 190,6 91,3 Antonio Carlos Ortega coach six time CL champion, 14 different cup titles in Spain as a player for Barcelona he won every possible title at least three times in 2005 started his coaching career in Antequera in 2012 left Spain for the first time to take on the challenge in Veszprém and in his second year he steered them to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 for the first time EC trophy: CL 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, Cup Winers Cup 1995, EHF Cup 2003 OG: B 2000, EURO: S 1998, B

37 Roland Mikler goalkeeper 2005 All-Star goalkeeper of the junior world championship Hungarian national team goalkeeper is quick, compact and excellent at directing the defence as a teenager Mikler reached the semi-final of the EHF Cup over a decade ago, with Dunaferr in 2003 joined Veszprem in 2014 after the EHF Cup success with Szeged Mirko Alilovic goalkeeper like his predecessor Dejan Peric belongs to the elite class of goalkeepers who can send the audience to their feet and inspire his teammates Croatian national team member and his medal tally consists of three silver medals and two bronze recorded 11 goal assists during the 2013 WCh very familiar with the Spanish contingent in Veszprém as he played for five years in the ASOBAL EC trophy: EHF Cup 2014 OG: B 2012, EURO: S 2008, 2010, WCh: S 2009, B 2013 EC trophies: CL 2005, 2011 EURO: B 2014, WCh: B 2011 Cristian Ugalde left wing brought up by Barcelona and played regularly in the first team since he was 18 excelled at international level in the 2007/08 season with his 34 goals and participation in the national team won every possible title with Barca some of them multiple times found a new challenge in Veszprém altering with Gergö Iváncsik, who is one of the best players in this position according to Ugalde EC trophies: CL 2010, 2012 EURO: S 2012 Momir Ilic left back top scorer and only player passing 100 goals (103) in the 2013/14 CL season and again top scorer in 2014/15 (114 goals) joined THW Kiel in 2009 from VfL Gummersbach and won seven titles during his four years with the club, including two CL titles led Serbia to their first medal as an independent nation at EHF EURO 2012 MVP of EHF EURO /14 All-star team left back Aron Palmarsson centre back before joining Veszprem in summer 2015 the versatile and tactically as well as technically skilled playmaker was with Kiel for six years Renato Sulic line player at his second stint in Veszprém, in the 2004/05 season he did not have a chance to play as he was injured in a car incident before his first match EC trophies: CL 2010, 2012 EURO: B 2010 one of the biggest signing in the whole competition before the 2015/16 season followed the steps of two other former Kiel players Ilic and Zeitz after the departure of Momir Ilic and Daniel Narcisse, the 2012 Olympics All-Star become more of an influential figure of Kiel on court EURO: S 2008, WCh: G 2003 came back to Veszprém after several years in Zagreb and Celje 2013/14 and 2014/15 All-star team line player shares his time on the court with the defensive specialist Timuzsin Schuh and Andreas Nilsson EC trophies: CL 2005, 2011, EHF Cup 2003 Laszlo Nagy right back started his career as a basketball player and was close to a move to the USA at the age of 13 in the end he decided for handball and became one of the best right backs of the world transferred from Szeged to Barcelona in 2006 and became the captain despite being a foreigner All-Star team right back of the 2013 WCh All-Star team right back of the 2012/13 CL season Gasper Marguc right wing took part in the WCh in Spain 2013, where Slovenia placed fourth came to Veszprem from Celje where he was playing since 2009 in the 2012/13 season played his best season so far and became Slovenia s top scorer in the CL, netting 72 times (10th overall) played two amazing matches against THW Kiel in 2012/13, scoring 18 times from 18 shots against the legendary Thierry Omeyer 37

38 GROUP A Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) Having set the bar high in the transfer market this summer, Paris Saint-Germain Handball s thoughts can only be on a serious challenge for the VELUX EHF Champions League trophy this season. Veszprem brought an end to their challenge at the quarter-final stage two years in a row, but this season nothing less than a trip to Cologne will suffice. These high hopes are based heavily on the arrival of two names: Karabatic and Serdarusic. The family reunion of the two brothers (Nikola and Luka) and the highly successful coach make the Parisians one of the competition s favourites despite their placement in a daunting Group A alongside Kiel, Veszprem, Celje, Plock, Zagreb, Besiktas and Flensburg. After winning the VELUX EHF FINAL4 with FC Barcelona and becoming the MVP of the final tournament, expectation follows Nikola Karabatic wherever he goes, while Noka Serdarusic (2007 CL winner with Kiel and arriving from Aix) replaces Philippe Gardent, who now coaches Toulouse. Although the message from within the club may be one of confidence this summer, manager Bruno Martini is a little more humble: Every year we try to build a team being able to challenge the best clubs in Europe. We will begin this new campaign with big hopes, belief in our strengths, with humility and a huge respect of our opponents. Our first aim is to improve our results in the Champions League. Playing hall Halle Georges Carpentier 81 boulevard Massena Paris France Capacity: 4,800 Club Address: Paris Saint-Germain Handball 82 avenue Georges Lafont Paris France We want to do better than in previous years, is the straightforward goal of team captain Daniel Narcisse, knowing that potential banana skins await early on: With the new format of competition, we will have hard games to play in the toughest group. We know that each game will be a fight. Leaving the club this summer were Croats Marko Kopljar (Barcelona) and Jakov Gojun (Berlin) as well as Mladen Bojinovic. In addition to the Karabatic brothers arrival, two strong back court shooters moved to the French capital: Henrik Mollgaard (Skjern Handbold) and Sergiy Onufryienko (Motor Zaporozhye). Despite this bolstered squad manager Bruno Martini expects only hard games in the group phase, as the competition will be very tight up until the last game. Martini is certain that these top opponents will raise the interest from fans and the general public alike: It s very important for Paris Saint-Germain to show the best of handball to its fans. The VELUX EHF Champions League, especially with the new format of competition, offers only high level games. We think that it s the best way to improve the interest of the public for handball. Media contact: Louise Cosnard [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: PSGHand Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: red Goalkeeper shirt: red Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: French champions Coach: Noka Serdarusic (since 2015, successor of Philippe Gardent) Captain: Daniel Narcisse Newcomers: Nikola Karabatic (FC Barcelona) Luka Karabatic (Aix en Provence) Henrik Mollgaard (Skjern Handbold) Sergiy Onufryienko (Motor Zaporozhye) Left the club: Philippe Gardent (coach Toulouse) Marko Kopljar (FC Barcelona) Jakov Gojun (Füchse Berlin) Zacharia N Diaye (Chartres) Mladen Bojinovic (Banja Luka) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 4 Quarter-final (2): 2013/14, 2014/15 Last 16 (1): 2005/06 Other EHF Cup: Quarter-finals 2006/07, Last /04 French league: 2 titles (2013, 2015) French cup: 2 titles 38

39 Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) Biggest win: 38:24 (22:11) v Wacker Thun SUI (h), Biggest defeat: 44:28 (22:12) v THW Kiel GER (a), Longest winning run: 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 4 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 4 matches ( ) Most goals: 38 v Wacker Thun SUI 38:24W (h), Most goals opponent: 44 v THW Kiel GER 44:28L (a), Most goals both teams: 72 v THW Kiel GER 44:28L (a), Fewest goals: 20 v Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO 20:26L (h), v Caja Cantabria Santander ESP 26:20L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 18 v HC Banik Karvina CZE 21:18W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 39 v HC Banik Karvina CZE 21:18W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 1996/97 PSG Asnières FRA : :10 4th Gr. D 2005/06 Paris Handball FRA : :7 Last /14 PSG Handball FRA : :13 1/4-finals 2014/15 Paris Saint-Germain Handball FRA : :11 1/4-finals Total : :41 39

40 Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 19 Luc Abalo FRA Right Wing Creteil, FRA William Accambray FRA Left Back Cannes, FRA Ludwig Appolinaire FRA Centre Back Kourou, FRA Xavier Barachet FRA Right Back Nice, FRA Clement Branco FRA Left Wing Perpignan, FRA Paul Correia FRA Right Back Nantes, FRA Kevin Durosier FRA Line Player Paris, FRA Dylan Garain FRA Left Back Les Abymes, FRA Robert Gunnarsson ISL Line Player Reykjavik, ISL Mikkel Hansen DEN Centre Back Helsingor, DEN Samuel Honrubia FRA Left Wing Beziers, FRA Luka Karabatic FRA Line Player Strasbourg, FRA Nikola Karabatic FRA Centre Back Nis, SRB Adama Keita FRA Left Wing Paris, FRA Benoit Kounkoud FRA Right Wing Versailles, FRA Janus Lapajne SLO Centre Back Sampeter pri Gorici, SLO Jeffrey M tima FRA Left Wing Schlitighelm, FRA Fahrudin Melic MNE Right Wing Prijepolje, MNE Henrik Møllgaard Jensen DEN Left Back Bramming, DEN Daniel Narcisse FRA Centre Back St Dennis-Reunion, FRA Sergiy Onufryienko UKR Right Back Zaporozhye, UKR Axel Rosier FRA Left Back PARIS, FRA Jonathan Troudart FRA Line Player FORT DE FRANCE, FRA Igor Vori CRO Line Player Zagreb, CRO Thierry Omeyer FRA Goalkeeper Mulhouse, FRA Patrice Annonay FRA Goalkeeper La Trinite, FRA Jordy Jacoby-Koaly FRA Goalkeeper Pointe a Pitre, FRA Clement Gaudin FRA Goalkeeper Martigues, FRA Average: 26,29 191,1 90,2 Noka Serdarusic coach born in Yugoslavia, became a German citizen in 2008 came out of retirement two years ago to coach Aix, then moved to PSG this summer does not speak French, only German, but since many players in PSG have played in Germany before it seems to be no problem his previous coaching experience includes eleven seasons with THW Kiel and three with SG Flensburg-Handewitt almost a honourary member of the Karabatic family EC Trophies : CL 2007, EHF Cup 1998, 2002,

41 EC trophies: CL 2003, 2007, 2010, 2012 OG: G 2008, 2012, EURO: G 2006, 2010, 2014, B 2008 WCh: G 2001, 2009, 2011, 2015, B 2003, B 2005 EURO: G 2012, S 2014, WCh: S 2011, 2013 EC trophies: CL 2010, 2012 OG: G 2008, 2012, EURO: G 2006, 2010, 2014, B 2008 WCh: G 2001, 2009, 2015, B 2003, 2005 OG: G 2012, EURO: G 2010, WCh: G 2009, 2011, 2015 Thierry Omeyer goalkeeper crowned best goalkeeper in history by the IHF returned to Montpellier for the 2013/14 season, reached the EHF Cup final and decided to move on to PSG in the summer of 2014 at 39 has no intention of retiring and extended his contract for another season recently awarded the best goalkeeper and the MVP at the WCh 2015 in Qatar Mikkel Hansen left back 2011 IHF World Handball Player of the Year reached the VELUX EHF FINAL4 with AG Kobenhavn in 2012 son of former Danish international Flemming Hansen; having grown into a top class player at GOG, played for Barcelona for two seasons before joining AG in 2011 arrived in PSG before the 2012/13 season; his headbands have now become a collector item among PSG fans Daniele Narcisse centre back might well go down in history as one of the most decorated French players 2012 IHF World Handball Player of the Year nicknamed Air France because of his jumping skills now reunited with former Kiel teammate Thierry Omeyer to fulfill his goal of winning the CL title Xavier Barachet right back returned to France in the 2013/14 season to play with Saint Raphaël after playing only one season in Spain moved on to PSG before the 2014/15 season formed in Chambéry, the left-hander has already an impressive CL experience injured a lot over the past seasons and due to a shoulder injury, has only focused on defending thanks to surgery, he has now recovered and should be able to be dangerous in the attack too OG: G 2012, EURO: G 2014, WCh: G 2011, 2015 Samuel Honrubia left wing joined PSG at the start of the 2012/13 season after having played in Montpellier for more than a decade immediately showed what he is capable of and why is he is regarded as one of the best left wings in Europe very efficient at scoring from fast breaks and in one-on-one situations Nikola Karabatic centre back / left back 2007 & 2014 World Handball Player of the Year one of Barcelona transfer coups with Kiril Lazarov before the 2013/14 season and arguably the biggest transfer of the 2015 summer won everything there is to win, as he has triumphed at Olympic Games, WChs and EHF EUROs with the French national team and thrice the CL (with Montpellier, Kiel and Barcelona) one of the most complete handball players with strengths both in attack and defence EC trophies: CL 2003, 2007, 2015 OG: G 2008, 2012, WCh: G 2009, 2011, 2015, B 2003, 2005 EURO: G 2006, 2010, 2014, B 2008 Luka Karabatic line player was a national-level tennis player until he was 19, only then turned his back on the yellow ball and chose handball began in Montpellier, then moved to Aix and finally to PSG in the summer of 2015 on the CL list of Montpellier in six seasons, but did not enjoy too much playing time (in total 22 goals) PSG is the third club where he reunites with his brother Nikola ECh : G 2014, WCh : G 2015 Luc Abalo right wing spectacular right wing returned to France from Spanish side Atletico Madrid in 2012 immediately showed how much progress he has made during his four seasons in Spain reached the final of the CL in 2011 and 2012 regular fixture in the national team as well with his high jumps and all the tricks a winger must have in their bag, he is one of the best at his position EC trophies: CL 2009 OG: 2008, 2012, EURO: G 2006, 2010, 2014, WCh: 2009,

42 GROUP A RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (SLO) It has been 11 years since their triumph, but RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko are still the last team not from Spain or Germany to have won the EHF Champions League. The 19-time Slovenian champions are back in European handball s elite club competition for an astonishing 21st time, joining Veszprem in second place on the all-time participation list, behind Zagreb s tally of 22. After winning all domestic matches in the Slovenian league and cup competitions, the Brewers aim for their historic 20th title in the new season and try to make it to the Last 16 of the VELUX EHF Champions League. Celje are continuing on their way of promoting Slovenian talents with the likes of Miha Zarabec, Blaz Blagotinsek and Blaz Janc making the grade last term. The success of the Slovenian youth programme (Youth Olympic Games winner 2014, U21 World Championship 2015 and EYOF 2015 silver medalists) is partly built upon the work in Celje. We are sure that some new players from RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko will show their talent in the new season, says manager Gregor Planteu. In contrast to previous years, only one key player has left Celje prior to the start of this season: Ivan Sliskovic, who transferred to 2015 finalists Veszprem. Among their newcomers, goalkeeper Ivan Gajic is a valuable addition in terms of experience. With an average age of 24 years, the Celje squad has gained more international experience last season and improved from match to match, but just missed out on the Last 16. The task this season is no easier for the record Slovenian champions in Group A against 2015 finalists Veszprem, three-time winners Kiel, 2014 champions Flensburg, Paris, Zagreb, Plock and Besiktas. Playing hall Dvorana Zlatorog Opekarinska cesta Celje Slovenia Capacity: 5,830 Club Address: Celje Pivovarna Lasko Opekarniska Cesta Celje Slovenia Media contact: Nejc Ajdnik [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: rkceljepivovarnalasko Kit colours Light Player shirt: yellow-blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: black Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: red The club s objective is clearly set: to qualify for the knock-out stage, for which they at least have to finish in the top six positions. For team captain Luka Zvizej it is hard to predict, which team will win their group, as PSG, Kiel, Veszprem, Flensburg are even stronger than last year. Zvizej hopes for some good games with Wisla, Zagreb and Besiktas: If we get the chance to qualify for the Last 16, we will grab it. Team captain and manager hope for strong support from the stands: Last season we had an average of more than 4,100 fans per Champions League match, now we are trying to improve this number. With a good atmosphere in the Zlatorog Arena and the passion of our players, we are able to upset big teams, says Planteu. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Slovenian champions Coach: Branko Tamse (since December 2013) Captain: Luka Zvizej Newcomers: Ivan Gajic (Al Ahli/Qatar) Ziga Mlakar (RK Maribor Branik) Luka Dobelsek (RK Gorenje Velenje) Povilas Babarskas (Bregenz) Gregor Potocnik (RK Trimo Trebnje) Lucijan Fizuleto (RK Sevnica) Arthur Malburg Patrianova (Villa de Aranda) Left the club: Ivan Sliskovic (Veszprem) David Miklavcic (Tremblay) Matevz Skok (N-Lübbecke) Rok Zuran (Jeruzalem Ormoz) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 20 Winner (1): 2003/04 Semi-final (6): 1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2004/05 Quarter-final (2): 2001/02, 2005/06 Last 16 (3): 1995/96, 2006/07, 2012/13, 2013/14 Main round (2): 2007/08, 2008/09 Group phase (4): 1993/94, 1994/95, 2010/11, 2014/15 Qualification (1): 2009/10 Other Cup Winners Cup: Semi-finals 2002/02, 2011/12 Slovenian league: 19 titles (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015) Slovenian cup: 18 times 42

43 RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (SLO) Biggest win: 37:17 (16:09) v Redbergslids IK SWE (h), Biggest defeat: 43:27 (23:16) v THW Kiel GER (a), Longest winning run: 6 matches ( ) 6 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 8 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 6 matches ( ) Most goals: 44 v HC Granitas-Karys LTU 44:27W (h), Most goals opponent: 44 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 44:33L (a), Most goals both teams: 77 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 44:33L (a), Fewest goals: 17 v UHK West Wien AUT 18:17L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 16 v SG Wallau-Massenheim GER 23:16L (h), v Redbergslids Göteborg SWE 31:16W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 35 v UHK West Wien AUT 18:17L (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 1993/94 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :8 4th Gr. A 1996/97 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :5 1/2-finals 1997/98 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :4 1/2-finals 1998/99 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :5 1/2-finals 1999/00 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :6 1/2-finals 2000/01 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :7 1/2-finals 2001/02 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :4 1/4-finals 2003/04 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :6 Winner 2004/05 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :7 1/2-finals 2005/06 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :6 1/4-finals 2006/07 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :4 Last /08 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :14 4th MR Gr /09 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :12 4th MR Gr /11 HC Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :14 5th Gr. A 2012/13 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :14 Last /14 Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :13 Last /15 RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :14 5th Gr. C Total : :143 43

44 RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko (SLO) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 2 Eljub Alagic SLO Line Player Celje, SLO Povilas Babarskas LTU Left Back Kaunas, LTU Blaz Blagotinsek SLO Line Player Celje, SLO Tobias Cvetko SLO Left Back Celje, SLO Luka Dobelsek SLO Centre Back Celje, SLO Anze Dobovicnik SLO Right Wing Celje, SLO Tilen Dobovicnik SLO Left Wing Celje, SLO Lucijan Fizuletto SLO Centre Back Celje, SLO Matic Groselj SLO Right Back Trbovlje, SLO Sime Ivic CRO Right Back Split, CRO Blaz Janc SLO Right Wing Brezice, SLO Tilen Kodrin SLO Left Wing Celje, SLO Arthur Malburg Patrianova BRA Left Back Itajausc, BRA Gal Marguc SLO Right Wing Celje, SLO Ziga Mlakar SLO Right Back Celje, SLO Grega Ocvirk SLO Centre Back Celje, SLO Zivan Pesic SRB Line Player Novi Sad, SRB Vid Poteko SLO Line Player Celje, SLO Gregor Potocnik SLO Left Back Celje, SLO David Razgor SLO Centre Back Celje, SLO Luka Savanovic BIH Right Back Banja Luka, BIH Jan Sivka SLO Left Wing Celje, SLO Miha Zarabec SLO Centre Back Novo Mesto, SLO Luka Zvizej SLO Left Wing Celje, SLO Ivan Gajic SRB Goalkeeper Nis, SRB Urban Lesjak SLO Goalkeeper Celje, SLO Tilen Leben SLO Goalkeeper Cele, SLO Gasper Dobaj SLO Goalkeeper Slovenj Gradec, SLO Average: 22,21 187,9 89,2 Branko Tamse coach former player and coach of Celje s arch rivals from Velenje took over the club in December 2014, just 48 hours after Vladan Matic and Celje announced the termination of their contract major task of the former youth and junior national team player was to rebuild a young team with talents and create a competitive force to keep up with the pace of the more renowned rivals in the group. 44

45 Ivan Gajic goalkeeper started his handball career in his birthplace with RK Zeleznicar Nis in 1997 played five seasons ( ) for Celje s biggest rival RK Gorenje Velenje, under current Celje coach Branko Tamse, won three Slovenian champions title with them vast club-level experience playing at Hannover, Frisch Auf Göppingen, Silkeborg, Tremblay as well as Al Ahly for a season each represented Serbia at the World Championship in Spain 2013 Arthur Malburg Patrianova left back signed for Celje in the summer of 2015 despite his young age (22) has been member of the Brazilian national team for some years and played both at the WCh 2013 in Spain and WCh 2015 in Qatar came from Villa de Aranda, ASOBAL team, before he played in Naturhouse la Rioja, but longed for more minutes on the court can play in the centre back position too in March 2015 suffered a knee injury and had to undergo a surgery Miha Zarabec centre back joined Celje in the summer of 2014 from another Slovenian club RK Maribor Branik, where he experienced the EHF Cup Group Phase in 2012/13 after Sebastian Skube and Mate Lekai left the club, Zarabec took over attacking duties his main strenghts are speed, explosivity and his vision of play in his first season in the CL he became the top scorer of his team with 54 goals EC trophies: CL 2005 Luka Zvizej left wing competed at the 2004 Olympics in Athens listed among the top ten goal scorers at the 2012 EHF EURO, also part of the national team at the WCh 2013, where Slovenia finished fourth moved from his home team to Spain in 2003 first to CB Cantabria and then to FC Barcelona, where he won the CL in 2005 and ASOBAL in 2006 before moving back to Celje had a second stint at Cantabria and spent three years with Pick Szeged Luka Dobelsek centre back joined Celje in the summer of 2015 after he helped the league rivals Velenje to reach the EHF Cup Finals in the previous season one of the most experienced players of the squad with a dozen of EC seasons under his belt played abroad in Germany (Lübbecke, Emsdetten) and Poland (Wisła Płock) before returning to his boyhood club Velenje in 2013 replacing Nikola Manojlovic played his first international matches with Velenje already in 2001 Vid Poteko line player member of Celje since 2010, now a key part of Celje s defence known as a true fighter, who never gives up part of the Slovenian team playing in Mersin at the Mediterranean games 2013 together with Gasper Marguc, Urban Lesjak and Borut Mackovsek after Alem Toskic left Celje for Vardar Skopje in 2013, he gets more minutes in the offensive play sharing his position with talented Blaz Blagotinsek, together they combined for 34 goals (16+18) in the 2014/15 season Sime Ivic right back joined Celje in 2014 from Nexe Nasice (Croatia) in Nexe top a very important role, as he was the second best scorer of the team and overall 7th scorer in 2013/14 SEHA league in his first season with Celje scored 20 goals his main positive characteristics are his agility and ability to play well in both attack and defence. Blaz Janc right wing one of the biggest talents in history of Slovenian handball teenager already in his 4th season in the first team making his debut in the CL at 15 years old after Gasper Marguc s departure to Veszprem in 2014 he used his extended playing time to become the third best Celje s scorer (44 goals) best right back in the previous Men s 20 EHF EURO 2014 and Junior WCh 2015 where he was playing with players two years older than him best right back and top scorer of Youth WCh

46 GROUP A Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) Following a spirited challenge against Vive Tauron Kielce for the Polish title and becoming the only team to beat eventual VELUX EHF Champions League winners FC Barcelona last season, there is plenty to be positive about in the Wisla Plock camp as they head into another European campaign. The Polish runners-up are ready for a new challenge after three cornerstones of Manuel Cadenas squad left Plock for other Champions League participants. Mariusz Jurkiewicz joined Kielce, towering line player Kamil Syprzak made it to the defending champions FC Barcelona Lassa and Alexander Tioumentsev now plays for Meshkov Brest. On the other hand, Plock signed two international experienced players: Chilean Marco Oneto (former Barcelona player), Bartosz Konitz and Russian talent Dmitrii Zhitnikov. These newcomers keep the flames of hope burning for Cadenas despite the tough group they were drawn in with Kiel (three-time champions), Veszprem (2015 finalist), talent-laden Paris, 2014 champions Flensburg, Celje, Zagreb and Besiktas. At first it is our main goal to qualify for the Last 16 and we want to be a tough opponent for all our competitors, Cadenas looks ahead. For the coach of the Spanish national team Barcelona, Kiel and Kielce are the favourites to win the competition. Playing hall Orlen Arena Pl. Celebry Papieskiej Płock Poland Capacity: 5,467 For him, the chance to be in a group like this means a great honour: To be part of the Champions League is important for the city, the club and the fans - who can watch the best teams in the world in the Orlen Arena. Club Address: Orlen Wisła Płock Plac Celebry Papieskiej Płock Poland Media contact: Tomasz Bauman Tel: [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: sprwisla Kit colours Light Player shirt: whiteblue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: red Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Polish runners-up Coach: Manuel Cadenas (since 2013) Captain: Adam Wisniewski Newcomers: Marco Oneto (GWD Minden) Bartosz Konitz (Szczecin) Dmitrii Zhitnikov (Chekhovskie Medvedi) Left the club: Mariusz Jurkiewicz (Kielce) Alexander Tioumentsev (Meshkov Brest) Kamil Syprzak (Barcelona) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 11 Last 16 (4): 1995/96, 2011/12, 2013/14, 2014/15 Group Phase (5): 2002/03, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2008/09 Qualification (1): 2012/13 Other EHF Cup: Quarter-finals 1993/94, Group Phase: 2012/13 Polish league: 7 titles (1995, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011) Polish Cup: 10 titles 46

47 Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) Biggest win: 42:26 (19:11) v Crvena Zvezda Beograd SCG (h), Biggest defeat: 35:18 (19:04) v KIF Kolding Elite A/S DEN (a), :17 (15:07) v HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb CRO (a), Longest winning run: 5 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 6 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 6 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 6 matches ( ) Most goals: 42 v Crvena Zvezda Beograd SCG 42:26W (h), Most goals opponent: 40 v Sportclub Magdeburg GER 40:32L (a), Most goals both teams: 72 v Sportclub Magdeburg GER 40:32L (a), Fewest goals: 13 v Chambery Savoie HB FRA 21:13L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 19 v Crvena Zvezda Beograd SRB 31:19W (h), v HCM Constanta ROU 19:34W (a), v Besiktas MOGAZ HT TUR 28:19W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 34 v Chambery Savoie HB FRA 21:13L (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2002/03 Wisla Plock SSA POL : :10 3rd Gr. A 2004/05 Wisla Plock SSA POL : :10 4th Gr. D 2005/06 Wisla Plock SSA POL : :8 3rd Gr. E 2006/07 Wisla Plock SA POL : :8 3rd Gr. C 2008/09 Wisla Plock SA POL : :12 4th Gr. H 2011/12 Orlen Wisla Plock POL : :15 1/8-finals 2013/14 Orlen Wisla Plock POL : :14 1/8-finals 2014/15 Orlen Wisla Plock POL : :9 Last 16 Total : :86 47

48 Orlen Wisla Plock (POL) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 34 Lukasz Calujek POL Left Back Zawadzkie, POL Michal Daszek POL Right Wing Tczew, POL Valentin Marian Ghionea ROU Right Wing Baia Mare, ROU Bartosz Konitz POL Left Back Oborniki Wlkpl., POL Zbigniew Kwiatkowski POL Line Player Mlawa, POL Angel Montoro Cabello ESP Right Back Toledo, ESP Jakub Moryn POL Left Wing Plock, POL Ivan Nikcevic SRB Left Wing Niksic, MNE Marco Antonio Oneto Zuniga ITA Line Player Vina del mar, CHI Mateusz Piechowski POL Line Player Plock, POL Miljan Pusica SRB Left Back Prijepolje, SRB Dan Emil Racotea ROU Back Brasov, ROU Tiago Rocha POR Line Player S. Paio Oleiros, POR Maciej Skibinski POL Right Wing Ciechanów, POL Marko Tarabochia BIH Centre Back Zagreb, BIH Adam Wisniewski POL Left Wing Plock, POL Nemanja Zelenovic SRB Right Back Knin, SRB Dmitry Zhitnikov RUS Centre Back Zvolen, RUS Marcin Wichary POL Goalkeeper Zabrze, POL Rodrigo Corrales Rodal ESP Goalkeeper Cangas, ESP Adam Morawski POL Goalkeeper Ciechanów, POL Average: 26,57 195,9 96,5 EC Trophies: Cup Winner s Cup 1989, 1999, 2005 EURO: B 2014 Manolo Cadenas coach before he signed to Orlen in 2013 he made a short return to Leon, where he had been the coach also from 1995 to 2007, in their golden era led Ademar to their only national championship title in 2001, two cup titles and victories in the European arena joined Plock in a difficult period facing a challenge of building the team from the scratch besides Plock also coaches the Spanish national team 48

49 Rodrigo Corrales Rodal goalkeeper coming to Plock in 2014 seems to be one of the best decision made by the Spaniard who had been in the shadow of other keepers in FC Barcelona landed under Manolo Cadenas wings, which soon made the experts call him the future of Spanish handball talented, hard-working and dynamic player soon gained hearts of the local fans with incredible saves in crucial moments of the games Marcin Wichary goalkeeper depite his inconspicuous look, while standing between the posts he turns into a beast came to Plock in 2004 and since that moment he has become a true Oiler, beloved by the local fans in his WCh debut in 2013 he impressed with a 50% save efficiency in the group phase his best achievement to date remains the 5th place in the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing and the bronze medal from the WCh 2015 in Qatar EC Trophies: CL 2011 WCh: B 2015 EURO: S 2012 Ivan Nikcevic left wing experienced winger with many titles raised in Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, he moved to Spain in 2005 where he played for the likes of San Antonio and Cuatro Rayas Valladolid achieved his best European performance with San Antonio in the Cup Winners Cup semi-final in 2010 also an important Serbian national team player scoring over 450 goals Miljan Pusica left back among six players that reinforced the ranks of Wisla before the 2014/15 season in 2014 on the left side replaced his countryman, Petar Nenadic, who joined Füchse Berlin with his previous team, RK Vojvodina, he failed in the qualification tournament in the 2013/14 season Dmitry Zhitnikov centre back comes from Krasnodar, and his first coach at the local handball school was his father at the age of 16, the talented boy was invited to Chekhov where he played five seasons in the reserve team as he matured and experienced players left, Zhitnikov began to play a more prominent role at Medvedi member of the Russian national team joined Plock in the summer of 2015 Tiago Rocha line player the first Portuguese player in Polish league; a hard-working player aware of his physical assets, despite his huge dimensions possesses a good coordination after spending twelve years in FC Porto he made his first step abroad joining Płock in 2014 became a cornerstone of the team until the metacarpus injury in March 2015 put him out of action both in domestic and European contest after the departure of Kamil Syprzak to Barcelona in the summer of 2015 he shares his position with a newcomer Marco Oneto Nemanja Zelenovic right back another representative of the young guns of Plock arrived in the summer of 2014 from Celje with Serbian Red Star, his first club, he experienced the CL debut in the 2007/08 season and still as a teenager he scored 18 goals next season currently the first choice in right back position and a member of Serbian national team Valentin Ghionea right wing Romanian Handballer of the Year in 2008 and two-time top scorer in Romania (2005, 2007) joined Wisla Plock in 2012 and during his first season, he showed his great goalscoring ability quickly became a very important Wisla player and his team s top scorer in the 2013/14 season he scored 226 goals in 43 appearances including 48 goals in the CL with his speed he is an important part of Manolo Cadenas s philosophy of the game 49

50 GROUP A HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) RUKOMETNI KLUB PRVO PLINARSKO DRUŠTVO Z A G R E B The Arena Zagreb was a true fortress last season and a continuation of this is important for RK PPD Zagreb ahead of the new VELUX EHF Champions League season. One season ago, Kiel, Paris and Kolding all stumbled into the home of the Croatian record champions, who are part of the Champions League for the 22th time more than any other team. Since Veselin Vujovic (now also Slovenian national team coach) took over Zagreb in October 2014, the pool of talents improved like no other Champions League team. But as expected, some of those talents were on the shopping list of other clubs: Teo Čorić (TV Bittenfeld), Ilija Brozović (HSV Hamburg), Duško Čelica (Eisenach) and Mario Vuglač all bid farwell to Zagreb. The club has continued signing home grown talents, as again Zagreb s squad only consists of players from Croatia. After an unexpectedly successful 2014/15 season, club manager Ante Ančić is aware that it will be hard to continue this way. Last season we went through to the quarter-finals. Repeating that would be a huge success for our young and home grown team. With the new playing system reaching the quarter-final again will be much harder than before. So our realistic goal is to make it to the Last 16. Playing hall Arena Zagreb Laniste b.b., Zagreb Croatia Capacity: 15,200 Zagreb will have to face huge hurdles in the group phase, playing against Kiel, Veszprem, PSG, Flensburg, Plock and Besiktas in Group A - in addition Zagreb strive again for the final tournament of the SEHA Liga, which they won in In reality we will fight with Celje, Plock and Besiktas for the positions 5 and 6. We managed to create some pretty interesting upsets last season and will for sure give our best to shock some of the giants in our group again this year, Ančić hopes for. Two players will definitely miss the start of the Champions League season: Stipe Mandalinić, who is out for six months after a knee surgery, and Josip Valčić, out with a femoral injury. Club Address: HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb Veprinecka Zagreb Croatia Media contact: Goran Roknić glasnogovornik@rk zagreb.hr Online information: Website: Facebook: RK-Zagreb Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: orange Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Croatian champions Coach: Veselin Vujovic (since October 2014) Captain: Zlatko Horvat Newcomers: Igor Vujić (Istres) Stanko Sabljić (Erlangen) Tin Kontrec (Grk Varaždin) Marko Vukić (Marina Kaštela) Josip Šandrk (Dinamo Bukurešt) Left the club: Teo Čorić (TV Bittenfeld) Ilija Brozović (HSV Hamburg) Duško Čelica (Eisenach) Mario Vuglač Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 22 Final (4): 1994/95, 1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99 Semi-final (1): 1999/00 Quarter-final (6): 2000/01, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2008/09, 2011/12, 2014/15) Last 16 (3): 2005/06, 2009/10, 2010/11 Main Round (1): 2007/08 Group Phase (4): 1993/94, 2004/05, 2006/07, 2012/13 Other EHF Cup: Runners-up 2004/05 Cup Winners Cup: Semi-finals 2006/07 SEHA League: 1 title (2013) Croatian league: 25 titles (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Croatian Cup winner: 22 times 50

51 HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) RUKOMETNI KLUB PRVO PLINARSKO DRUŠTVO Z A G R E B VELUX EHF Champions League record Biggest win 34:15 (16:8) v HC Bosna Sarajevo BIH (h), Biggest defeat: 21:43 (10:23) v FC Barcelona ESP (a), Longest winning run: 6 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 6 matches ( ) 6 matches ( ) 6 matches ( ) 6 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 7 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 8 matches ( ) Most goals: 38 v Kadetten Schaffhausen SUI 38:30W (h), Most goals opponent: 43 v FC Barcelona ESP 43:21L (a), Most goals both teams: 69 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 36:33L (a), Fewest goals: 15 v Portland San Antonio ESP 31:15L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 13 v THW Kiel GER 22:13W (h), v Pelister Bitola MKD 37:13W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 36 v ZTR Zaporozhye UKR 18:18D (a), v HC Metalurg MKD 19:17W (h), MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 1993/94 Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO : :10 4th Gr. A 1994/95 Badel Zagreb CRO : :5 Runner-up 1995/96 Croatia Banka Zagreb CRO : :7 3rd Gr. B 1996/97 Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO : :9 Runner-up 1997/98 Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO : :10 Runner-up 1998/99 Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO : :7 Runner-up 1999/00 Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO : :5 1/2-finals 2000/01 Badel 1862 Zagreb CRO : :7 1/4-finals 2002/03 RK Zagreb CRO : :8 1/4-finals 2003/04 RK Zagreb CRO : :12 1/4-finals 2004/05 RK Zagreb CRO : :6 3rd Gr. B 2005/06 RK Zagreb CRO : :5 Last /07 RK Zagreb CRO : :6 3rd Gr. D 2007/08 HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb CRO : :13 3rd MR Gr /09 HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb CRO : :7 1/4-finals 2009/10 HC Croatia Osiguranje-Zagreb CRO : :12 Last /11 HC Croatia Osiguranje ZAGREB CRO : :9 Last /12 Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb CRO : :9 1/4-finals 2012/13 HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb CRO : :15 5th Gr. D 2013/14 HC Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb CRO : :12 5th Gr. A 2014/15 HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb CRO : :14 1/4-finals Total : :188 51

52 HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 18 Zlatko Horvat CRO Right Wing Zagreb, CRO Arijan Jovic CRO Zagreb, CRO Tin Kontrec CRO Line Player Nasice, CRO Antonijo Kovacevic CRO Left Wing Zagreb, CRO Stipe Mandalinic CRO Left Back Split, CRO Petar Medic CRO Zagreb, CRO Lovro Mihic CRO Left Wing Zagreb, CRO Sandro Obranovic CRO Centre Back Karlovac, CRO Domagoj Pavlovic CRO Left Back Zagreb, CRO Luka Rakovic CRO Right Wing Zagreb, CRO Stanko Sabljic CRO Line Player Mostar, BIH Josip Sandrk CRO Left Back Zagreb, CRO Luka Sebetic CRO Right Back Bjelovar, CRO Lovro Sprem CRO Left Wing Zagreb, CRO Luka Stepancic CRO Right Back Pula, CRO Leon Susnja CRO Line Player Siroki Brijeg, BIH Josip Valcic CRO Centre Back Zadar, CRO Tonci Valcic CRO Left Back Zadar, CRO Jakov Vrdoljak CRO Zagreb, CRO Stefan Vujic CRO Centre Back Rijeka, CRO Marko Vukic CRO Left Back Split, CRO Filip Ivic CRO Goalkeeper Zagreb, CRO Ivan Stevanovic CRO Goalkeeper Rijeka, CRO Average: 25,26 192,5 91,9 Veselin Vujovic coach hired by Zagreb right before the beginning of the 2014/15 CL campaign one of the best players ever, worked as a head-coach in Ciudad Real, Vardar, Yugoslavian national team, Serbia and Montenegro (fourth place the OG in Sydney 2000) and is in charge of Slovenia now with Vardar won the regional SEHA League title in its first season known as an outstanding specialist but also as an impulsive coach EC: Champions Cup 1985, 1986, 1991 (as player) OG: G 1984, WCh: G 1986 (as player) 52

53 Filip Ivic goalkeeper home-grown goalkeeper from Zagreb s school won European gold and was fourth in the world as the captain of Croatian junior national team in the 2013/14 season he was given a chance in Zagreb s first team used the opportunity to open gates of senior handball in great style through some great saves in his first senior season he also made it to the national team and backed Mirko Alilović on the way to bronze at the 2013 WCh WCh: B 2013 WCh: B 2013 Lovro Sprem left wing well-known surname in Croatian handball, his older brother Goran won many medals with Croatia Goran s copy in speed, aggresiveness and rhythm became the junior world champion in Tunisia in 2009 very skillful at counter attacks and playing out front in a 5-1 defence Domagoj Pavlovic left back born in Ivanic, where he began playing handball before joining RK Dubrava club where he rose to prominence, which took him to HC PPD Zagreb in 2014 came through all Croatian youth selections, before establishing himself as the key member of junior national team playing his second season for HC PPD Zagreb, alongside Croatian youth selection teammates Filip Ivic, Sandro Obranovic and Stipe Mandalinic Enjoys working with Veselin Vujovic, who is said to give him great confidence Sandro Obranovic left/centre back having started handball as a member of RK Karlovac youth squad, working his way up to the first team and the Challenge Cup berth joined Zagreb in 2013, from Croatian vicechampions and the EHF Cup outfit RK NEXE Nasice flourished under guidance of Veselin Vujovic in the 2014/15 season, becoming one of the key players for Zagreb coming off the bench awarded best left back of the 2015 SEHA League Final tournament WCh: G 2003, S 2009, EURO: S 2008, S 2010 Tonci Valcic left back made a debut for Zagreb in 1999, currently playing his ninth season for the club. older brother to Zagreb and Croatia teammate Josip Valcic defensive specialist, known for his great anticipation of player movement in 6-0 zone made Croatia national team debut in 2003 and has since made 109 appearances scoring 189 goals Stanko Sabljic line player born in Mostar (Bosnia Herzogovina) began his path in the youth ranks of HRK Izvidjac Ljubuski changed three clubs between 2007 and 2010 (Bosna Sarajevo, RK Sloga Doboj and RK Metkovic) garnered a valuable SEHA league experience in the shirt of Borac m:tel in 2010/11 and 2011/12 three seasons of Bundesliga experience, representing the German sides Bergischer HC ( ) and HC Erlangen ( ) replacement in 2015 for Ilija Brozovic who went in the opposite direction to Bundesliga (HSV) Luka Stepancic right back one of the most exciting Zagreb players and one of the most wanted on the European player s market more than two meters tall left handed with a great jump shot and ability to play in defence member of Croatian national team and already has a bronze medal from the WCh 2013 in Spain Zlatko Horvat right wing captain and speedy wing is a counter-attack specialist, but he is an important part of defence at the same time had his debut in the national team in 2006 and since then he has won four medals played in Zagreb from the beginning of his career and has already 13 campaigns in the CL under his belt at the 2009 Junior WC in Tunisia won the gold in the 2010/11 season the third top scorer with 94 goals WCh: B 2013 OG: B 2012, EURO: B 2012, WCh: S 2009, B

54 GROUP A Playing hall Sinam Erdem Spor Salonu Zuhuratbaba Mh, Bakritköy Istanbul Turkey Capacity: 15,000 Club Address: Besiktas JK Suleyman Seba Cd. No Besiktas - Istanbul Turkey Media contact: Berk Karahan Tel: [email protected] Online information: Facebook: Besiktas Besiktas JK (TUR) It was a landmark in their club s history despite not ending successfully: After failing six straight times in the qualification for the VELUX EHF Champions League, Besiktas Mogaz made it to the group phase last season as the first Turkish team ever. Beating Swedish side Alingsas they wrote further history with their first ever group phase win, and even though it was also their last one, Besiktas took huge experience from this highlight in their international year. For the 2015/16 season, they were even seeded among the top groups - and though the Turkish champions were drawn in Group A with more experienced squads like Veszprem, Kiel, PSG, Flensburg, Celje, Plock and Zagreb, they are aiming for the Last 16 qualification. To make it that far, Besiktas need to finish among the six best teams of the group. After seven straight titles in the Turkish league, the team of Mufit Arin was strengthen by some international experienced players, but one had to leave to his home country (Croatia) due to injury and family problems: Vedran Zrnic. Another newcomer, Serbian Darko Djukic, has substituted him. The biggest loss for Besiktas was the transfer of former Chilean international Emil Feuchtmann, who signed for former German champions TBV Lemgo. The biggest name among the new arrivals is Nemanja Pribak, the Macedonian international, who arrives from Vardar Skopje. For team captain Ibrahim Demir the increase in experience could be the key to future successes: We learned a lot and we have new players. At first we want to get used to playing Champions League matches and with more experience comes more success. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Turkish champions Coach: Mufit Arin (since 2004) Captain: Ibrahim Demir Newcomers: Nemanja Pribak (Vardar Skopje) Miroslav Kocic (Vojvodina) Mehmet Demirezen (Ankara BSB Spor) Darko Djukic (Metalurg Skopje) Left the club: Bulent Erkol (Trabzonspor) Oguzhan Buyuk (Bahcesehir SK) Viktor Ladyko (end of career) Erwin Jan Feuchtmann Perez (Lemgo) Yunus Ozmusul (Bittenfeld) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 9 Group Phase (1): 2014/15 Qualification (7): 2005/06, 2007/08, 2009/10, 2010/2011, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14 Other EHF Cup: Last /99, 2005/06, 2010/11 Challenge Cup: Semi-final 2008/09, Quarter-final 2002/03 Turkish league: 11 titles (1981, 1982, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Turkish cup: 11 titles Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Dark Player shirt: black Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: blue Alternative playing hall Kocaeli Sehit Polis Recep Topaloglu Spor Salonu Yahya Kaptan Mah.Kizilay Sok No: Arasta, Izmit Turkey Capacity: 4,776 54

55 Besiktas JK (TUR) Biggest win 28:26 (13:15) v Alingsas HK SWE (h), Biggest defeat: 35:25 (19:12) v FC Barcelona ESP (a), Longest winning run: 1 match ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 1 match ( ) Longest losing run: 5 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 5 matches ( ) Most goals: 31 v KIF Kolding Kobenhavn DEN 34:31L (a), Most goals opponent: 35 v FC Barcelona ESP 35:25L (h), Most goals both teams: 65 v KIF Kolding Kobenhavn DEN 34:31L (a), Fewest goals: 19 v Orlen Wisla Plock POL 28:19L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 26 v Alingsas HK SWE 28:26W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 47 v Orlen Wisla Plock POL 28:19L (a), v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER 20:27L (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2014/15 Besiktas MOGAZ HT TUR : :18 6th Gr. B Total : :18 55

56 Besiktas JK (TUR) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 7 Ömer Ozan Arifoglu TUR Right Back Zonguldak, TUR Ercan Asikoglu TUR Right Wing Kırcaali, BUL Muhammed Taha Ayar TUR Line Player Istanbul, TUR Senol Boyar TUR Centre Back Bursa, TUR Josip Buljubasic CRO Left Back Metkovic, CRO Volkan Caliskan TUR Centre Back Ankara, TUR Ugur Coban TUR Left Wing Bolu, TUR Predrag Dacevic SRB Left Back Belgrade, SRB Mehmet Demirezen TUR Line Player Ankara, TUR Darko Djukic SRB Right Wing Nis, SRB Ramazan Döne TUR Right Back Rize, TUR Berkay Gulyurt TUR Centre Back Istanbul, TUR Yigit Ilgin TUR Left Wing Istanbul, TUR Ömer Mercan TUR Right Back Istanbul, TUR Ivan Nincevic CRO Left Wing Zadar, CRO Tolga Özbahar TUR Line Player Aydın, TUR Nemanja Pribak MKD Centre Back Nis, SRB David Rasic SRB Left Back Barac, SRB Kubilay Yilmaz TUR Right Wing Istanbul, TUR Ibrahim Demir TUR Goalkeeper Eskisehir, TUR Miroslav Kocic SRB Goalkeeper Leskovac, SRB Tolga Kirli TUR Goalkeeper Istanbul, TUR Mesut Cebi TUR Goalkeeper Ankara, TUR Average: 26,96 191,8 95,5 Mufit Arin coach had plenty of success as a coach with Besiktas JK, dominating the Turkish domestic league over the past ten years eight-time Turkish league champion, six-time Turkish cup winner, six-time Turkish Super Cup winner reached the Challenge Cup semi-final in the 2008/09 season notable playing achievement is winning the Turkish league with Arcelik HK in 1983, but nothing can be compared to the premiere of Turkish handball in the CL group phase in the 2014/15 season 56

57 Ibrahim Demir goalkeeper won more than 15 national championships (8 times with Besiktas - 7 times in a row), and the same number of Turkish Cups and Super Cups played more than 250 games for Turkey, retired from the national team last year, still captain of beach handball national team graduated from two universities as an anesthesiologist and a teacher at one point forced to play a back court in Besiktas due to many injuries Ivan Nincevic left wing Croatian national team s left winger was a big reinforcement for Turkish champions right before their first CL season in 2014/15 built his name in Germany - from the second division Stralsunder, as a top scorer he has earned a transfer to Füchse Berlin played also in Dinamo Minsk and later accepted Beskitas call outstanding scorer and a good defensive player able to motivate the whole team OG: B 2012, EURO: B 2012, WCh: S 2009, B 2013 David Rasic left back father Djordje is a coach, and a legendary goalkeeper, a two-time CL winner with Sabac David made his name playing for Sabac, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Kolubara and San Antonio has the CL experience playing in the group phase with Crvena Zvezda in 2008/09 having missed the EHF EURO 2012 through injury, he rediscovered his form at Besiktas brother to former Serbian basketball national team player Aleksandar Rasic Tolga Özbahar line player came to Besiktas in 2010 and is recognised as one of Turkey s best players in his position over 60 international matches for Turkey awarded the best line player in the Turkish league several times in the 2012/13 season, when Besiktas reached the EHF Cup Group Phase, he was the second best scorer (27) first Turkish player nominated for the All-Star Team in 2014/15 (received almost 5,000 votes) Ozan Arifoglu right back as a one of the earliest members of Besiktas always plays with his heart has been a vital part of senior team for five years won four league titles, four cup titles and several other domestic trophies has a bright future in Turkish national Team, Ozan wore the red-white jersey more than 120 times Nemanja Pribak centre back very intelligent player, known for his excellent court vision, assists and playmaking ability started playing handball in his hometown of Nis, for RK Zeleznicar before joining HC Vardar, following a stint at RK Trimo Trebnje made a debut for Serbia at the WCh 2011, but opted to play for the FYR Macedonia in 2013 current Macedonian national team stalwart, having made his debut in 2013, and represented the country at the EHF EURO 2014 joined Besiktas in 2015 after five seasons for HC Vardar, where he is considered a club legend Ramazan Döne right back joined Besiktas in 2006 from Cankaya Belediyesi became the top scorer of the Challenge Cup in 2005/06 (66 goals in 7 games) as well as the top scorer of the Turkish league in 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2009/10 in the 2012/13 season he helped Besiktas to reach the EHF Cup Group Phase and was their top scorer with 30 goals awarded the best right back in the Turkish league several times and has played over 150 international matches for Turkey so far. Ercan Asıkoglu right wing The Speed of a Black Eagle is one of the most experienced player at Besiktas his handball life began in Bursa Nilüfer after he moved on to Turkey from Bulgaria being a high profile handball player, on the other hand also a sport scholar who graduated from Uludag Universty Sport Academy especially with his professionalism and family life, he is a proper role-model for young eagles of Besiktas 57

58 GROUP A SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) It was the biggest flensation in the history of the VELUX EHF Champions League, when SG Flensburg-Handewitt took the trophy at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in 2014 after beating Kiel and Barcelona in Cologne. In the previous season, the team of head coach Ljubomir Vranjes was hit hard by a series of long-term injuries and was eliminated by their Northern German rival THW Kiel in the Last 16. Before the season throws off, Flensburg have seen changes in their squad with some skilled signings putting pen to paper, and now are among the favourites in all competitions again. Flensburg are stronger than us this season, Kiel coach Alfred Gislason said, even though his team beat Flensburg in the German Super Cup 27:26 in the middle of August. Four top players - mainly for the back court positions - joined Flensburg prior to the new season, and the 25th anniversary of the club: Rasmus Lauge (Kiel) and the former Hamburg trio Henrik Toft Hansen, Kentin Mahe (MVP of the EHF Cup Finals) and Petar Djordjic. Playing hall Flens Arena Campusallee Flensburg Germany Capacity: 6,000 Club Address: SG Flensburg-Handewitt Schiffbrücke Flensburg Germany As Lars Kaufmann (to EHF Cup participant Göppingen) and Drasko Nenadic (to Hamburg) are the only big names to leave and as they are currently not suffering from major injuries, Flensburg can rely on an impressive roster. Our philosophy in all competitions is quite easy: we want to win all games, Vranjes (IHF World coach of the year 2014) looks ahead to the upcoming season. He showed his commitment to the club by signing a new contract to keep in at SG until All the teams are strong, but Kiel, Paris and Veszprem are the favourites to win the group, says manager Dierk Schmäschke: Everyone in Flensburg is looking forward to the group phase this season. Our goal in the VELUX EHF Champions League - like in all domestic competitions - is clearly set: to go all the way. Team captain and defence specialist Tobias Karlsson commented: We want to build a good base for the Last 16 from our group - and then hopefully proceed to the quarter-finals. But straight away we are coming up against huge names - with no exception. My personal favourites are Paris and Veszprem. We are really looking forward to 14 top matches. Media contact: Sandra von Wallis [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: SGFleHa Kit colours Light Player shirt: blue-orange Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Dark Player shirt: white Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: black Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: third ranked in Germany Coach: Ljubomir Vranjes (since 2010) Captain: Tobias Karlsson Newcomers: Kentin Mahe Henrik Toft Hansen Petar Djordjic (all HSV Hamburg) Rasmus Lauge Schmidt (THW Kiel) Left the club: Jakob Macke (ASV Hamm-Westfalen) Ahmed Elahmar (El-Zamalek/EGY) Lars Kaufmann (Frisch Auf! Göppingen) Drasko Nenadic (HSV Handball) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 11 Winners (1): 2013/14 Final (2): 2003/2004, 2006/2007 Semi-final (1): 2005/2006 Quarter-final (4): 2004/2005, 2008/2009, 2010/2011, 2012/2013 Last 16 (1): 2014/15 Main round (1): 2007/2008 Other Cup Winners Cup: Winners 2000/ /2012 EHF Cup: Winners 1996/1997 City Cup: Winners 1998/1999 German league: 1 title (2004) German cup: 4 titles 58

59 SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) Biggest win: 43:24 (23:12) v RK Metalurg Skopje MKD (h), Biggest defeat: 36:22 (16:10) v Montpellier HB FRA (a), :38 (8:19) v Renovalia Ciudad Real ESP (h), :35 (13:19) v KIF Kolding Kobenhavn DEN (a), Longest winning run: 6 matches ( ) 6 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 7 matches ( ) 7 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 3 matches ( ) 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 5 matches ( ) Most goals: 44 v Redbergslids IK SWE 44:33W (h), Most goals opponent: 41 v Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO 41:31L (a), Most goals both teams: 80 v FC Barcelona ESP 39:41W (a), Fewest goals: 19 v Renovalia Ciudad Real ESP 27:19L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 18 v HC Bosna Sarajevo BIH 25:18W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 43 v Montpellier HB FRA 22:21W (h), v HC Bosna Sarajevo BIH 25:18W (h), v Renovalia Ciudad Real ESP 21:22W (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2003/04 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : :7 Runner-up 2004/05 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : :5 1/4-finals 2005/06 SG Flensburg Handewitt GER : :10 1/2-finals 2006/07 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : :11 Runner-up 2007/08 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : :14 4th MR Gr /09 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : :8 1/4-finals 2010/11 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : :6 1/4-finals 2012/13 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : :7 1/4-finals 2013/14 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : :7 Winner 2014/15 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : :12 Last 16 Total : :87 59

60 SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 2 Lukas Blohme GER Right Wing Flensburg, GER Petar Djordjic SRB Left Back Sabac, SRB Anders Eggert DEN Left Wing Aarhus, DEN Holger Glandorf GER Right Back Osnabrück, GER Jim Gottfridsson SWE Centre Back Ystad, SWE Jacob Heinl GER Line Player Hamburg, GER Johan Mikael Jakobsson SWE Right Back Lundby, SWE Tobias Karlsson SWE Line Player Karlskrona, SWE Maik Machulla GER Centre Back Greifswald, GER Kentin Mahe FRA Centre Back Paris, FRA Thomas Mogensen DEN Centre Back Odder, DEN Michael Nicolaisen GER Left Back Husum, GER Bogdan Radivojevic SRB Right Wing Beograd, SRB Rasmus Lauge Schmidt DEN Centre Back Randers, DEN Lasse Svan DEN Right Wing Stevns, DEN Henrik Toft Hansen DEN Line Player Skive, DEN Ljubomir Vranjes SWE Centre Back Göteborg, SWE Hampus Wanne SWE Left Wing Lundby, SWE Anders Zachariassen DEN Line Player Sonderborg, SWE Mattias Andersson SWE Goalkeeper Malmö, SWE Thore Jöhnck GER Goalkeeper Flensburg, GER Andreas Meyer Ejlersen DEN Goalkeeper Horsens, DEN Kevin Möller DEN Goalkeeper Tonder, DEN Average: 27,78 189,6 91,2 Ljubomir Vranjes coach former Swedish national team player, still on the players list of Flensburg became club manager in 2009 and coach in November 2010 after winning the CL in the 2014/15 season he declined the number of top offers from PSG and the German national team led Serbia to the 2014 EHF EURO in Denmark in a caretaker role, but did not continue highly creative photographer in his spare time and just started to write his memoirs EC trophies: CL 2014 (as coach), Cup Winners Cup 2012 (as coach) OG: S 2000, WCh: G 1999, EURO: G 1998, 2000 and

61 Mattias Andersson goalkeeper awarded best player of the Bundesliga season 2011/12 already in the younger age categories part of all All-Star teams and became member of the senior national team played at Kiel ( ), TV Großwallstadt before signing in Flensburg his saves at the 2014 FINAL4 were the major keys to win his last missing EC trophy EC trophies: CL 2007, 2014, EHF Cup: 2002, 2004, Cup Winners Cup: 2012 OG: S 2012, EHF EURO: G 2000 WCh: G 2015 EURO: G 2012, WCh: S 2013 Kentin Mahe centre back joined Flensburg in 2015 after spells with HSV Hamburg, VfL Gummersbach and Bayer Dormagen (coached by his father Pascal in Dormagen) MVP and top scorer (49 goals) of the Men s 20 EHF EURO 2010 and MVP of the 2015 EHF Cup Finals in 2010 a debut in the French national team reached the Cup Winners Cup final with Gummersbach in 2011/12 and EHF Cup final with HSV in 2014/15 Henrik Toft Hansen line player his girlfriend Ulrike Agren is playing for the Swedish national team and German club Buxtehude his whole family is involved in handball: brothers Rene (also a line player of THW Kiel) and Allan (Mors-Thy) and sisters Majbritt (Skive) and Jeanette top players in the Danish league part of AG Kobenhavn, which eliminated Barcelona on the way to 2012 VELUX EHF FINAL4 transferred to Aalborg, before he joined Hamburg in 2013 and then Flensburg in 2015 Holger Glandorf right back left-handed shooter and one of two German 2007 world champions in the Flensburg roster despite some injury breaks, the right back always returned to a high level of performance has the full set of three major European Cup competitions titles on his tally, with Nordhorn and Flensburg in August 2014 retired from the German national team to only focus on his club now EC trophies: CL 2014, EHF Cup: 2008, 2010, Cup Winners Cup: 2012 WCh: G 2007 Anders Eggert left wing had big shoes to fill in Flensburg as successor of legendary Lars Christiansen top scorer of the German Bundesliga in 2011 (248 goals) and top scorer of the 2013 WCh in Spain (55 goals) started his career at Gudme, in his ninth season in Flensburg after intermediately being on loan at Skjern Handball also famous for one of the highest percentages in the CL from the penalty throws EC trophies: CL 2014, Cup Winners Cup: 2012 WCh: S 2011, 2013, EURO: G 2008, 2012, silver medallist 2014 EC trophies: CL 2014, Cup Winners Cup 2012 WCh: S 2011, 2013, EURO: G 2012, S 2014 EC trophies: CL 2014, Cup Winners Cup: 2012 OG: S 2012 EC trophies: CL 2014, Cup Winners Cup: 2012 WCh: S 2011, 2013, EURO: G 2012, S 2014 Thomas Mogensen centre back highly experienced playmaker with more than 1,000 goals for his club and long list of silverware since 2007 playing for Flensburg his first stop outside his home country Denmark before played for Viborg and Svendborg, becoming Danish champion and cup winner twice to focus only on SG he quit his career in the Danish national team after the EHF EURO 2014 Tobias Karlsson line player typical powerful Scandinavian defence specialist, who together with Magnus Jernemyr - build the Swedish middle block in the last years team captain, a great honour after legendary Lars Christiansen left SG Swedish champion three times with Hammarby IF best defence player at the EHF EURO 2014 Lasse Svan right wing one of the fastest wing players in the CL same qualities as Eggert on the other side: fast counter-attacks and a high scoring efficiency another task in his team: motivation and relaxing as his business is mental coaching after four seasons at GOG Svendborg he moved to Flensburg in 2008 in addition to all his merits and trophies in handball, he was also a billiard s champion in his home region Seeland 61

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63 Group B preview BARCELONA LEAD STAR-STUDDED FIELD IN TOUGHEST ACTION The defending champions of Europe s premier club handball competition should add extra gloss to a wildly entertaining Group B featuring several other heavyweights. The eagerly awaited new season in the VELUX EHF Champions League gets underway when Swedish newcomers IFK Kristianstad take on their Scandinavian opponents, Denmark s KIF Kolding Kobenhavn. It will be an appetiser for a six-month extravaganza in a mouthwatering section including holders Barcelona Lassa and last season s third-place finishers KS Vive Tauron Kielce, with both teams again being the strong favourites to advance into the knockout rounds. The reformatted competition means there will be even more spectacular games and that is certainly what fans will be expecting when the big names of European club handball lock horns. Having won the title emphatically with a 28:23 defeat of Hungary s Veszprem in May, Barcelona head into the new season with a largely unchanged roster although two top performers were added to replace a key player who left. Prolific Czech left back Filip Jicha was signed from former champions THW Kiel and Croatian right back Marko Kopljar arrived from Paris Saint-Germain Handball, while inspirational French playmaker Nikola Karabatic went the other way to the city of lights. With FYR Macedonia s Kiril Lazarov and Belarus powerhouse Siarhei Rutenka also in the roster, Barcelona still appear to have by some way the strongest back court in the competition. Having reached the FINAL4 for the second time last season for a creditable third-place finish, Kielce will have another shot at glory this term with a squad based largely on homegrown talent. Michal Jurecki, Croatian Ivan Cupic and evergreen goalkeeper Slawomir Szmal continue to be the backbone of Poland s seemingly perennial champions, who will relish the challenge of reaching giddy heights for a second successive season. Macedonian champions Vardar will have the same ambitions, as they attempt to reach the FINAL4 after suffering two successive quarter-final exits in 2014 and Several fringe players have left the club and whereas others have joined to fill the gaps, most notably Serbian line player Mijajlo Marsenic from HC Partizan Belgrade and Luka Cindric from Skopje rivals HC Metalurg, who are competing in Group C. Rhein-Neckar Löwen will have to cope with the loss of one of the world s top goalkeepers, Niklas Landin, who joined fellow German rivals and Bundesliga champions THW Kiel. Landin has been replaced by Serbian Darko Stanic as the Lions aim to bounce back from last season s exit in the Last 16, when they were soundly beaten by MOL-Pick Szeged 65:59 on aggregate. The Lions will once again clash with the Hungarian outfit after they were pitted in the same group and Szeged will also head into the new season with the highest ambitions. They will aim to at least emulate last term s achievement of reaching the last eight, hoping to surpass it and get on the same par with Veszprem, having been overshadowed by their compatriots in Europe s top flight. To boost their firepower, Szeged signed Brazilian sharpshooter Thiagus Petrus from Spanish side Naturhouse La Rioja and he made an immediate impact by scoring three goals in a tight 26:24 defeat to Veszprem in a recent Hungarian Super Cup final, the curtain-raiser to the new domestic season. Zoran Milosavljevic 63

64 Group B head-to-heads Historic encounters of the Group B opponents in the EC FC Barcelona Lassa vs KS Vive Tauron Kielce (122:105) 7: KS Vive Targi Kielce vs FC Barcelona Borges, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 26:33 (11:18) FC Barcelona Borges vs KS Vive Targi Kielce, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 28:28 (15:12) KS Vive Targi Kielce vs FC Barcelona Intersport, VELUX EHF Champions League FINAL4 Semi-final 23:28 (10:13) FC Barcelona vs KS Vive Tauron Kielce, VELUX EHF Champions League FINAL4 Semi-final 33:28 (16:14) FC Barcelona Lassa vs HC Vardar (262:188) 15: FC Barcelona vs Vardar Vatrost. Skopje, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 41:19 (19:8) Vardar Vatrost. Skopje vs FC Barcelona, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 27:35 (16:14) FC Barcelona vs Vardar Vatrost. Skopje, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 31:22 (16:12) Vardar Vatrost. Skopje vs FC Barcelona, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 12:26 (8:15) HC Vardar PRO Skopje vs FC Barcelona Borges, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 28:35 (17:16) FC Barcelona Borges vs HC Vardar PRO Skopje, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 35:28 (15:13) HC Vardar Skopje vs FC Barcelona, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 29:29 (15:19) FC Barcelona vs HC Vardar Skopje, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 30:23 (14:11) FC Barcelona Lassa vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (168:141) 8: FC Barcelona vs Kolding IF, European Championship for Club Teams Semi-final 37:26 (20:14) FC Barcelona Borges vs KIF Kolding, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 46:36 (23:19) KIF Kolding vs FC Barcelona Borges, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 25:25 (10:12) KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs FC Barcelona, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 27:27 (14:16) FC Barcelona vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 33:27 (19:11) FC Barcelona Lassa vs MOL-Pick Szeged (384:324) 22:6 1977/1978 Szegedi SC vs FC Barcelona, Cup Winners Cup Last 16 27:22 (0:0) 1977/1978 FC Barcelona vs Szegedi SC, Cup Winners Cup Last 16 15:13 (0:0) Pick Szeged vs FC Barcelona, Cup Winners Cup Semi-final 22:24 (8:13) FC Barcelona vs Pick Szeged, Cup Winners Cup Semi-final 19:14 (10:8) SC Pick Szeged vs FC Barcelona, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 25:26 (12:12) FC Barcelona vs SC Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 40:17 (19:5) SC Pick Szeged vs FC Barcelona, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 22:21 (11:13) FC Barcelona vs SC Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 35:26 (19:11) FC Barcelona-Cifec vs SC Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 27:20 (13:13) SC Pick Szeged vs FC Barcelona-Cifec, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 26:28 (12:17) Pick Szeged vs FC Barcelona, VELUX EHF Champions League Main Round Group 4 28:33 (15:14) FC Barcelona vs Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Main Round Group 4 28:32 (13:16) Pick Szeged vs FC Barcelona Intersport, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 28:33 (15:18) FC Barcelona Intersport vs Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 33:24 (16:13) FC Barcelona Lassa vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (160:159) 5: FC Barcelona Borges vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 30:31 (13:14) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs FC Barcelona Borges, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 38:38 (22:17) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs FC Barcelona Borges, VELUX EHF Champions League FINAL4 Semi-final 28:30 (12:12) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs FC Barcelona, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 38:31 (22:14) FC Barcelona vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 31:24 15:11) FC Barcelona Lassa vs Montpellier HB (167:143) 7: Montpellier HB vs FC Barcelona, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 25:25 (11:13) FC Barcelona vs Montpellier HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 24:17 (13:8) Montpellier HB vs FC Barcelona-Cifec, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 28:25 (13:10) FC Barcelona-Cifec vs Montpellier HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 29:23 (15:9) Montpellier Agglomeration HB vs FC Barcelona Intersport, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 30:28 (17:11) FC Barcelona Intersport vs Montpellier Agglomeration HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 36:20 (17:8) 64

65 Group B head-to-heads Historic encounters of the Group B opponents in the EC KS Vive Tauron Kielce vs HC Vardar (55:51) 4: HC Vardar vs KS Vive Tauron Kielce, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 20:22 (11:11) KS Vive Tauron Kielce vs HC Vardar, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 33:31 (16:14) KS Vive Tauron Kielce vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (49:55) 0: KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs KS Vive Targi Kielce, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 29:24 (17:12) KS Vive Targi Kielce vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 25:26 (15:15) KS Vive Tauron Kielce vs MOL-Pick Szeged (121:111) 6: Pick Szeged vs KS Vive Targi Kielce, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 26:25 (15:14) KS Vive Targi Kielce vs Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 32:27 (14:11) KS Vive Tauron Kielce vs MOL-Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 37:32 (18:17) MOL-Pick Szeged vs KS Vive Tauron Kielce, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 26:27 (11:14) KS Vive Tauron Kielce vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (198:201) 6: Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs KS Vive Targi Kielce, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 29:29 (17:15) KS Vive Targi Kielce vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 32:35 (19:15) KS Vive Targi Kielce vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 23:23 (12:12) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs KS Vive Targi Kielce, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 29:27 (11:13) KS Vive Targi Kielce vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Tournament Group W 32:30 (13:11) KS Vive Targi Kielce vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 32:28 (17:13) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs KS Vive Targi Kielce, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 27:23 (16:14) KS Vive Tauron Kielce vs Montpellier HB (60:58) 2: Montpellier Agglomeration HB vs KS Vive Tauron Kielce, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 25:29 (13:16) KS Vive Tauron Kielce vs Montpellier Agglomeration HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 31:33 (14:15) HC Vardar vs KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (46:60) 0: HC Vardar PRO Skopje vs KIF Kolding, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 25:32 (10:13) KIF Kolding vs HC Vardar PRO Skopje, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 28:21 (15:9) HC Vardar vs MOL-Pick Szeged (42:49) 1:3) Vardar Vatrost. Skopje vs SC Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 24:24 (9:10) SC Pick Szeged vs Vardar Vatrost. Skopje, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 25:18 (13:8) HC Vardar vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (63:53) 4: HC Vardar vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 28:25 (13:13) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs HC Vardar, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 28:35 (13:20) HC Vardar vs Montpellier HB (64:60) 3: Montpellier Agglomeration HB vs HC Vardar, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 34:34 (19:17) HC Vardar vs Montpellier Agglomeration HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 30:26 (18:13) KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (50:51) 2: KIF Kolding vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, EHF Cup Group B 25:23 (13:11) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs KIF Kolding, EHF Cup Group B 28:25 (16:10) KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs Montpellier HB (165:195) 3: Kolding KIF vs Montpellier HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 38:29 (19:13) Montpellier HB vs Kolding KIF, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 36:25 (18:9) KIF Kolding vs Montpellier HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 26:26 (10:13) Montpellier HB vs KIF Kolding, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 28:23 (12:14) KIF Kolding vs Montpellier Agglomeration HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 28:36 (13:19) Montpellier Agglomeration HB vs KIF Kolding, VELUX EHF Champions League Group B 40:25 (19:10) 65

66 Group B head-to-heads Historic encounters of the Group B opponents in the EC MOL-Pick Szeged vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (117:122) 4: Pick Szeged vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Group H 24:28 (17:13) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Group H 35:28 (15:13) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs MOL-Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 30:34 (17:16) MOL-Pick Szeged vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 31:29 16:13) MOL-Pick Szeged vs IFK Kristianstad (55:41) 4: IFK Kristianstad vs Pick Szeged, EHF Cup Group C 23:26 (12:13) Pick Szeged vs IFK Kristianstad, EHF Cup Group C 29:18 (16:9) MOL-Pick Szeged vs Montpellier HB (244:250) 8: Pick Szeged vs Montpellier HB, EHF Cup Last 16 27:24 (14:9) Montpellier HB vs Pick Szeged, EHF Cup Last 16 22:20 (13:8) SC Pick Szeged vs Montpellier HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 29:22 (16:9) Montpellier HB vs SC Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 27:26 (15:9) Montpellier HB vs Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 30:23 (13:10) Pick Szeged vs Montpellier HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 26:33 (15:16) Pick Szeged vs Montpellier Agglomeration HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 38:35 (18:17) Montpellier Agglomeration HB vs Pick Szeged, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 29:26 (17:14) Montpellier Agglomeration HB vs Pick Szeged, EHF Cup Final 28:29 (14:16) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs Montpellier HB (130:108) 6:2) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs Montpellier Agglomeration HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 27:29 (12:09) Montpellier Agglomeration HB vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-final 26:35 (17:15) Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs Montpellier Agglomeration HB, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 35:24 (18:11) Montpellier Agglomeration HB vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 29:33 (14:18) No previous encounters in European competitions FC Barcelona Lassa vs IFK Kristianstad KS Vive Tauron Kielce vs IFK Kristianstad HC Vardar vs IFK Kristianstad KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs MOL-Pick Szeged KIF Kolding Kobenhavn vs IFK Kristianstad Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs IFK Kristianstad IFK Kristianstad vs Montpellier HB 66

67 GROUP B FC Barcelona Lassa (ESP) For four years since 2011, they were the hunters, now FC Barcelona Lassa switched to a different role and are the hunted once again. After winning the EHF Champions League for the eighth time to extend their record winning series in 2015 (by beating Veszprem in the final), the Catalan giants have concluded a perfect season, winning each and every competition they took part in. Prior to the new challenge of defending the title again, the team of coach Xavi Pascual lost one of their masterminds, Nikola Karabatic. The current IHF World Player of the Year and MVP of the 2015 VELUX EHF FINAL4 returned to his home country France, joining uprising Paris Saint-Germain Handball. In addition, young wing player Joan Saubich transferred to France too, signing for Aix. However, borrowing chess vocabulary it can be said that the castling of stars in Barcelona has been successfully completed and two tall towers have been added to their playing field. Barcelona filled the gap with a former World Player of the year in Filip Jicha (33) who arrived from THW Kiel. The two-time VELUX EHF Champions League winner (2010 and 2012) and top scorer (2008/09 and 2009/10) signed a four-year contract with Barca, which is valid until 2019 to replace Karabatic. Besides the Karabatic/Jicha mega transfers the Barcelona squad remained nearly the same as Pascual additionally added in total 4.16 metres with two other new arrivals: right back Marko Kopljar (2.10 from Paris) and line player Kamil Syprzak (2.06) from Plock. Playing hall Palau Blaugrana Av. Aristides Maillol, s/n Barcelona Spain Capacity: 7,250 All opponents in our group play on a great level. Anything can happen, says team captain and three-time Champions League winner Victor Tomas, adding: Due to the new format it is important to finish first in the group to avoid the Last 16 and have two fewer matches. His coach Xavi Pascual is aware of the tough away games for his team. To win those matches will be very difficult, but I am sure that every team will lose some away matches. In general, both groups are difficult, there will be no easy games this season, Pascual said. One week prior to the start of the season, the Catalans failed to defend their first international title, at the IHF Super Globe in Qatar as they were surprisingly defeated by eventual winners Füchse Berlin in the semi-final. Club Address: FC Barcelona Lassa Avda. Aristides Maillol, s/n Barcelona Spain Media contact: Gustau Galvache [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: FCBHandbol Kit colours Light Player shirt: red and yellow Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: dark red or black Dark Player shirt: blue and red Player short: red Goalkeeper shirt: yellow or green Qualification for the VELUX EHF Champions League 2015/16: Spanish champions Coach: Xavi Pascual (since February 2009) Captain: Victor Tomas Newcomers: Filip Jicha (THW Kiel) Marko Kopljar (PSG) Kamil Syprzak (Orlen Wisla Plock) Left the club: Nikola Karabatic (Paris Saint-Germain Handball) Joan Saubich (Aix-en-Provence) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2014/15 season): 19 Winner (8): 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2004/05, 2010/11, 2014/15 Final (3): 2000/01, 2009/10, 2012/13 Semi-final (2): 2007/08, 2013/14 Quarter-final (3): 2005/06, 2006/07, 2011/12 Last 16 (1): 2003/04 Main Round (1): 2008/09 Other EHF Cup: Winners 2002/03, Runners-up 2001/02 Cup Winners Cup: Winners 1993/94, 1994/95 Spanish league: 22 titles (1969, 1973, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Spanish Cup winner: 19 times Asobal Cup winner: 10 times 67

68 FC Barcelona Lassa (ESP) Biggest win 43:17 (21:9) v HC Bosna BH Gas Sarajevo BIH (a), Biggest defeat 21:31 (10:13) v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER (a), :41 (15:20) v THW Kiel GER (a), Longest winning run 12 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run 16 matches ( ) Longest losing run 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest run without win 3 matches ( ) Most goals 46 v KIF Kolding DEN 46:36W (h), Most goals opponent 41 v THW Kiel GER 41:31L (a), Most goals both teams 82 v KIF Kolding DEN 46:36W (h), Fewest goals 21 v ABC Braga POR 21:21D (a), v SC Pick Szeged HUN 22:21L (a), v Portland San Antonio ESP 25:21L (a), v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER 31:21L (a), Fewest goals opponent 11 v Aalborg Handbold DEN 31:11W (a), Fewest goals both teams 38 v Elgorriaga Bidasoa ESP 23:15W (a), v Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD 12:26W (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage Reached 1995/96 FC Barcelona ESP : :4 Winner 1996/97 FC Barcelona ESP : :3 Winner 1997/98 FC Barcelona ESP : :5 Winner 1998/99 FC Barcelona ESP : :5 Winner 1999/00 FC Barcelona ESP : :4 Winner 2000/01 FC Barcelona ESP : :6 Runner-up 2003/04 FC Barcelona ESP : :5 Last /05 FC Barcelona Cifec ESP : :12 Winner 2005/06 FC Barcelona-Cifec ESP : :2 1/4-finals 2006/07 FC Barcelona-Cifec ESP : :4 1/4-finals 2007/08 FC Barcelona ESP : :6 1/2-finals 2008/09 FC Barcelona Borges ESP : :8 3rd MR Gr /10 FC Barcelona Borges ESP : :5 Runner-up 2010/11 FC Barcelona Borges ESP : :9 Winner 2011/12 FC Barcelona Intersport ESP : :6 1/4-finals 2012/13 FC Barcelona Intersport ESP : :6 Runner-up 2013/14 FC Barcelona ESP : :7 Third Place 2014/15 FC Barcelona ESP : :3 Winner Total : :100 68

69 FC Barcelona Lassa (ESP) No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 13 Aitor Arino Bengoechea ESP Left Wing Penarth, GBR Daniel Dujshebaev ESP Centre Back Santander, ESP Raul Entrerrios Rodriguez ESP Centre Back Gijon, ESP Aleix Gomez Abello ESP Right Wing Sabadell, ESP Eduardo Gurbindo Martinez ESP Right Back Pamplona, ESP Wael Jallouz TUN Left Back Grombalia, TUN Filip Jicha CZE Left Back Pilsen, CZE Marko Kopljar CRO Right Back Pozega, CRO Kiril Lazarov MKD Right Back Veles, MKD Alejandro Marquez Coloma ESP Right Back Alcobendas, ESP Viran Morros de Argila ESP Left Back Barcelona, ESP Jesper Brian Nöddesbo DEN Line Player Herning, DEN Oriol Rey Morales ESP Back St Maria Palautordera Siarhei Rutenka BLR Left Back Privolnij, BLR Daniel Sarmiento Melian ESP Centre Back Las Palmas, ESP Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson ISL Left Wing Reykjavik, ISL Cedric Sorhaindo FRA Line Player La Trinite, FRA Kamil Syprzak POL Line Player Plock, POL Victor Tomas Gonzalez ESP Right Wing Barcelona, ESP Gonzalo Perez de Vargas ESP Goalkeeper Toledo, ESP Danijel Saric BIH Goalkeeper Doboj, BIH Francisco Revuelta Mora ESP Goalkeeper Barcelona, ESP Xoan Ledo Menendez ESP Goalkeeper Lalin, ESP Average: ,3 93,4 EC trophies: CL 2011, 2015 Xavi Pascual coach double feature at FC Barcelona, as the coaches of both the handball and the basketball section hold the same name played for a lengthy period for Barcelona and some other Spanish clubs, before becoming the goalkeeper coach at the CL record winners in 2005 started working with the legendary David Barrufet and others in 2009 he succeeded Manolo Cadenas at Barcelona s helm. 69

70 EC trophies: CL 2011, 2015 WCh: S 2015 Danijel Saric goalkeeper known for his incredible quality in goal and for the joy he brings to the team Bosnian-born goalkeeper won the CL in 2011 with Barca and led Qatar to silver at the WCh 2015 best goalkeeper of the ASOBAL league in 2011 and 2012, and the best player overall in 2011 joined in 2009, after spells with Spanish clubs San Antonio, Leon, Alcobendas and Cantabria; began his career in Serbia with Crvena Zvezda and Sintelon Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson left wing before his arrival to Barcelona spent just one season away from the Bundesliga - in 2011/12 he played for AG Kobenhavn former Tusem Essen, VfL Gummersbach, Rhein-Neckar Löwen and THW Kiel player real key player with his enormous experience from top handball and his equally large talent his fifth trip to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 brought him the CL title EC trophies: CL 2015, EHF Cup 2005 OG: S 2008 EC trophies: CL 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015 Siarhei Rutenka left back in 2011 the Belarusian became the second player to win five CL titles with three clubs after Jose Javier Hombrados (with Santander, San Antonio, Ciudad Real) in 2015 added the sixth title, no active players have more CL titles than him lifted the trophy with Celje, with Ciudad Real (three times) and with Barcelona top scorer of the 2006 EHF EURO, the 2003/04 and the 2004/05 CL season Filip Jícha left back 2010 World Handball Player of the Year as the first Czech to win the award twice top scorer of the CL, top scorer and MVP at EHF EURO 2010 former captain of the THW Kiel came to Barcelona in the summer of 2015 one-against-one ability and tough shots make him feared by defences, also a strong defender only active player in the CL s 20-year Ultimate Selection and Czech player of the year seven times EC trophies: CL 2010, 2012, EHF Cup 2006 Raul Entrerrios centre back has matured into one of the household names in Spanish handball and one of the leading players of the national team although his natural position sees him playing in the centre, his many skills in the first line allow him to change permanently with effectiveness and perform with ease in all positions with 3 Spanish clubs (Leon, Valladolid, FC Barcelona) has won all the most important European Cup competitions including the CL EC trophies: CL 2011, 2015, Cup Winners Cup 2005, 2009 OG: B 2008, EHF EURO: S 2006, B 2014, WCh: G 2005, B 2011 EC trophies: CL 2015 EURO: G 2008, S 2014, WCh: S 2011, 2013 Jesper Nöddesbo line player started his career at Team Tvis Holstebro started spiralling upwards when he joined KIF Kolding in 2004 since then, he has been among Europe s elite year after year with Kolding from 2004 to 2007, and ever since with FC Barcelona imposing presence on the court, not afraid of anything when it comes to stopping opposing attackers EC trophies: CL 2015 Kiril Lazarov right back powerful back court shooter from FYR Macedonia most successful scorer at a single EHF EURO event (2012 Serbia, 61 goals) and also at WCh level (2009 Croatia, 92 goals) top scorer of the CL twice (2005/06 and 2007/08) joined Barca in 2013 after stints with Pelister, Zagreb, Veszprem, Ciudad Real/Atletico Madrid EC trophies: CL 2005, 2011, 2015, EHF Cup 2003 OG: B 2008, EURO: B 2014, WCh: G 2013 Victor Tomas right wing following the victories in 2005, 2011 and 2015 the Barcelona-born captain hopes to lift his fourth CL trophy at the FINAL4 in Cologne joined Barcelona s youth team in 1998 and has not played for any other club his biggest assets are his great pace and his impressive flexibility that make him a strong player in attack but also in defence 70

71 GROUP B KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL) If you have experienced a certain taste once and you liked it, you will want to have it again and again: this is Vive Tauron Kielce s hunger for the VELUX EHF FINAL4. In 2013 and 2015, the Polish champions reached the final destination of the VELUX EHF Champions League, supported by their yellow army of fans, and in both events the results were the same: first a semi-final defeat at the hands of FC Barcelona, then a win in third place placement match against Kiel. Another parallel in both seasons: Kielce kept an unbeaten record of ten wins in the group phase in 2012/13 and 2014/15. To pull this off again will be much harder in the upcoming season, due to the new playing system. Kielce were drawn into one group with the defending champions FC Barcelona, Vardar, Kolding, Rhein Neckar Löwen, Kristianstad and Montpellier - and thus will have a huge number of re-matches from the previous season. In terms of this group and our general ambitions in the Champions League we take everything step by step, says manager Radoslaw Wasiak, adding: We know Barcelona, Löwen, Montpellier and Kolding from the past seasons, so we hopefully know what to do against them, but definitely interesting matches are ahead of us in the group phase. Playing hall Hala M.O.S.I.R Legionów ul. Boczna 15A Kielce Poland Capacity: 4,000 Club Address: KS Vive Tauron Kielce ul. Robotnicza Kielce Poland In preparation, Kielce hosted an appetizer for the VELUX EHF Champions League and the 2016 EHF EURO in Poland - a test match against PSG Paris. They broke the indoor sport spectator record in Poland with 15,000 in the Krakow Arena, one of the EURO venues during this head-tohead. And the tie proved level and showed the strength of the Polish champions, though they have to replace their new star player: Mariusz Jurkiewicz, who arrived from their domestic rivals Plock, and is currently out due to injury as well as another newcomer, Pawel Paczkowski. Despite those injuries and a surprising opening defeat in the Polish league, team captain Grzegorz Tkaczyk is confident that the hunger for Cologne is still there: We want to improve constantly in the Champions League, but the new playing system is really tough; our aim to reach the VELUX EHF FINAL4 again, however, this is the dream of ten teams. For Tkaczyk, Kristianstad is the only unknown opponent, the rest of them we have faced in the last two years. I believe that most of the games in this group will be decided in the final minutes, so everyone can expect very interesting encounters. Media contact: Sebastian Kozubek [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: kielcehandball Kit colours Light Player shirt: yellow Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: blue Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: green Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Polish champions Coach: Talant Dujshebaev (since January 2014) Captain: Grzegorz Tkaczyk Newcomers: Mateusz Kus (Azoty Pulawy) Mariusz Jurkiewicz (Orlen Wisła Plock) Branko Vujovic (Sutejska Niksic) Pawel Paczkowski (Dunkerque HB) Left the club: Tomasz Rosinski (Chrobry Glogow) Zeljko Musa (SC Magdeburg) Piotr Grabarczyk (HSV Hamburg) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 13 Semi-final (2): 2012/13, 2014/15 (third ranked in VELUX F4) Last 16 (5): 1993/94, 1994/95, 2009/10, 2011/12, 2013/14 Last 32 (2): 1996/97, 1998/99 Group matches (3): 1999/2000, 2003/04, 2010/11 Other 11 participations in other ECs Polish league: 12 titles (1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Polish cup: 12 titles 71

72 KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL) Biggest win: 35:23 (16:13) v FC Porto Vitalis POR (h), Biggest defeat: 30:41 (19:19) v Fotex KC Veszprém HUN (h), Longest winning run: 11 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 11 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 5 matches ( ) 5 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 6 matches ( ) Most goals: 38 v Orlen Wisla Plock POL 38:30W (h), Most goals opponent: 41 v Fotex KC Veszprém HUN 30:41L (h), Most goals both teams: 72 v Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO 40:32L (a), Fewest goals: 21 v HC Bosna BH Gas BIH 25:21L (a), v HC Metalurg MKD 21:20W (h), Fewest goals opponent: 20 v HC Metalurg MKD 21:20W (h), v HC Vardar MKD 20:22W (a), Fewest goals both teams: 41 v HC Metalurg MKD 21:20W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 1999/00 KS Iskra-Lider Market POL : :6 3rd Gr. B 2003/04 KS Vive Kielce POL : :7 3rd Gr. G 2009/10 KS Vive Targi Kielce POL : :13 Last /11 KS Vive Targi Kielce POL : :16 6th Gr. A 2011/12 KS Vive Targi Kielce POL : :11 Last /13 KS Vive Targi Kielce POL : :4 Third Place 2013/14 KS Vive Targi Kielce POL : :9 Last /15 KS Vive Tauron Kielce POL : :4 Third Place Total : :70 72

73 KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 13 Julen Aguinagalde Akizu ESP Line Player Irun, ESP Karol Bielecki POL Left Back Sandomierz, POL Bartlomiej Bis POL Line Player Kielce, POL Jakub Bulski POL Line Player Kielce, POL Denis Buntic CRO Right Back Ljubuski, BIH Piotr Chrapkowski POL Left Back Goreczno, POL Ivan Cupic CRO Right Wing Metkovic, CRO Michal Grabowski POL Right Wing Kielce, POL Mateusz Jachlewski POL Left Wing Gdynia, POL Michal Jurecki POL Left Back Koscian, POL Mariusz Jurkiewicz POL Left Back Lubin, POL Mateusz Kus POL Line Player Piekary SL, POL Krzysztof Lijewski POL Right Back Ostrów Wlkpl. POL Tobias Reichmann GER Right Wing Berlin, GER Manuel Strlek CRO Left Wing Zagreb, CRO Grzegorz Tkaczyk POL Left Back Warszawa, POL Branko Vujovic MNE Right Back Uros Zorman SLO Centre Back Kranj, SLO Slawomir Szmal POL Goalkeeper Strzelce Opolskie, POL Marin Sego CRO Goalkeeper Mostar, BIH Krzysztof Markowski POL Goalkeeper Kielce, POL Average: 28,24 193,1 94,2 Talant Dujshebaev coach most awarded figure in the club during his longstanding playing career won plenty of trophies with three different national teams (CIS, Russia, Spain) has successfully continued as a coach for the last 10 years, known for his impulsiveness joined Kielce in the half of the 2013/14 season, replacing Bogdan Wenta changed the playing style of Kielce placing greater emphasis on the aggressive defence EC Trophies: CL 1994, 2006 (as coach), 2008 (as coach), 2009 (as coach), EHF Cup 1993, Cup Winners Cup 2002, 2003 OG: G 1992, B 1996, 2000, WCh: G 1993, EURO: S 1996, 1998, B

74 Marin Sego goalkeeper his first stop in Poland was Wisla Plock when he came from Zagreb in 2012 and stayed until 2014 like in Plock with Marcin Wichary also in Kielce he has a strong competition in a goal from a Polish national team goalkeeper - Szmal before his move to Poland spent half of his career in Bosnia Herzegovina, and half in Croatia before his first FINAL4 start in 2015 was most successful with Zagreb, where he helped his club to progress twice to the CL quarter-finals Slawomir Szmal goalkeeper 2009 World Handball Player of the Year one of the key players in the Polish national champions defence spent several years in German Bundesliga playing for TuS N-Lübbecke and Rhein Neckar Löwen competed in three VELUX EHF FINAL4 events with Löwen in 2010/11 and twice with Kielce in 2012/13 and 2014/15 on the court a hardworking Titan, beyond it always keen on handball initiatives for kids EURO: S 2010 WCh: S 2007, B 2009, 2015 Manuel Strlek left wing his arrival in Kielce in 2012 were his first steps abroad, after leaving his boyhood club Zagreb started gathering CL experience in 2006 together with his fellow countryman Cupic on the other side, they soon created extremely effective duet of wingers All-Star team left wing at EHF EURO 2010 Karol Bielecki left back Poland s biggest handball icon spent eight seasons in the Bundesliga playing for Magdeburg and Rhein-Neckar Löwen after losing sight in his left eye in an accident in 2010, the 33-year-old has made a remarkable comeback to his current form Kielce s best scorer in the current season (76) excellent shooter from long-range WCh: G 2013, B 2011, EURO: B 2014 EC trophies: EHF Cup 2007 WCh: S 2007, B 2009, 2015 EC Trophies: CL: 2004, 2008, 2009 EURO: S 2004 Uros Zorman centre back one of the best playmakers in the game on the hunt for his fourth CL success OG: B 2012, EURO: S 2010, B 2012, WCh: S 2005, 2009 not known for scoring lots of goals, but his movement and passes provide ample space for his teammates in attack longstanding captain of Slovenian national team famous for his charisma, weakness for coffee, work with children, for whom he has been organising summer camps over past years Denis Buntic right back born in Ljubuski, traditional handball city of Bosnia and Herzegovina played for Izvidac, Zagreb, Koper and Ademar Leon in the past joined Kielce in the summer of 2011 and one year later reached his first FINAL4 with the club set his scoring record in the EC in 2009/10 with Ademar (57 goals) Julen Aguinagalde line player one of the world s top line players All-Star team line player of the 2013 WCh in Spain and EHF EURO 2014 in Denmark nominated for World Handball Player of the Year 2012 joined Kielce from Atlético Mardid in 2013 for his first foreign league experience four VELUX EHF FINAL4 participations in WCh: G 2013, B 2011, EURO: B 2014 Ivan Cupic right wing second top goal scorer at the London 2012 Olympics named on the All-Star team at the 2009 WCh despite losing one finger in an accident in 2008 remained an important player of each team he has played including the national team shares the position with the German Tobias Reichmann OG: B 2012, WCh: S 2009, B 2013, EURO: S 2008, 2010, B

75 GROUP B HC Vardar (MKD) In 2014 only one goal was amiss in the quarter-final of the VELUX EHF Champions League against the to-be champions SG Flensburg-Handewitt, in 2015 they were beaten twice in a tight encounter with Kielce - so their third attempt to make it to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne could be the lucky number for HC Vardar. After failing narrowly twice it is our goal to qualify for Cologne, says Davor Stojanoski, club director of the Macedonian champions. The core of last season s team - except the two Russians Alexej Rastvortsev and Mikhail Chipurin - has remained the same and Vardar have strengthened their squad with signings like Jorge Maqueda, Luka Cindric, Dejan Manaskov or Alexandr Dereven. With such strong signings their goals are clearly set for the team of Spanish-born coach Raul Gonzalez. Vardar will face defending champions Barcelona, Kielce, Kolding, Szeged, Löwen, Kristianstad and Montpellier in tough Group B of the VELUX EHF Champions League - but after growing year by year the Macedonians are confident. Team captain Filip Lazarov expresses the dream of making it to Cologne: Our goal is the FINAL4 after being so close to it twice. This season we have five new players plus the experience from the past two years, so dreaming about the FINAL4 is realistic. Playing hall Jane Sandanski Skopje FYR Macedonia Capacity: 5,000 Club Address: HC Vardar Marko Savovski BUL 8 mi Septemvri 20 FYR Macedonia Media contact: Marko Savovski [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: rkvardar Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: orange and red Dark Player shirt: black/red Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: black and blue Lazarov s favourites for topping the table after the completion of the group phase are Barcelona and Kielce: Those teams have a small advantage compared to the rest, but the season will be long and interesting. It will be difficult for all teams in Groups A and B to finish on top. Director Davor Stojanoski agrees, but mainly hopes for the home advantage in their fortress: All opponents in our group are very strong, we respect all of them. But in the previous years we have competed with many of them, so we know them very well. It is our aim to win all the matches at home and to build a base for a successful group phase. As handball is the most popular team sport in FYR Macedonia, the expectations on Vardar on international ground - VELUX EHF Champions League and SEHA Liga - are high: Even our new arena with a capacity of 6000 fans is too small already. If we would switch to a bigger hall with a capacity of 15,000 it would sell-out in no time, says Stojanoski. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Macedonian champions Coach: Raul Gutierrez Gonzalez (since November 2013) Captain: Filip Lazarov Newcomers: Mijajlo Marsenic (Partizan) Luka Cindric (HC Metalurg) Jorge Maqueda (HBC Nantes) Dejan Manaskov (HSG Wetzlar) Aleksander Dereven (Chekhovskie Medvedi) Left the club: Nemanja Pribak (Besiktas) Dobrivoje Markovic (destination unknown) Stefan Terzic (La Rioja) Vladimir Petric (end of carrier) Alexei Rastvortsev (HC Vojvodina) Mikhail Chipurin (Ivry) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 10 Quarter-final (2): 2013/14, 2014/15 Last 32 (1): 1999/2000 Group Phase (6): 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2007/08, 2009/10 Other Cup Winners Cup: Semi-finals 1998/99, 2004/05, 2010/11, Quarter-finals 2006/07 SEHA league: 1 title (2012) Macedonian league: 9 titles (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2015) Macedonian cup: 10 titles 75

76 HC Vardar (MKD) Biggest win: 37:24 (19:11) v Wacker Thun SUI (a), Biggest defeat: 41:19 (19:08) v FC Barcelona ESP (a), Longest winning run: 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 5 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 7 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 8 matches ( ) 8 matches ( ) Most goals: 39 v Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS 39:28W (h), v Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS 34:39W (a), Most goals opponent: 41 v FC Barcelona ESP 41:19L (a), Most goals both teams: 73 v Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS 39:34W (a), Fewest goals: 12 v FC Barcelona ESP 12:26L (h), Fewest goals opponent: 20 v Orlen Wisla Plock 31:20W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 38 v FC Barcelona ESP 12:26L (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2001/02 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD : :9 4th Gr. D 2002/03 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD : :8 4th Gr. D 2003/04 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD : :12 4th Gr. B 2004/05 Vardar Vatrost. Skopje MKD : :8 3rd Gr. A 2007/08 HC Vardar PRO Skopje MKD : :7 4th Gr. C 2009/10 HC Vardar PRO Skopje MKD : :17 5th Gr. D 2013/14 HC Vardar Skopje MKD : :13 1/4-finals 2014/15 HC Vardar MKD : :11 1/4-finals Total :

77 HC Vardar (MKD) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 20 Ilija Abutovic SRB Left Back Vrbas, SRB Matjaz Brumen SLO Right Wing Ljublana, SLO Luka Cindric CRO Centre Back Ogulin, CRO Alexander Dereven RUS Left Back Toliatti, RUS Timur Dibirov RUS Left Wing Petrozavodsk, RUS Alex Dujshebaev ESP Right Back Santander, ESP Sergei Gorbok RUS Left Back Minsk, RUS Igor Karacic CRO Centre Back Mostar, BIH Blazenko Lackovic CRO Left Back Varazdin, CRO Filip Lazarov MKD Left Back Veles, MKD Dejan Manaskov MKD Left Wing Veles, MKD Jorge Maqueda Pena ESP Right Back Toledo, ESP Mijajlo Marsenic SRB Line Player Berane, MNE Daniil Shishkarev RUS Right Wing Kustanai, RUS Stojanche Stoilov MKD Line Player Skopje, MKD Alem Toskic SRB Line Player Priboj, SRB Arpad Sterbik Capar ESP Goalkeeper Senta, SRB Strahinja Milic SRB Goalkeeper Pristina, SRB Petar Angelov MKD Goalkeeper Kavadarci, MKD Average: 28, ,7 OG: B 1996 (as player) Raul Gonzalez Gutierrez coach stalwart of BM Valladolid and a member of the Spanish national team during his playing career started his coaching carrier in Atletico Madrid and Ciudad Real working in team with Talant Dujshebaev replaced Zoran Kastratovic early in the 2013/14 season at Vardar steered the team to a historical success - the quarter-finals of the CL for the first time and was just one goal shy of the FINAL4 77

78 EC trophies: CL 2006, 2008, 2009 WCh: B 1999, B 2001, B 2011, G 2013 Arpad Sterbik goalkeeper one of the best goalkeepers who holds Hungarian, Serbian and Spanish citizenship after ten seasons spent in Spain moved from Barcelona in 2014 and signed a four-year contract with Macedonian runners-up dozens of international awards including the 2005 IHF World Handball Player of the Year voted as the best goalkeeper of the Spanish league five times Dejan Manaskov left wing since 2008 until 2014 part of local Skopje rivals Metalurg, on the way to Vardar had a short stint with Wetzlar in the German Bundesliga son of Macedonian handball legend Pepi Manaskov and also one of the key players of the national team his highest achievement the fifth place at the EC 2012 in Serbia the 2013/14 season was a breakthrough year in the CL, scoring 33 goals on Metlaurg s run to the quarter-finals. Timur Dibirov left wing in 2013 he joined Vardar as just the second club in his career the first was Chekhovskie Medvedi, with whom he reached the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in 2010 voted best left wing of at the 2013 WCh fast breaks specialists also key in defence Sergey Gorbok left back started his carrier in Minsk, played in several countries (Ukraine, Russia, Slovenia, Germany) took Russian citizenship and started playing for Russia after playing three seasons in Chekhov in the 2013/14 season with Rhein-Neckar Löwen he was close to the FINAL4 joined the Russian colony of Vardar in 2014 EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 2006 Igor Karacic centre back voted into the 2012/13 SEHA League All-Star team regarded as a fast and tough player who is brilliant when it comes to one-on-one situations scored 62 goals on the way to the last 16 in the 2010/11 CL season with Bosna Sarajevo born in Mostar he plays for the Croatian national team, while his brother Ivan plays for Bosnia Herzegovina Stojance Stoilov line player not only Vardar s first choice line player, but occupies the same position in the Macedonian national team joined Vardar in 2010 from city rivals Metalurg a step that saw his career spiralling upwards played a brilliant tournament at the EHF EURO 2012 when FYR Macedonia finished 5th Alex Dujshebaev right back son of Talant Dujshebaev joined Vardar at the beginning of the 2013/14 season played for Spain at the Junior World Championship in 2013 and helped his team to win silver best right back of the All-star team at the 2012 Men s 20 EHF EURO and the 2013 Junior WCh top scorer of the Spanish ASOBAL with BM Aragon in 2011/12 and 2012/13 voted best young player of the CL in 2014/15 EC trophies: CL 2004, Challenge Cup 2011 Matjaz Brumen right wing besides Dibirov and Sterbik only Vardar player with a European Cup title under his belt won the EHF Champions League with Celje and the Challenge Cup with Koper played for Slovenian clubs Prule 67, Celje and Koper, Vardar is his first foreign club played for Slovenia at several major tournaments and was part of the team which only narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2013 WCh 78

79 GROUP B KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (DEN) Since the start of European Cup competitions under the umbrella of the EHF in 1993, KIF Kolding only missed two seasons and played 188 matches so far, and are the most experienced Scandinavian participant of the VELUX EHF Champions League. For the 13th time the team of head coach Henrik Kronborg is part of the flagship competition highlighted by a semi-final appearance in For the upcoming season, the goal is to finish among the eight best teams - after a surprising elimination in the previous season against Croatian record champions Zagreb in the Last 16. Only in the 1994/95 season did the club fail to make it out of the group phase and since then they have had a consistent streak of making it past this initial stage - and this is something they hope to continue. On domestic ground, KIF again proved their dominance by becoming Danish champions for the 14th time and - right before the start of the season - they took the Danish Supercup beating Champions League participant Skjern. Playing hall TRE-FOR Arena Ambolten Kolding Denmark Capacity: 2,800 The only major changes in the squad were in the back court positions: left back Lasse Boesen ended his active career and becomes club manager like his father had been before. Swedish right back Kim Andersson transferred to his home club Ystad after a long-term shoulder injury. His successor is one of only two non-scandinavian players on the team: Russian Konstantin Igropoulo. The left handed shooter arrives from German side Füchse Berlin, where he completed his individual cabinet of trophies by winning the EHF Cup in May after he had won the Cup Winners Cup with Chekhovskie Medvedi and the VELUX EHF Champions League with FC Barcelona. Team captain and legendary goalkeeper Kasper Hvidt remains humble in terms of goals: In the previous two years we played well in the group phase but then were too weak in the Last 16. So first we have to focus on the group matches in order to get the best possible ranking for the knock-out stage. And from the past we know that defence is the key for us, but we all have the experience and know to play. Club Address: KIF Kolding Kobenhavn Ambolten Kolding Denmark Media contact: Thomas Christensen [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: KIFKBH Kit colours Light Player shirt: white/red Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: green Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Danish champions Coach: Henrik Kronborg (since 2013, due to his health problems Aron Kristjansson was in charge in 2014/15) Captain: Kasper Hvidt Newcomers: Konstantin Igropulo (Füchse Berlin) Left the club: Lasse Boesen (end of career) Kim Andersson (Ystad) Alternative playing hall Broendby Hallen Broendby Stadion Brondby Denmark Capacity: 5,000 Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 13 Semi-final (1): 2001/02 Quarter-final (1): 2002/03 Last 16 (8): 2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2013/14, 2014/15 Last 32 (1): 1993/94 Group Phase (1): 1994/95 Other Cup Winners Cup: Semi-finals 1999/2000, Quarter-finals 2007/08 EHF Cup: Quarter-finals 2012/13 Danish champions: 14 times (1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2015) Danish cup: 7 times 79

80 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (DEN) Biggest win: 35:18 (19:4) v Wisla Plock SA POL (h), Biggest defeat: 38:23 (20:10) v THW Kiel GER (a), :25 (19:10) v Montpellier Agglomeration HB FRA (a), Longest winning run: 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 6 matches ( ) 6 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 4 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Most goals: 42 v RK Partizan Belgrad SCG 42:26W (h), v Prule 67 Ljubljana SLO 42:31W (h), Most goals opponent: 46 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 46:36L (a), Most goals both teams: 82 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 46:36L (a), Fewest goals: 16 v TEKA Santander ESP 28:16L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 18 v Lovcen Osiguranje YUG 20:18W (h), v Wisla Plock SA POL 35:18W (h), v Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral FRA 18:20W (a), Fewest goals both teams: 38 v Lovcen Osiguranje YUG 20:18W (h), v Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral FRA 18:20W (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 1994/95 Kolding IF DEN : :10 4th Gr. A 2001/02 Kolding IF DEN : :9 1/2-finals 2002/03 Kolding IF DEN : :6 1/4-finals 2003/04 Kolding KIF DEN : :7 Last /05 Kolding KIF DEN : :8 Last /06 KIF Kolding DEN : :8 Last /07 KIF Kolding Elite A/S DEN : :3 Last /10 KIF Kolding DEN : :12 Last /11 KIF Kolding DEN : :14 Last /14 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn DEN : :10 Last /15 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn DEN : :8 Last 16 Total :

81 KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (DEN) No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 7 Lasse Bredekjaer Anderson DEN Left Back Kobenhavn, DEN Sebastian Augustinussen DEN Right Back Kolding, DEN Lasse Boesen DEN Left Back Kolding, DEN Mikel Dalby Christensen DEN Centre Back Kolding, DEN Martin Per Dolk SWE Left Wing Hammarby, SWE Nikolaj Enderleit DEN Right Back Kolding, DEN Konstantin Igropulo RUS Right Back Stawropol, RUS Kasper Ryan Irming Andersen DEN Right Back Skanderborg, DEN Simon Edelberg Jensen DEN Right Wing Svendborg, DEN Lars Troels Jorgensen DEN Back Køge, DEN Lukas Karlsson SWE Centre Back Nyköping, SWE Jacob Kühne DEN Centre Back Sønderborg, DEN Torsten Laen DEN Line Player Odense, DEN Magnus Landin Jacobsen DEN Left Wing helsingør, DEN Jens Svane Peschardt DEN Left Back Vejle, DEN Bo Dybdal Spellerberg DEN Left Back Gladsaxe, DEN Jakob Stork DEN Line Player Vejle, DEN Thomas Björn Theilgaard DEN Right Wing Vejen, DEN Cyril Viudes FRA Line Player Champigny-S.-M., FRA Kasper Hvidt DEN Goalkeeper Frederiksberg, DEN Marcus David Cleverly DEN Goalkeeper Hilerod, DEN Morten Ankersen DEN Goalkeeper Kolding, DEN Anders Lynge DEN Goalkeeper Kolding, DEN Rasmus Dossing DEN Goalkeeper Kolding, DEN Average: 26, ,8 Henrik Kronborg coach creative playmaker for Helsingor IF in his playing days, but although he is from Hamlet s town Elsinore (Helsingor) his last name has nothing to do with the Kronborg castle of the town was also the coach of Danish juniors until the WCh 2013 in Bosnia Herzegovina successfully coaching Nordsjaelland, before joining the federation started his career in KIF as assistant coach along with being in charge of the Danish U21 team, but was soon promoted into the job as head coach succeeded Peter Bredsdorff-Larsen at KIF, who was also one of his forerunners as assistant coach of the Danish national team during his long sick leave in 2013 and 2014, he had to leave the job as head coach for Icelandic national coach Aron Kristjansson 81

82 Kasper Hvidt goalkeeper still considered to be among the best goalkeepers in the world retired from international handball in 2010 after being awarded MVP as Denmark won the EHF EURO 2008 in Norway after a career in Germany and Spain, including a successful spell in FC Barcelona, returned home in 2009 to play for FCK Håndbold, AG København, with whom he reached the FINAL4 in 2012 with KIF since August 2013 Magnus Landin left wing younger brother of world class goalkeeper Niklas Landin got his handball upbringing in the club GOG the talent factory par excellence in Danish handball joined KIF in the 2014 summer from Nordsjaelland Handbold one of Denmark s currently greatest talents in the left wing position, but also a qualified supplement to the back court line of KIF WCh: S 2011, EHF EURO: G 2008 Bo Spellerberg left back KIF Kolding player for 11 years, since he joined the club from FIF Copenhagen in 2003 reached 500 games for the team before the 2014/15 season, won the Danish title five times during his entire time in the club, he has been a key player to the team elegant and hard-shooting playmaker as well as left back Lukas Karlsson centre back joined KIF Kolding from Viborg HK in 2009 elegant and inventive playmaker bothered by shoulder problems for a long time apart from orchestrating KIF s attacking play, he has also turned into one of the team s most dangerous shooters married to Norwegian international Ida Bjørndalen EHF EURO: G 2008, 2012 Cyril Viudes line player was signed mainly for the defence when joining the club in the summer of 2011, but proved his skills mainly in the attack, together with Torsten are often in the attack at the same time, as KIF quite frequently attack with two line players although born in France, has Spanish roots awarded League Player of the Year 2014/15 in Denmark by the players of the league has turned down offers from several French and German clubs and extended his contract with KIF instead, as he wants to know more about Danish culture before moving on EC trophies: CL 2008 Torsten Laen line player after celebrating several triumphs with GOG, former Danish international went abroad in 2007 won the CL with Ciudad Real in 2008 and reached the FINAL4 in 2012 with Füchse Berlin experienced pivot and defence specialist joined KIF in the summer of 2013 proved to be just as important a player in all aspects of the of the game as expected EC trophies: CL 2011, EHF Cup 2015 Konstantin Igropulo right back a Russian with Greek roots also played for a club in Athens, one of the first Russians to play for FC Barcelona arrived in Berlin thanks to the praise of his former teammate Iker Romero, came to Denmark in summer 2015 after winning the EHF Cup trophy European champion and silver medallist at the World Championship in beach handball married with the Russian pop singer Marina of the band Blue Marine Kasper Irming Andersen right wing joined KIF Kolding from Aarhus in 2011 can play the right wing as well as the right back, where his speed and movability compensate for his modest height able to play the right back position, if needs be haunted by injuries over three years

83 GROUP B MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) It was the biggest day of his career, when he raised the EHF Cup trophy in May 2014, now MOL-Pick Szeged s long-term team captain Attila Vadkerti has stepped down, but remains on the Szeged ship as the director of the youth academy and deciding to finish his career at FKSE Algyö. In the first post-vadkerti season of the Hungarian runners-ups, Szabolcs Zubai will take on the role as the new captain. Vadkerti is the only departure in the squad of Spanish born coach Juan Carlos Pastor, who strengthened the team with two experienced internationals: Brazilian Thiago Santos and Serbian Marko Curuvija. The season after winning the EHF Cup Finals in Berlin was - from an international point of view - successful: Szeged eliminated Rhein Neckar Löwen in the Last 16 of the VELUX EHF Champions League and were close to another sensation against Kiel in the quarter-finals. Playing hall Varosi Sportcsarnok Szeged Temesvari Krt Szeged Hungary Capacity: 3,200 Club Address: MOL-Pick Szeged Deák Ferenc u Szeged Hungary Now they will compete with Löwen again in Group B of the new season, aside from that they face top contenders such as defending champions Barcelona, Kielce or Vardar and in addition to Kolding and Montpellier. But despite this tough group the objectives are set high for all competitions: We are aware of the fact that Veszprem, our domestic rival, has a great team and are favourites in the national competitions, but we want to fight to win at least one title in Hungary, says club director Nandor Szögi. On the international stage, he expects every match to be like a final: In the VELUX EHF Champions League our philosophy is to go step by step, from match to match. The goal is of course, to qualify for the Last 16, but we will need to achieve a good position to get a manageable opponent in the next phase. But this year, each match, even in the group phase, will be like a final for everyone. New team captain Szabolcs Zubai hopes to cause some upsets to the favourites: With the new format of the (VELUX EHF) Champions League it will be more difficult to surprise a team, but we are going to up our level. Zubai is happy to be in a group like this, facing Barcelona & Co. for him he would like to continue on the same path (as in previous seasons) and to perform even better. For sure it will be very difficult to qualify from this group, however, the goal is simple: to proceed. Media contact: Levente Juhasz [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: pickszeged Kit colours Light Player shirt: orange Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: white or green Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: black Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Hungarian runners-up Coach: Juan Carlos Pastor (since 2013) Newcomers: Thiagus Petrus (Naturhouse La Rioja) Marko Curuvija (König-Trade Balmazujvaros) Left the club: Attila Vadkerti (FKSE Algyö and operational director of the MOL-Pick Szeged youth academy) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 14 Quarter-final (3): 1996/1997, 2003/2004, 2014/15 Last 16 (5): 2004/2005, 2005/2006, 2006/2007, 2010/2011, 2012/13 Main Round (1): 2007/2008 Group Phase (3): 2008/2009, 2009/2010, 2011/2012 Qualification (1): 2013/14 Other EHF Cup: Winners 2014/15, Quarterfinal: 2000/01 Last 16: 1994/95, 1999/2000 Cup Winners Cup Semi-final: 1993/94 Quarter-final: 2002/03, 2008/09 Hungarian league: 2 titles (1996, 2007) Hungarian cup: 6 titles 83

84 MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) Biggest win: 39:24 (15:10) v HC Bosna Sarajevo BIH (h), Biggest defeat: 40:17 (19:5) v FC Barcelona ESP (a), Longest winning run: 6 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 6 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 6 matches ( ) 6 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 7 matches ( ) Most goals: 39 v HC Bosna Sarajevo BIH 39:24W (h), Most goals opponent: 40 v FC Barcelona ESP 40:17L (a), Most goals both teams: 73 v Montpellier Agglomeration HB FRA 38:35W (h), Fewest goals: 17 v FC Barcelona ESP 40:17L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 16 v Wisla Plock SA POL 16:26W (a), Fewest goals both teams: 39 v Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO 20:19W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 1996/97 Pick Szeged HUN : :8 1/4-finals 2003/04 SC Pick Szeged HUN : :12 1/4-finals 2004/05 SC Pick Szeged HUN : :6 Last /06 SC Pick Szeged HUN : :10 Last /07 SC Pick Szeged HUN : :8 Last /08 Pick Szeged HUN : :6 3rd MR Gr /09 Pick Szeged HUN : :8 3rd Gr. H 2009/10 Pick Szeged HUN : :14 5th Gr. A 2010/11 Pick Szeged HUN : :14 Last /12 Pick Szeged HUN : :14 5th Gr. D 2012/13 Pick Szeged HUN : :16 Last /15 MOL-Pick Szeged HUN : :9 1/4-finals Total :

85 MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 90 Gabor Ancsin HUN Right Back Bekescsaba, HUN Adam Arokszallasi HUN Right Wing Szeged, HUN Patrik Arpasi HUN Line Player Orosháza, HUN Zsolt Balogh HUN Right Back Orosháza, HUN Alen Blazevic CRO Left Back Nasice, CRO Dean Bombac SLO Centre Back Koper, SLO Marko Curuvija SRB Left Wing Belgrade, SRB Adam Dimovics HUN Centre Back Szeged, HUN Karoly Doleszal HUN Left Wing Székesfehérvár, HUN Balint Fekete HUN Right Back Gyula, HUN Roberto Garcia Parrondo ESP Right Wing Madrid, ESP Antonio Jesus Garcia Robledo ESP Left Back Llagosta, ESP Mate Gidai HUN Right Wing Békéscsaba, HUN Thiagus Petrus Goncalves Dos Santos BRA Left Back Juiz de Fora, BRA Gergö Haszillo HUN Centre Back Székesfehérvár, HUN Márk Hegedüs HUN Line Player Budapest, HUN Ferenc Ilyés HUN Left Back Székelyudvarhely, ROU Jonas Källman SWE Left Wing Växjö, SWE Vladan Loncar BIH Left Back Sarajevo, BIH Stefan Manojlovity SRB Centre Back Zenta, SRB Richard Mezei HUN Centre Back Szeged, HUN Niko Mindegia Elizaga ESP Centre Back Santesteban, ESP Lenard Nagy HUN Left Wing Senta, SRB Zoltan Peter Patyi HUN Centre Back Szeged, HUN Rajko Prodanovic SRB Right Wing Beograd, SRB Roland Selmeczi HUN Right Wing Szeged, HUN Bence Szabo HUN Line Player Kecskemét, HUN Mate Szabo HUN Right Wing Szeged, HUN Peter Szabo HUN Left Back Szeged, HUN Egon Urban HUN Right Wing Senta, SRB Daniel Gabor Varga HUN Line Player Szeged, HUN Peter Velky HUN Left Wing Orosháza, HUN Vladimir Vranjes BIH Line Player Banja Luka, BIH Szabolcs Zubai HUN Line Player Mezokövesd, HUN Jose Manuel Sierra Mendez ESP Goalkeeper Moguer, ESP Piotr Wyszomirski POL Goalkeeper Warszava, POL Boris Manojlovity SRB Goalkeeper Zenta, SRB Martin Nagy HUN Goalkeeper Szeged, HUN Imre Pasztor HUN Goalkeeper Szolnok, HUN Average: 23,92 190,5 90,8 Juan Carlos Pastor coach one of the masterminds of contemporary handball with an incredible amount of silverware in his career Szeged found him fit for the job of rebuilding their team in order to be able to challenge for the Hungarian title against Veszprém won the EHF Cup in his first year at the helm became also the sporting director after Szeged legend Richárd Mezei resigned EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 2009, EHF Cup 2014 WCh: G 2005, EURO: S 2006, OG: B

86 José Manuel Sierra goalkeeper together with Piotr Wyszomirski supposed to fill in for Hungarian international Roland Mikler, who joined Veszprém one of the most influential goalkeepers in the world, the Valladolid legend has won an enormous amount of trophies through his almost two decades long career signed from PSG, has done a grand slam of great Spanish teams (Barcelona, Ciudad Real and Valladolid) in the past EC trophies: CL 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, Cup Winners Cup: 2009 WCh: G 2013, EURO: B 2014 Thiagus Petrus Goncalves left back first Brazilian player of the 55-year-old history of the club his lethal shots come handy at Pick where the shooting compartment badly needed reinforcement joined Niko Mindegía, his former teammate from La Rioja, where he won 2x silver in ASOBAL Brazilian international won gold at the Pan American Games in 2015 in Toronto EC trophies: CL 2006, 2008, 2009, EHF Cup 2014 OG: S 2012 Jonas Källman left wing signed in the winter of 2013/14 and showed his unique ability to defend in three positions vital part of both coach Juan Carlos Pastor s defensive variatons and Szeged s attacking edge spent more than a decade in Spain with Ciudad Real and Atlético Madrid before returning home (IFK Skövde) and finally signing a three-and-ahalf year contract with Pick Ferenc Ilyés left back one of the most influential Hungarian players at both club and international level one of the many who played both for Szeged and Veszprém defensive specialist can also be an impact player at left back as shown by his marvellous performance in the 2014 EHF Cup Finals great talisman for his team as won three international trophies with three different clubs EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 2008, EHF Cup: 2010, 2014 Antonio García Robledo left back without a doubt the biggest name the EHF Cup winner signed in the summer of 2014 won a great deal of both individual, club and national team silverware and a lot is expected from the Granollers-raised shooter in Szeged former Spanish player of the year Szeged is his third team in the CL having tried his luck with Leon and PSG before Szabolcs Zubai line player one of the most technically gifted in his position in Hungary coming from the famous Dunaferr school U2 fan signed a contract with Pick Szeged in 2008 and has been the focal point of both the team s attacks and defence well over his 100th cap and a decade in the grinder of opponents walls finally managed to get a grip on a trophy, which came in 2014 WCh: G 2013, EURO: B 2014 EC trophies: EHF Cup 2014 Zsolt Balogh right back joined Pick Szeged from Braun Gyöngyös in 2012 by 2014 overtook Gábor Ancsin in the Pick roster at his poition not as tall as one would expect from a backcourt player but has outstanding dribbling skills and a sharp eye for passing new coach Pastor gave him more time and he grabbed his chance Roberto García Parrondo right wing brought by coach Pastor when he took the Szeged hotseat the two won an incredible amount of trophies together Madrid-born played for seven Spanish teams before he decided to bring his talents to international courts one of the few players to have literally won all international trophies EHF had to offer EC trophies: EHF Cup 2014 EC trophies: CL 2008, 2009, Cup Winners Cup 2005, EHF Cup 2013 WCh: G 2005, EURO: B

87 GROUP B Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) Rhein-Neckar Löwen lost two pillars of the squad over the summer and their success this season will rely heavily on whether their work in the transfer market has sufficiently covered these losses. The Mannheim based club reacted to the departure of world class goalkeeper Niklas Landin for German champions and three-time EHF Champions League winner THW Kiel, with the capture of Serbian international Darko Stanic and Swede Mikael Apelgren from last season s EHF Cup participant Melsungen. However, Landin is not the only Scandinavian loss for the lions, as Norwegian line player Bjarte Myrhol signed for Danish VELUX Champions League participant Skjern. He was replaced by German international Henrik Pekeler - and as he is currently injured. Löwen also signed Spaniard Rafael Baena. After finishing second in Germany once again, this time two points below Kiel, and getting eliminated at the Last 16 of Europe s elite club competition last season, now Löwen will face some established and big-name opponents in Group B: defending champions Barcelona, Kielce, Vardar, Kolding, Szeged, Kristianstad and Montpellier. The only unknown team for us are Kristianstad, as we faced the rest of those teams before. We will not have any easy match in the group phase, as Barcelona and Kielce belong to the favourites of the Champions League, and Skopje are also a candidate for making it to the VELUX EHF FINAL4, says team captain Uwe Gensheimer, who adds: In the past, we had did not have easy encounters with Kolding, Montpellier and Szeged. Playing hall SAP Arena Xaver-Fuhr-Str Mannheim Germany Capacity: 12,900 Two opponents are in the focus of manager Lars Lamade and the team two teams who eliminated Löwen in the previous seasons. Barcelona, who snuck past Löwen by only one goal in the 2013/14 quarter-finals, and Szeged, who ended their campaign last term. Barcelona are the strongest of all teams, and we failed against Szeged, which says all about the strengths of the Hungarians. We know Montpellier, Kielce and Kolding from past seasons, says Lamade, for whom in general the group is tough: Due to our small squad we definitely do not belong to the favourites in this group of attractive opponents. But we are eager to proceed to the Last 16. Club Address: Rhein-Neckar Löwen Mollstraße 49a Mannheim Germany Media contact: Christopher Monz [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: rnloewen Kit colours Light Player shirt: yellow Player short: yellow Goalkeeper shirt: red/white Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: red/green Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: runners-up in Germany Coach: Nikolaj Jacobsen (since July 2014) Captain: Uwe Gensheimer Newcomers: Darko Stanic (Al Kuwait SC) Mikael Appelgren (MT Melsungen) Hendrik Pekeler (TBV Lemgo) Rafael Baena (BM Puente Genil Angel Ximénez) Left the club: Niklas Landin (THW Kiel) Bastian Rutschmann (Frisch Auf Göppingen) Bjarte Myrhol (Skjern Handball) Roko Peribonio (TSG Ludwigshafen-Friesenheim) David Schmidt (TSG Ludwigshafen-Friesenheim) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 7 Semi-final (2): 2008/09, 2010/11 Quarter-final (2): 2009/10, 2013/14 Last 16 (1): 2014/15 Qualification (1): 2011/12 Other Cup Winners Cup: Runners-up 2007/08 EHF Cup: Winners 2012/13, Semi-finals 2011/12, Quarter-finals 2006/07 German league: none German Cup winner: none Alternative playing hall Fraport Arena Silostrasse Frankfurt Germany Capacity: 5,000 87

88 Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) Biggest win: 40:25 (19:10) v Chambery Savoie HB FRA (h), :24 (20:10) v HC Bosna BH Gas BIH (a), :22 (19:11) v Chambery Savoie HB FRA (h), Biggest defeat: 37:23 (20:8) v THW Kiel GER (a), Longest winning run: 5 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 8 matches ( ) 8 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 4 matches ( ) Most goals: 40 v Chambery Savoie HB FRA 40:25W (h), Most goals opponent: 38 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 38:38D (h), Most goals both teams: 76 v FC Barcelona Borges ESP 38:38D (h), Fewest goals: 23 v Chambery Savoie HB FRA 25:23L (a), v THW Kiel GER 37:23L (a), v KS Vive Targi Kielce POL 23:23 (a), Fewest goals opponent: 17 v St. Petersburg HC RUS 31:17W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 46 v KS Vive Targi Kielce POL 23:23 (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2008/09 Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER : :8 1/2-finals 2009/10 Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER : :8 1/4-finals 2010/11 Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER : :14 Fourth Place 2013/14 Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER : :8 1/4-finals 2014/15 Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER : :12 Last 16 Total :

89 Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 26 Michal Abt GER Line Player Heidelberg, GER Rafael Baena Gonzalez ESP Line Player Estepa, ESP Kim Ekdahl du Rietz SWE Left Back Lund, SWE David Ganshorn GER Line Player Mannheim, GER Uwe Gensheimer GER Left Wing Mannheim, GER Marvin Gerdon GER Right Wing Speyer, GER Patrick Groetzki GER Right Wing Pforzheim, GER Gedeon Guardiola Villaplana ESP Line Player Petrer, ESP Max Haider GER Line Player Heidelberg, GER Rico Keller GER Left Back Heidelberg, GER Stefan Kneer GER Left Back Bühl, GER Mads Mensah Larsen DEN Centre Back Holbæk, DEN Hendrik Pekeler GER Line Player Itzehohe, GER Alexander Petersson ISL Right Back Riga, LAT Harald Reinkind NOR Right Back Trondheim, NOR Andre Schmid SUI Centre Back Horgen, SUI Stefan Rafn Sigurmannsson ISL Left Wing Hafnarfjördur, ISL Marius Steinhauser GER Right Wing Karlsruhe, GER Darko Stanic SRB Goalkeeper Mojkovac, SRB Mikael Appelgren SWE Goalkeeper Uddevalla, SWE Marco Bitz GER Goalkeeper Schwetzingen, GER Average: 26,29 191,3 95,3 Nikolaj Jacobsen coach new face on the Löwen bench since 2014 as his predecessor Gudmundur Gudmundsson became Danish national team coach coached Viborg, Bjerringbro (both as an assistant) and Aalborg in the past, steering Aalborg to a surprising title and the CL in 2013 six league titles and seven cup titles in Denmark and Germany during his playing career TV expert in 2007 EC trophies: EHF Cup 2002, 2004 (as player) 89

90 Darko Stanic goalkeeper came in the summer of 2015 to fill the gap after Niklas Landin, who transferred to Kiel courtesy of his excellent skills Serbian goalkeeper he is referred to as Minister of Defence. in his previous CL club Metalurg he immediately won the hearts of the fans voted into the 2012/13 All-star team, the same award received at the EHF EURO 2012 in Serbia Uwe Gensheimer left wing born in Mannheim, he is the 100% local hero playing for his club since 2003 his talent discovered early as he became Junior European champion in 2006, one year later awarded MVP at the Junior WCh in 2011 and 2012 German player of the year top scorer of 2010/11 CL season declined offers from Kiel and Barcelona EC trophies: Challenge Cup 2011 EURO: S 2012 EC trophies: EHF Cup 2013 Kim Ekdahl Du Rietz left back despite the huge competition at left back in the previous seasons, the Swede became number 1 arrived in Mannheim in 2012 from Nantes after beginning his career at Lugi Lund made his first league debut at the age of 16 important part of the Löwen defence as well, but famous for his long-range shots in the attack particularly large shoe size of 51 Mads Mensah Larsen centre back started his international career at AG Kobenhavn & made it to the 2012 VELUX EHF FINAL4 became Danish champion for the second time at Aalborg, where he firstly was coached by Nikolaj Jacobsen, when Jacobsen became Löwen coach in 2014, he followed him to Mannheim was U20 EHF EURO champion with Denmark his father is from Ghana, his mother Danish EC trophies: EHF Cup 2013 OG: S 2012 WCh: S 2013, EHF EURO: S 2014 Andre Schmid centre back five-time Swiss handball player of the year played for both Zürich clubs Grasshoppers and ZMC Amicitia until 2009 joined Löwen after one season with Bjerringbro-Silkeborg key in attack both as playmaker and as shooter best Bundesliga player in the 2013/14 season EC trophies: EHF Cup 2013 WCH G 2013 EHF EURO B 2014, EHF Cup winner 2013 Gedeon Guardiola Villaplana line player defence boss of Löwen as the successor of Oliver The Rogg Roggisch arrived in Mannheim in 2012 with his twin brother Isaias, who then left to Aalborg in 2014 played at Logrono and San Antonio before he joined Löwen had been a karateka in his younger days when scores for Löwen, the whole arena shouts Ole! Alexander Petersson right back born in Latvia, took over Icelandic citizenship and became an Olympic silver medallist in 2008 and EHF EURO bronze medallist in 2010 moved to Germany in 2003, playing for Düsseldorf, Großwallstadt, Flensburg-Handewitt, and Füchse, before transferring to RNL in 2012 more a playmaker on the right back position but is also strong in man-to-man-actions member of the 2011 WCh All Star Team and the most experienced player of Löwen Patrick Groetzki right wing born in Pforzheim only a few kilometres away from Mannheim right after ending his youth career he switched to Löwen and became part of the German younger age category national teams MVP and silver medallist of the Men s 20 EHF EURO in 2008 and junior world champion in 2009 key player right after he was nominated for the men s national team for the first time EC trophies: EHF Cup 2013 OG: S 2008, EURO: B 2010 EC trophies: EHF Cup

91 GROUP B IFK Kristianstad (SWE) After ranking among the top teams in the Swedish league in the previous years and qualifying for the EHF Cup Group Phase two seasons ago, the team of former world and EHF EURO champion Ola Lindgren now is making their maiden voyage in the VELUX EHF Champions League. For Lindgren it is his second appearance in this competition after being coach of German side Rhein Neckar Löwen. And the coach counts on a young and almost all-scandinavian squad, but success always causes interest from other clubs. So some cornerstones of the previous season like Markus Olsson, Magnus Dahl (both to Danish Champions League participant Skjern) or Jonathan Stenbäcken (Lemgo/Germany) left Kristianstad. A new player with the most international experience is Iranian international Iman Jamali, who arrives on loan from 2015 Champions League finalist MKB Veszprem. Thanks to the Swedish ranking in the EHF seeding list, Kristianstad will cruise into the group phase on their maiden voyage: Having their first ever Champions League match on home ground with the Scandinavian duel against their Danish counterparts Kolding, they will additionally face defending champions FC Barcelona, Kielce, Vardar Skopje, Szeged, Löwen and Montpellier in Group B. Playing hall Kristianstad Arena Västra Storgatan Kristianstad Sweden Capacity: Club Address: IFK Kristianstad Västra Storgatan Kristanstad Sweden Media contact: Anders Hallengren [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: IFKKristianstad Kit colours Light Player shirt: orange Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: red/yellow/black/white Dark Player shirt: black Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: red/yellow/black/white Having the lack of international experience in mind, the targets are clearly set: We are the newcomers and see our Champions League participation as an inspiring challenge in which we might gain some points on home ground. We hope to arrange memorable home events in our arena and to entertain our fans with fast and creative handball, club manager Nikolas Larsson says. Kristianstad and their legendary mascot Krustis aim to have sold-out matches with 5000 fans. Our group is a tough one with Barcelona and Kielce in the favourite role, says Larsson, who in general expects that being part of the Champions League is an important step for us in our ambition to grow and expand the club. Team captain Johan Jepson is looking forward to his first ever away game in the VELUX EHF Champions League in Barcelona on 26 September: We have been drawn into a challenging group and as the captain and the oldest player it will be an honour and a challenge to lead the team in our first Champions League participation in our club s history. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Swedish champions Coach: Ola Lindgren (since February 2012) Captain: Johan Jepson Newcomers: Nebojsa Simic (HK Malmö) Inge Aas Eriksen (Stord) Richard Hanisch (Hamburg) Marcus Dahlin (Arendal) Iman Jamali (on loan from MKB Veszprem) Left the club: Markus Olsson (Skjern) Jonathan Stenbäcken (Lemgo) Daniel Lindgren (Varberg) Dan Beutler (HK Malmö) Magnus Dahl (Skjern) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 1 Other EHF Cup: Group Phase 2013/14 Swedish league: 5 titles (1941, 1948, 1952, 1953, 2015) 91

92 IFK Kristianstad (SWE) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 7 Kristian Björnsen NOR Right Wing Stavanger, NOR Andreas Cederholm SWE Right Back Hjo, SWE Oskar Cosmo SWE Line Player Kristianstad, SWE Marcus Dahlin SWE Right Back Stenungsund, SWE Inge Aas Eriksen NOR Left Back Stord, NOR Richard Hanisch SWE Back Eskilstuna, SWE Emil Hansson SWE Right Wing Kristianstad, SWE Iman Jamali IRI Left Back Esfahan, IRI Johan Jepson SWE Left Wing Karlshamn, SWE Albin Lagergren SWE Right Back Varberg, SWE Johannes Larsson SWE Right Wing Kristianstad, SWE Anton Lindskog SWE Line Player Kristianstad, SWE Johan Nilsson SWE Back Kristianstad, SWE Petter Nyström SWE Left Wing Kristianstad, SWE Christian O Sullivan NOR Back Oslo, NOR Fredric Pettersson SWE Line Player Jönköping, SWE Jerry Tollbring SWE Left Wing Norrtälje, SWE Leo Larsson SWE Goalkeeper Ystad, SWE Nebojsa Simic MNE Goalkeeper Cetinje, MON Fredrik Landin SWE Goalkeeper Göteborg, SWE Jesper Larsson SWE Goalkeeper Kristianstad, SWE Average: 23,95 190,2 92,2 Ola Lindgren coach head coach in Kristianstad since 2012, celebrated his greatest triumph as a coach by leading Kristianstad to their first Swedish championship title in 62 years in 2014/2015 before returning home to Sweden, he was coach by HSG Nordhorn and Rhein-Neckar Löwen apart from being head coach in Kristianstad, since 2008 he is in charge of the Swedish national team together with his former national teammate Staffan Olsson was a great line player in his active days, the golden age of Swedish national team handball with 376 internationals for Sweden, he is the Swedish player with second most caps OG: S 1992, 1996, 2000, WCh: G 1990, 1999, S 1997, 2001, B 1993, 1995, EURO: G 1994, 1998,

93 Leo Larsson goalkeeper joined from another league club in Southern Sweden Ystads IF in 2013 after spending quite a lot of time on the bench in Ystad, he had got more match praxis since joining Kristianstad. in for even more responsibility after Norwegian international Magnus Dahl has left the Kristianstad goal for Danish Skjern Handbold had his big part of the credit for Kristianstad winning the Swedish championship in 2015 Jerry Tollbring left wing joined from league colleagues Rimbo HK in the summer of 2014 signed as substitute to experienced Johan Jepson in the left wing position, but his skills soon made him first choice on the left wing still waiting for his debut on the senior national team, but has played 20 matches in the youth team and was one of Sweden s key players at Junior WCh in Brazil recently Iman Jamali left back Iranian heavy shooter on loan from Veszprém, where he is in his final season of a four-year contract spotted in the junior WCh where he scored 14 goals against Hungary and signed for Veszprem at the age of 19, where often compared to their Cuban legend Carlos Pérez in 2014 became the first Asian player to play at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 likely to carry a lot of responsibility after two highly skilled left backs Markus Olsson and Jonathan Stenbäcken left over the summer of 2015 Richard Hanisch centre back joined Kristianstad ahead of this season from a one-year stay by German Bundesliga club HSV Hamburg. despite joining from Germany and having a German sounding name, he is actually Swedish. in Kristianstad, he is likely to be standing in for Christian O Sullivan in the playmaker position as well as for Iman Jamali on the left back in spite of not being a regular starter by Hamburg, he played 22 matches for them in the Bundesliga and the EHF Cup, where he reached the final in 2015, defeating Kristianstad on the road Christian O Sullivan centre back playing his second season for Kristianstad after joining from Norwegian league club Baekkelagets SK in the summer of 2014 has Irish ancestors and could actually have played for Ireland, but chose to play for Norway has played 40 internationals for Norway tall and athletic playmaker with a great ability to read the game and organise his team s attacking play Fredrik Pettersson line player playing his third season with the club started his career in the club Cyrus HK in his Swedish homeland, but joined Kristianstad from a stay with Danish league club Aarhus Handball his height makes him relatively easy to find for his teammates in the back court line, and his physical strength also allows him to make room for himself on the line as well as to set screens for the shooters on top of his skills in the attack, he is also a great defender Andreas Cederholm right back been with the club since 2013 when joining from league colleagues IKF Skovde. with his 186 cm, his height is not among his greatest advantages as a back court player, but he compensates in full with a great and varied shot and high flexibility and playing intelligence has played 17 internationals for Sweden so far, scoring 37 goals extended his contract with Kristianstad in 2015 for at least one more year, with an option for a further year Kristian Björnsen right wing in for his second season with Kristianstad after joining from Norwegian league club FyllingenBergen in the summer of 2014 has 40 internationals and 170 goals for Norway under his belt. being 191 cm tall, he is pretty tall for a winger, and this give them an even more varied repertoire of shots than many other wingers. started his career in the right back position, but already as a youngster, was moved to the wing 93

94 GROUP B Montpellier HB (FRA) To win a domestic title in France at the expense of the favourites from Paris and to proceed from the group phase in the VELUX EHF Champions League - those are the major goals of Montpellier Handball for the upcoming season. The 2003 winners start their 18th season in the European top competition - and for the 18th time, Patrice Canayer is their record-breaking coach, who is at the helm since Things have changed at Montpellier in the previous years, but still Canayer can count on some stalwarts like team captain Michael Guigou or right back Vid Kavticnik. However some of those all-time Montpellier stars have said adieu at the middle of August as Tunisian line player Issam Tej signed for Qatari side El-Jaish and was released by his club despite a valid contract. Like a huge number of Champions League participants, Montpellier had a change between the goal posts, as Croat Venjo Losert left the club and was replaced by French international Vincent Gerard from former champion Dunkerque. In addition to Gerard, Aymen Toumi (previously in Nantes) joined the Canayer squad, which were eliminated by Polish champions Kielce closely in the Last 16 of last season. We want to go as far as possible in the Champions League, says Canayer, for whom the Last 16 is the minimum goal. Playing hall Park & Suites Arena Montpellier Rue de la Foire Pérols/Montpellier France Capacity: 8,000 Team captain Guigou expects a tough group phase, in which Montpellier face defending champions Barcelona, Kielce, Löwen, Kolding, Vardar and Kristianstad. Therefore, Guigou hopes to play better in our home matches compared to the last season, as otherwise we do not get far due to the new format. It will be a tough and long competition for our young team. Below the two main contenders Barcelona and Kielce the rest of our group is balanced, though we did not win a single point against Vardar and Löwen in last season s group phase. So it is necessary to try and change that. Against Kristianstad we need to win twice to proceed, Guigou said. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: runners-ups in France Past achievements Club Address: Montpellier HB Centre Jean-Paul Lacombe Centre Jean Paul Lacombe Montpellier France Media contact: Suzy Demonte [email protected] Online information: Facebook: montpellierhandball Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: orange/light green Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: black Coach: Patrice Canayer (since 1994) Captain: Michael Guigou Newcomers: Vincent Gerard (Dunkerque) Aymen Toumi (Nantes) Left the club: Venjo Losert (N/A) Balazs Laluska (N/A) Antoine Gutfreund (Dijon) Kevin Mesnard (Istres) Issam Tej (El-Jaish/QAT) Alternative playing hall Palais des Sports René Bougnol 1000 Av. du Val de Montferrand Montpellier France Capacity: 3,000 VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 18 Winners (1): 2002/03 Semi-final (1): 2004/05 Quarter-final (4): 2000/01, 2005/06, 2009/10, 2010/11 Last 16 (5): 1995/96, 2003/04, 2006/07, 2011/12, 2014/15 Main Round (2): 2007/08, 2008/09 Group Phase (3): 1998/99, 1999/00, 2012/13 Qualification (1): 2013/14 Other EHF Cup: Runners-up 2013/14, Quarterfinal: 1996/97 Last 16: 1993/94, 1994/95 Last 32: 1997/98 Cup Winners Cup: Quarter-final 2001/02 French league: 14 titles (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) French cup: 12 titles 94

95 Montpellier HB (FRA) Biggest win: 46:20 (26:9) v AC PAOK GRE (h), Biggest defeat: 37:20 (16:10) v Prosesa Ademar Leon ESP (a), Longest winning run: 7 matches ( ) 7 matches ( ) 7 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 10 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 3 matches ( ) 3 matches ( ) 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 5 matches ( ) 5 matches ( ) Most goals: 46 v AC PAOK GRE 46:20W (h), Most goals opponent: 38 v Kolding KIF DEN 38:29L (a), v Pick Szeged HUN 38:35L (a), Most goals both teams: 78 v VfL Gummersbach GER 41:37W (h), Fewest goals: 17 v Fotex KC Veszprém HUN 26:17L (a), v FC Barcelona ESP 24:17L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 16 v HC Portovik Yuzhny UKR 26:16W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 38 v Fotex KC Veszprém HUN 21:17W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 1998/99 Montpellier HB FRA : :6 3rd Gr. A 1999/00 Montpellier HB FRA : :6 3rd Gr. A 2000/01 Montpellier HB FRA : :7 1/4-finals 2002/03 Montpellier HB FRA : :7 Winner 2003/04 Montpellier HB FRA : :4 Last /05 Montpellier HB FRA : :6 1/2-finals 2005/06 Montpellier HB FRA : :8 1/4-finals 2006/07 Montpellier HB FRA : :5 Last /08 Montpellier HB FRA : :10 3rd MR Gr /09 Montpellier HB FRA : :7 4th MR Gr /10 Montpellier HB FRA : :6 1/4-finals 2010/11 Montpellier Agglomeration HB FRA : :8 1/4-finals 2011/12 Montpellier Agglomeration HB FRA : :12 Last /13 Montpellier Agglomeration HB FRA : :14 5th Gr. A 2014/15 Montpellier Agglomeration HB FRA : :14 Last 16 Total :

96 Montpellier HB (FRA) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 3 Arthur Anquetil FRA Left Wing Montpellier, FRA Baptiste Bonnefond FRA Left Back Lyon, FRA Felipe Borges Dutra Ribeiro BRA Left Wing Sao Bernardo, BRA Maxime Bouschet FRA Right Back Montpellier, FRA Jose Costa POR Line Player Braga, POR Jure Dolenec SLO Right Back Ljubljana, SLO Allahkaram Esteki IRI Left Back Isfahan, IRI Ludovic Fabregas FRA Line Player Perpignan, FRA Jean Loup Faustin FRA Left Back Montpellier, FRA Matej Gaber SLO Line Player Kranj, SLO Dragan Gajic SLO Right Wing Celje, SLO Mathieu Grebille FRA Left Back Paris, FRA Michael Guigou FRA Left Wing Apt, FRA Vid Kavticnik SLO Right Back Gradec, SLO Borut Mackovsek SLO Left Back Koper, SLO Alexandre Saidani FRA Centre Back Montpellier, FRA Diego Simonet ESP Centre Back Buenos Aires, ARG Aymen Toumi TUN Right Wing Sousse, TUN Allan Villeminot FRA Line Player Lyon, FRA Kyllian Villeminot FRA Line Player Lyon, FRA Iswaran Zahm FRA Left Back Saint Denis, FRA Vincent Gerard FRA Goalkeeper Woippy, FRA Arnaud Siffert FRA Goalkeeper Longjumeau, FRA Samir Bellahcene FRA Goalkeeper Montpellier, FRA Maxime Savonne FRA Goalkeeper Nimes, FRA Average: 24,76 190,6 91,6 EC trophies: CL 2003 Patrice Canayer coach currently in his 22st season at the head of Montpellier, in which he has won over 40 trophies in 1994 he started his coaching career and coached players like Nikola Karabatic, Thierry Omeyer, Jerome Fernandez and Didier Dinart reached the EHF Cup final in the 2013/14 season in his active career played for Bordeaux and Racing Paris. 96

97 Vincent Gerard goalkeeper formed in Montpellier, he came back to his first club in the summer of 2015 after playing in Istres and Dunkerque shares the position with Arnaud Siffert. Both already played in Dunkerque together a couple of seasons ago his exuberant celebrations have instantly made him a fan favourite in four years in Dunkerque, he reached twice the last 16 in the CL and a EHF Cup final in 2012 Felipe Borges left wing discovered handball through beach handball, which is played a lot in his native Sao Paulo played for two and a half seasons in Ademar Leon before joining Montpellier in march 2013 considered as the most successful active Brazilian player at the moment, having won 14 domestic titles in less than eight years best Brazilian scorer at the 2015 WCh with 31 goals in eight games Michaël Guigou left wing/centre back player with the longest history in Montpellier since he has played there for 15 seasons in a row able to play on the left wing or on the centre back position, very quick on fast breaks and able to play in tiny spaces inside the defences over the years, he has become less of a scorer and turned into the brain of the team only player of the winning CL campaign in 2003 who still plays for MAHB EC trophies: CL 2003 OG : G 2008, 2012, EURO: G 2006, 2010, 2014, WCh: G 2009, 2011, 2015, B 2005 Borut Mackovsek left back the last Slovenian to join the impressive colony in the summer of 2014, arriving from Celje played for three different clubs in the 2013/14 season: TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, then Dinamo Minsk, then RK Celje famous for scoring 10 goals in a Last 16 CL match against Hamburg two seasons ago at only 22, faces the task to make up for Mathieu Grébille s absence as the French will be out all season due to a knee injury Diego Simonet centre back Argentinian scored 47 goals in the 2014/15 CL campaign, including an impressive 11-goal performance in the last 16 game against Kielce best centre back of the French league in the 2013/14, but can play on the left back or even left wing if needs be the second oldest brother of three in a family totally dedicated to handball, his two brothers play in Ivry, in the French national league, where Diego used to play before coming to Montpellier Matej Gaber line player Slovenian rock of Montpellier s defence, he will now have a bigger role in attack since Issam Tej s left the club arrived at the beginning of the 2013/14 season alongside his friend Jure Dolenec and has done everything since to justify his hard-defending reputation should become a very important piece of Montpellier s puzzle in the forthcoming years Jure Dolenec right back in his first season with Montpellier in 2013/14 had some ups and downs as he had to adapt to French defences made his name in the CL with his former team of Gorenje Velenje, scoring 64 goals in the 2012/13 season recently extended his contract with Montpellier until 2019 at 26, he already counts nearly a hundred games with his national team Dragan Gajic right wing arrived in 2011 together with fellow Slovenian Vid Kavticnik and turned to be very useful to Montpellier, both on and off the court had his best season so far in the 2013/14, finishing as the best scorer of the EHF Cup (72 goals) and of the French league also helped his Slovenian teammates to settle in Montpellier, and that gave him quite a lot of work, since there were five of them in the club 2015 WCh top scorer (71 goals) and All-Star team right wing 97

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99 Group C preview 1948 НОВИ САД Р.К. ВОЈВОДИНА TEAMS FACE TOUGH OPPONENTS AND LONG DISTANCES IN GROUP C Along with Russian title holders, Spanish runners-up Naturhouse La Rioja and Belarusian Meshkov Brest should have the edge in the group. Three regular VELUX EHF Champions League contenders will meet in Group C along with two clubs returning to the Champions league after an absence and an ambitious newcomer that will be eager to gain invaluable experience and establish themselves on a European level. The clubs in Group C will enjoy travelling the furthest distance between ties from Porto to Chekhovskie Medvedi, all of this is almost 3,700 kilometers. There will be a tough battle for the top two spots, which guarantee group phase knock out fixtures against the top two sides from Group D. Chekhovskie Medvedi are the most experienced side from the group. The 2010 VELUX EHF FINAL4 competitors led by respected coaching genius, Vladimir Maximov, look forward to new adventures this season. His main task this season is to implement new rising stars of Russian handball and improve on their defensive work. Last year Medvedi were the only team in the group phase not to win a game, despite having the seventh best scoring record. Both Brest and La Rioja have also featured in the same group last season, La Rioja winning the home fixture and with coming away with a draw in Brest. Meshkov will count on experienced coach Sergey Bebeshko, who has not miss Champions league campaign since The Belarusian side can count on the services of ex-presov giant Dainis Kristopans and Russian international Pavel Atman, who were signed during the summer break. La Rioja will look to repeat last year s run, when they were stopped in the Last 16 by to-be finalists Veszprem. Their third straight appearance in the goup phase is certainly a success for such a young club and proves they are on the right track of becoming a well-recognized European side. The Spanish side is led by their long serving coach Jesus Javier Gonzalez Fernandez, who was unlucky to have his new Serbian youngster Stefan Terzic injured. Along with Brest, two other SEHA League contenders will meet in Group C. Whilst for Presov, this year s group stage campaign means comeback after four unsuccessful qualifying campaigns. Vojvodina s match in Brest will be the start of a new era for the club. Both teams are no direct favourites in the group, but Presov especially can be dangerous against any team. Tatran are hungry to repeat their 2004/05 Last 16 run, but playing in three different competitions and a number of hours spent travelling will test their roster heavily. For Vojvodina the story is slightly different. After three failed attempts to qualify for the Group Phase, the Serbian champions can look forward to matches on the top European level. New coach Nikola Markovic will count on former Russian international Alexey Rastvortsev to help him achieve positive results. Rastvortsev played in the FINAL4 with Chekhovskie Medvedi in 2010 and this experience will be invaluable to them. Last side to feature in Group C is Portuguese Champion Porto. In this group five champions will meet, the only team excluded are La Rioja. Porto have only made it into the group phase in five out of six qualification attempts, successfully getting through in 2013/14. Their main target is to win their home matches and entertain enthusiastic fans in the Dragao Caixa. Tomas Cuncik 99

100 Group C head-to-heads Historic encounters of the Group C opponents in the EC Naturhouse La Rioja vs HC Meshkov Brest (72:64) 3: Naturhouse La Rioja vs HC Meshkov Brest, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 39:31 (20:14) HC Meshkov Brest vs Naturhouse La Rioja, VELUX EHF Champions League Group A 33:33 (15:18) Naturhouse La Rioja vs Vojvodina (50:45) 2:2) Naturhouse La Rioja vs RK Vojvodina, EHF Cup Round 3 28:19 (15:10) RK Vojvodina vs Naturhouse La Rioja, EHF Cup Round 3 26:22 (10:9) HC Meshkov Brest vs Chekhovskie Medvedi (55:67) 0:4) Brestskiy HC Meshkovo vs Chehovski Medvedi, Chekhov, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 29:34 (11:18) Chehovski Medvedi, Chekhov vs Brestskiy HC Meshkovo, VELUX EHF Champions League Group C 33:26 (14:10) HC Meshkov Brest vs Futebol Clube do Porto (20:0) 4:0 2004/2005 Brestskiy HC Meshkovo vs FC do Porto, VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Round 10:0 (0:0)* 2004/2005 Brestskiy HC Meshkovo vs FC do Porto, VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Round 10:0 (0:0)* HC Meshkov Brest vs TATRAN Presov (26:24) 2: HC Meshkov Brest vs TATRAN Presov, VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Tournament Group 1 26:24 (12:12) Chekhovskie Medvedi vs TATRAN Presov (65:55) 4:0) Tatran Presov vs Chehovski Medvedi, Chekhov, Cup Winners Cup Quarter-final 27:30 (11:14) Chehovski Medvedi, Chekhov vs Tatran Presov, Cup Winners Cup Quarter-final 35:28 (17:13) Futebol Clube do Porto vs Vojvodina (58:50) 4: HC Vojvodina vs Futebol Clube do Porto, EHF Cup Group C 27:29 (13:15) Futebol Clube do Porto vs HC Vojvodina, EHF Cup Group C 29:23 (13:12) Futebol Clube do Porto vs TATRAN Presov (59:61) 2: FC Porto/Vitalis vs TATRAN Presov, VELUX EHF Champions League - Qualification Tournament Group 4 30:33 (11:15) Tatran Presov vs FC Porto Vitalis, VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Tournament Group 1 28:29 (16:15) Vojvodina vs TATRAN Presov (21:25) 0: HC Vojvodina vs TATRAN Presov, VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Tournament Group 1 21:25 (10:15) No previous encounters Naturhouse La Rioja vs Chekhovskie Medvedi Naturhouse La Rioja vs Futebol Clube do Porto Naturhouse La Rioja vs TATRAN Presov HC Meshkov Brest vs Vojvodina Chekhovskie Medvedi vs Futebol Clube do Porto Chekhovskie Medvedi vs Vojvodina 100

101 GROUP C Naturhouse La Rioja (ESP) Given that Naturhouse La Rioja was founded a mere nine years ago, the fact that they are part of the VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase for the third straight time is a major success for the club based in Logrono. In the previous season, the squad of head coach Jesús Javier González Fernández (who is at La Rioja since the very beginning) even made it to the Last 16 before eventual finalists Veszprem brought their run to an end. In Spain, they finished second ranked below VELUX EHF Champions League and ASOBAL champions FC Barcelona. In the new Champions League season, La Rioja fight for a Last 16 spot once again. A top two finish is a must in Group C against Brest, Medvedi, Porto, Vojvodina and Presov. Team captain and goalkeeper Gurutz Aguinagalde Akizu - brother of Kielce s line player Julen Aguinagalde - hopes to be at least as successful as last season. We wanted to be seeded in Group A or B, so now we are concentrated on showing everybody that we are a competitive team. In Aguinagalde s opinion, Brest and Presov are the strongest opponents for the fight in Group C, his prediction: Those teams, which do not lose their matches against weaker opponents will make it to the Last 16. Playing hall Palacio de los deportes de la Rioja Avenida Moncalvillo 2 Logrono Spain Capacity: 3,500 Club Address: Naturhouse La Rioja Avenida de Moncalvillo Logrono Spain The biggest losses for Naturhouse were the transfers of Brazilian Thiagus Santos to Pick Szeged and of ASOBAL all-time top scorer Juanin Garcia to Ademar Leon. In total, seven players left La Rioja, including the tall defensive specialists Ace Jonovski and Angel Romero. One of them is goalkeeper Jorge Gomez, who retired from handball to start his new career as a lawyer. His successor is Swedish Richard Kappelin, who had played in Spain, France, Qatar and Sweden in the past and gained Champions League experience in Aalborg (Denmark). One unlucky new arrival has been ruled out already: Serbian Stefan Terzic, who had played for Hamburg and Vardar before, was hit by a cruciate ligament rupture during the Junior World Championship in Brazil and will not be back earlier than March. During the Eurotournoi in Strasbourg, Pablo Cacheda broke a finger in the match against Chambery and will miss the start of the season. But despite those injuries and transfers, manager Jaime Luis González Gutiérrez is confident: Being part of the Champions League means the greatest adventure in our short history, so our goal is to have a good atmosphere in our arena and to win our home matches. Our group is tough with opponents on a similar level, so it will be difficult to qualify for the Last 16. Media contact: Jaime Luis Gonzalez Gutierrez [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: Club-Balonmano-Naturhouse- La-Rioja Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: red Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Dark Player shirt: black Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: blue Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Spanish runners-up Coach: Jesús Javier González Fernández (since 2007) Captain: Gurutz Aguinagalde Akizu Newcomers: Richard Kappelin (Selesta Alsace Handball) Alberto Val Sancho (BM Aragon) Carlos Molina Cosano (Bada BM Huesca) Eduardo Cadarso Caballero (CP Calasancio) Imanol Garciandia Alustiza (BM Elgoibar) Cristian Malmagro Viana ( Left the club: Jorge Gomez Lite (end of career) Juan Antonio Garcia Lorenzana (Ademar Leon) Thiagus Petrus Gonçalves (Pick Szeged) Luis Felipe Jimenz Reina (Toulouse) Patrick Lykke Eilert (Ajax Kobenhavn) Angel Romero Rodriguez (ECE Bulls) Ace Jonovski (Bergischer HC) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 3 Group Phase (2): 2013/14, 2014/15 Other EHF Cup: Semi-finalists 2009/10, 2010/11, Group Phase 2012/13 Spanish league: no titles Spanish Cup winners: - (runners-up in 2013, 2014, 2015) 101

102 Naturhouse La Rioja (ESP) Biggest win: 39:31 (20:14) v HC Meshkov Brest (h), Biggest defeat: 37:25 (19:11) v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER (a), Longest winning run: 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 3 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Most goals: 39 v HC Meshkov Brest 39:31W (h), Most goals opponent: 37 v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER 37:25L (a), Most goals both teams: 72 v HK DROTT Halmstad SWE 38:34W (h), Fewest goals: 22 v HC PPD Zagreb CRO 22:21W (h), Fewest goals opponent: 21 v HC PPD Zagreb CRO 22:21W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 43 v HC PPD Zagreb CRO 22:21W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2013/14 Naturhouse La Rioja ESP : :12 5th Gr. D 2014/15 Naturhouse La Rioja ESP : :15 Last 16 Total : :27 All stats in the media guide provided by Roy Knoppert 102

103 Naturhouse La Rioja (ESP) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 11 Pablo Cacheda Gonzalez ESP Centre Back Lalín, ESP Eduardo Cadarso Caballero ESP Left Wing Logroño, ESP Angel Fernandez Perez ESP Left Wing Santander, ESP Ruben Garabaya Arenas ESP Line Player Aviles, ESP Francisco Javier Garcia Rubio ESP Line Player Bolanos, ESP Imanol Garciandia Alustiza ESP Right Back Urretxu, ESP Carlos Molina Cosano ESP Left Back Barcelona, ESP Albert Rocas Comas ESP Right Wing Palafrugell, ESP Pedro Rodriguez Alvarez ESP Right Wing Vigo, ESP Miguel Sanchez Migallon ESP Back Ciudad Real, ESP Philip Stenmalm SWE Left Back Vaxjo, SWE Alberto Val Sancho ESP Line Player Zaragoza, ESP Victor Vigo Gerpe ESP Centre Back Camariñas, ESP Cristian Malmagro Viana ESP Right Back Granollers, ESP Gurutz Aguinagalde Aquizu ESP Goalkeeper Irun, ESP Richard Carl Kappelin SWE Goalkeeper Irsta, SWE Javier Romeo Lopez ESP Goalkeeper Logroño, ESP Average: 27,41 194,9 95,4 Jesús Javier González Fernández coach for the first time in his coaching career he led a CL participant in the 2013/14 season awarded best coach of the Spanish league in the 2012/13 season for the second time in his life in 2007 the former player took over the team of Logroño after being coach in Valladolid after his arrival the club made their first steps on the European stage 103

104 EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 1997 Gurutz Aguinagalde Aquizu goalkeeper one of the most experienced players at La Rioja during each of their European campaigns winner of the Spanish King s Cup in 1996 and the Spanish Super Cup in 1996 important part in the Rioja s run in the 2012/13 EHF Cup when they only narrowly missed the quarter-finals brother of Spanish national team line player Julen Richard Kappelin coach joined Naturhouse La Rioja ahead of the 2015/16 season from French Selesta Alsace Handball has previous CL experience from another Spanish club, Aragon as well as from Danish Aalborg has been a bit around in his career, which also took him to Al Gharafa in Qatar for six months before he joined Aalborg in 2013 represented the Swedish league clubs IK Sävehof and Alingsas HK before moving abroad has not played any senior internationals, but won the Junior WCh with Sweden in 2003 Angel Fernandez Perez left wing playing in Naturhouse la Rioja since the 2013/14 season replacement for Juanin Garcia who left for Ademar after one season with in the 2014/15 season he played more minutes in left back called by Manolo Cadenas for the Spanish national team, played two games against Germany in 2015 Philip Stenmalm left back talented left back with the hard and versatile shot part of the Swedish U21 national team who were triumphant at the WCh in 2013 MVP of the U21 WCh in 2013 the second best scorer of DROTT Halmstad in the 2013/14 season before he decided to carry on in the CL with Rioja Víctor Vigo Gerpe centre back the 2014/15 season is his first in the CL three previous experiences at European Cup level, defending the Naturhouse (1) and Bm. Aragón (2) shirts started playing handball at the age of 12, because many friends did so too his abilities on the court noticed by the Spanish scouts, who started calling him for the U18 and Junior team EC trophies: EHF Cup 1999 Rubén Garabaya Arenas line player very experienced pivot with seven EHF CL participations for the 4th consecutive year playing for Rioja 168 matches for the Spanish national team in the 2006/07 scored in the last seconds with Bm. Valladolid against Montpellier to clinch the first position in their group, which helped them reach semi-finals that year Cristian Malmagro Viana right back arrived from Baia Mare just a few days before the start of the 2014/15 season to replace another newcomer Stefan Terzic during his injury vast experience from the Spanish league, but also from his foreign spells with Ajax Kobenhavn, Montpellier, Al Ain and Baia Mare currently with a contract only until January 2016, when Terzic is expected to return was a member of the Spanish national team with 50 caps and 166 goals Albert Rocas right wing double world champion with the Spanish national team (2005 and 2013) nominated as the best ASOBAL right wing in 2004, 2007 and 2008, and best right wing of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 after six seasons at Barcelona, Rocas made the move to Denmark before the 2013/14 season, his first to a foreign league after one year with Kolding he is back in Spain OG: B 2008, EURO: S 2006 EC trophies: CL 2011, Cup Winners Cup 2004 OG: B 2008, WCh: G 2005, 2013, B 2011, EURO: S 2006, B

105 GROUP C HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) Minsk, Zaporozhye - and now back to where his coaching career started Belarus. Since 2009 Sergey Bebeshko is constantly coaching participants of the VELUX EHF Champions League. For four years the 47-year-old former international (born in Kiev) was the key for success at Dinamo Minsk, then Bebeshko transferred to Motor Zaporozhye and now is back at the force of Belarusian handball in Brest. The reason for his return is that his forerunner Zeljko Babic was appointed new national team coach of his home country Croatia, so the Meshkov job was vacant - and Bebeshko takes on this new role. In the previous season, Brest were part of the VELUX EHF Champions League group phase for the first time since 2007 and at the same time managed to make it to the final of the multi-national SEHA Liga, but failed came up short in the final tournament host MKB Veszprem. Brest lost three experienced players to other participants of the VELUX EHF Champions League - Janko Bozovic (Metalurg), Ivan Karacic (Baia Mare), David Spiler (Metalurg) - but signed one star, who had started his international career under Bebeshko: Russian international Pavel Atman, who knows his new coach from Dinamo Minsk. Previously he played for Medvedi, Metalurg and then for a short time Qatari champions Al-Jaish. In addition, Brest invested in height, in Latvian international Dainis Kristopans (from their group phase opponent Presov) who is 2,15 metres tall. Besides the Slovak champions, Brest face La Rioja, Medvedi, Porto and Vojvodina in Group C - and are seen to be one of the favourites to finish in one of the top positions. Playing hall Sportshall Victoria Leningradskaya Brest Belarus Capacity: 3,500 It is our objective to reach the Last 16, it is a must for us, says Bebeshko, who estimates the opponents more or less as on an equal level with us. Team captain Dzmitry Nikulenkau expects La Rioja to be the closest rival to finish on top, but: We want to proceed to the next stage, and we think the rest of the teams are manageable. Meshkov Brest introduced a new logo for the new season, in which all domestic titles and again a good result in the SEHA Liga are the additional goals of the seven-time Belarusian champions. Club Address: HC Meshkov Brest Leningradskaya Brest Belarus Media contact: Alexandr Kulbaka [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: bgkmeshkova Twitter: bgk_meshkova Kit colours Light Player shirt: red Player short: red Goalkeeper shirt: orange Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: black Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Belarusian champions Coach: Sergey Bebeshko (since 2015) Captain: Dzmitry Nikulenkau Newcomers: Pavel Atman (Metalurg, Al-Jaish) Dainis Kristopans (Tatran, El Rajan) Alexander Tioumentsev (Wisla Plozk) Artsiom Kulak (Vitjaz, Minsk) Andrey Yurynok (Vitjaz, Minsk) Left the club: Janko Bozovic (Metalurg) Ivan Karacic (Baia Mare) David Spiler (Metalurg) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 7 Group Phase (5): 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2014/15 Qualification (1): 2008/09 Other Cup Winners Cup: quarter-final 2011/12 Belarusian league: 7 titles ( , 2014, 2015) Belarusian cup: 9 titles 105

106 HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) Biggest win: 28:22 (11:12) v Wisla Plock SSA POL (h), :24 (15:12) v HC Bosna Sarajevo BIH (h), Biggest defeat: 36:17 (16:08) v GOG Gudme DEN (a), Longest winning run: 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) Longest losing run: 10 matches ( ) 10 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 10 matches ( ) 10 matches ( ) Most goals: 33 v Naturhouse La Rioja 33:33D (h), Most goals opponent: 39 v BM Ciudad Real ESP 39:29L (a), v Naturhouse La Rioja ESP 39:31L (a), Most goals both teams: 70 v Naturhouse La Rioja ESP 39:31L (a), Fewest goals: 17 v GOG Gudme DEN 36:17L (a), v RK Gorenje Velenje SLO 27:17L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 22 v Wisla Plock SSA POL 28:22W (h), v HC PPD Zagreb CRO 26:22W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 44 v RK Gorenje Velenje SLO 27:17L (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2004/05 Brestskiy HC Meshkovo BLR : :10 4th Gr. C 2005/06 Brest HC Meshkov BLR : :10 4th Gr. E 2006/07 Brest HC Meshkov BLR : :12 4th Gr. B 2007/08 HC Meshkov Brest BLR : :10 4th Gr. H 2014/15 HC Meshkov Brest BLR : :14 5th Gr. A Total : :56 106

107 HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 20 Pavel Atman RUS Left Back Volgograd, RUS Maxim Babichev BLR Line Player Minsk, BLR Maksim Baranau BLR Right Wing Bobruysk, BLR Dzmitry Kamyshyk BLR Left Back Minsk, BLR Dainis Kristopans LAT Right Back Ludza, LAT Artsiom Kulak BLR Centre Back Brest, BLR Nikola Manojlovic SRB Left Back Belgrad, SRB Dzmitry Nikulenkau BLR Centre Back Minsk, BLR Simon Razgor SLO Left Wing Celje, SLO Dzianis Rutenka BLR Right Wing Minsk, BLR Artsiom Selvasiuk BLR Line Player Brest, BLR Viachaslau Shumak BLR Line Player Brest, BLR Siarhei Shylovich BLR Right Back Bobrujsk, BLR Rastko Stojkovic SRB Line Player Belgrad, SRB Alexander Tioumentsev Barabash ESP Centre Back Ajtubinsk, RUS Andrei Tsypak BLR Left Wing Brest, BLR Ljubo Vukic CRO Left Wing Split, CRO Ivan Pesic CRO Goalkeeper Rijeka, CRO Vitali Charapenka BLR Goalkeeper Brest, BLR Dzmitry Patotski BLR Goalkeeper Baranovichi, BLR Average: 28,05 192,7 95,7 OG: G 1992 (as player) Sergey Bebeshko coach was appointed the new head coach of Brest in early June replacing Zeljko Babic who concentrated on his job with Croatia national team already worked in Belarus as a head coach of Dinamo Minsk in and led Minsk not only to four consecutive titles of the national champion but also for the first time in Belarusian handball to the CL Last 16 in 2013 in Brest he once again met a number of players that had worked with him in Minsk including Pavel Atman, Siarhei Shylovich, Dzianis Rutenka, Dzmitry Nikulenkau and Maxim Babichev moved to his native Ukraine in 2013 and led Motor Zaporozhye to the champion title the next year, but left the club in December

108 Ivan Pesic goalkeeper was invited to Brest in 2013 by Zeljko Babic who became head coach in that very year also played in RK Maribor Branik, HC Zagreb and Veszprem, but his spell in Hungary was marred by a tragic incident in a night club when he was stabbed and his teammate Marian Cozma was killed after that he had a kidney removed, but that did not prevent him from continuing his career also practiced taekwondo in his childhood and even won some medals on a junior level, but eventually preferred handball Pavel Atman left back the blonde Russian international joined Brest this summer and signed a two-year contract this is his second time in Belarus between 2010 and 2013, he played for Dinamo Minsk, coached by Bebeshko at that time, and won three titles of Belarusian champion in 2013 moved from Minsk to Metalurg Skopje where he quickly became one of the fans favorites and won the national league in 2014 left Metalurg before the end of the 2014/15 season and spent the rest of the season playing for Al-Jaish in Qatar EURO: S 2012 Simon Razgor left wing the 30-year-old Slovenian is beginning his second season in Brest before joining the Belarusian team, he spent his entire career at home playing for Celje and RK Maribor the best all-time scorer of RK Maribor with 1,052 goals his father was also a handballer who played for Celje as well as for the Yugoslavia junior national team and later became a coach Nikola Manojlovic left back joined Brest in the summer of 2014 and quickly became of the key players on the court with the Serbia national team participated in a number of major tournaments including the London Olympics at a club level, he played also in his native Serbia, Switzerland, Slovenia, Romania, Germany at an early age, his dream was to become a professional basketball player, and although it never happened, he still plays on a recreational level Dzmitry Nikulenkau centre back the 31-year-old native of Minsk is a national player of Belarus and a well-respected player in the country during a number of years, he played a key role at Dinamo Minsk where he was the captain was at Dinamo since the club foundation in 2008 and until the club ceased to exist in February 2014, and won five titles of Belarus league had some offers from abroad but preferred to move to Brest where he won the Belarusian league two more times Dainis Kristopans right back born in a small Latvian town Ludza and started his career in the local club Latgols at the age of 18, moved to Tatran Presov and stayed almost six years in Slovakia, having won the national league five times left Tatran in February 2015 and spent a few months in Qatar before joining Brest in summer with the height of 213 cm, he is the tallest handball player not only in Brest but in the whole CL EC trophies: EHF Cup 2008 EURO: S 2012 Rastko Stojkovic line player joined Brest in December 2013 after spending a few months in Qatar the native of Belgrade started his career at RK Crvena Zvezda and moved abroad at the age of 24 his first foreign experience was Germany where he spent four seasons at Pfullingen and Nordhorn-Lingen, and with the latter team won the EHF Cup in 2008 played for Kielce in and won three titles of Polish champion as well as four Polish Cups, also reached the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in 2013 Dzianis Rutenka right wing younger brother of Siarhei Rutenka, the famous left back who currently plays for Barcelona unlike his brother, Dzianis has spent most of his career at home he became a five-time Belarusian champion with Dinamo Minsk and then added two more titles with HC Meshkov Brest moved to Brest in March 2014 immediately after Dinamo Minsk had gone bankrupt and ceased to exist regular member of the national team, he was one of Belarus best players at the 2015 WCh in Qatar, where, however, the team finished only 18th 108

109 GROUP C Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) Just like in Croatia (RK PPD Zagreb) it s almost impossible to bet on the champions of the Russian Super League since the foundation of Chekhovskie Medvedi, successor of CSKA Moscow in 2002, who have taken the Russian throne each and every season. The Bears just celebrated their 15th straight championship title and after they had missed the Russian Cup one year ago, they reclaimed the double again in All of the success is founded on one name - one of the most successful coaches in the history of handball: Vladimir Maximov. On 14 October, four days after their fourth group match of the new VELUX EHF Champions League season, legendary Maximov will celebrate his 70th birthday, yet the former Russian national team coach has no thoughts of retiring. The new season will offer some challenges for Maximov to integrate more young Russian talents in his squad. Some experienced stars moved abroad such as Alexander Dereven (Skopje), Dmitry Zhitnikov (Plock) and Sergei Shelmenko (Zaporozhye). The biggest name among the new arrivals is Oleg Skopintsev, arriving from Zaporozhye. The previous VELUX EHF Champions League season was a lesson for Maximov and his squad: Despite having the seventh best scoring record of all 24 group phase participants, the Bears were the only team without any win in this stage - the main problem was the defence, as no other competitor conceded more goals than the Russians. Now they aim for a revival in Group C, in which Chekhov will face La Rioja, Brest, Porto, Vojvodina and Presov. Our aim is to proceed to the Last 16, says club manager Alexandr Safonov. Therefore, the Russians need to finish in the top two of their group and win the subsequent play-off. Playing hall Sport Hall Olimpiyskiy Chekhov Poligrafistov Str Chekhov Russia Capacity: 3,000 You cannot underestimate any of our opponents, as each team is strong, team captain Dmitry Kovalev says, adding: We aim for good results and to proceed to the next stage. The best result of the Moscow Region based team was qualification for the very first VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Club Address: Chekhovskie Medvedi Poligrafistov str Chekhov, Mosk. oblast Russia Media contact: Olga Belysheva [email protected] Online information: Website: Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Dark Player shirt: purple Player short: purple Goalkeeper shirt: red Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Russian champions Coach: Vladimir Maximov (since 2000) Captain: Dmitry Kovalev Newcomers: Alexander Kotov Dmitry Shelestyukov (both Kaustik Volgograd) Ruslan Parshutin (Dinamo Astrakhan) Oleg Skopintsev (Motor Zaporozhye) Left the club: Dmitry Zhitnikov (Orlen Wisla Plock) Alexander Dereven (Vardar Skopje) Sergei Shelmenko (Motor Zaporozhye) Maxim Makarov (N/A) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 15 Semi-final (1): 2009/10 Quarter-final (2): 2008/09, 2010/11 Last 16 (3): 2004/05, 2006/07, 2012/13 Main Round (1): 2007/08 Group Phase (7): 2000/01, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2005/06, 2011/12, 2014/15 Other Cup Winners Cup: Winner 2005/06 Russian league: 14 titles (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Russian cup: 13 titles 109

110 Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) Biggest win: 22:46 (12:24) v AC PAOK GRE (a), Biggest defeat: 38:24 (20:15) v HSV Hamburg GER (a), Longest winning run: 5 games ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 8 games ( ) Longest losing run: 5 games ( ) 5 games ( ) 5 games ( ) Longest run without win: 11 games ( ) Longest run without win: 6 games ( ) Most goals: 46 v AC PAOK GRE 22:46W (a), Most goals opponent: 45 v TBV Lemgo GER 45:32L (a), Most goals both teams: 77 v TBV Lemgo GER 45:32L (a), Fewest goals: 19 v Montpellier HB FRA 27:19L (a), v RK Zagreb CRO 26:19L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 17 v HC Bosna BH Gas BIH 30:17W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 45 v TBV Lemgo GER 23:22W (h), v RK Zagreb CRO 26:19L (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2001/02 CSKA Moscow RUS : :10 4th Gr. C 2002/03 Chehovski Medvedi. Moscow RUS : :8 3rd Gr. C 2003/04 Chehovski Medvedi Moscow RUS : :6 3rd Gr. D 2004/05 Chehovski Medvedi Chekhov RUS : :4 Last /06 Chehovski Medvedi Chekhov RUS : :6 3rd Gr. A 2006/07 Chehovskie Medvedi RUS : :8 Last /08 Chehovskie Medvedi RUS : :9 2nd MR Gr /09 Chehovskie Medvedi RUS : :10 1/4-finals 2009/10 Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS : :12 Fourth Place 2010/11 Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS : :9 1/4-finals 2011/12 Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS : :10 5th Gr. B 2012/13 Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS : :8 Last /15 Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS : :19 6th Gr. C Total : :

111 Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 11 Pavel Andreev RUS Line Player Saint Petersburg, RUS Sergei Bolotin RUS Centre Back Krasnoyarsk, RUS Vladimir Borzykin RUS Right Back Chekhov, RUS Ivan Busen RUS Left Back Kirov, RUS Alexander Chernoivanov RUS Line Player Krasnodar, RUS Victor Furtsev RUS Line Player Belgorod, RUS Albert Gumarov RUS Left Wing Astrahan, RUS Alexander Izmailov RUS Centre Back Astrakhan, RUS Alexey Karibov RUS Right Back Astrahan, RUS Dmitriy Kornev RUS Right Wing Vologda, RUS Alexander Kotov RUS Right Back Volgograd, RUS Kirill Kotov RUS Centre Back Moscow, RUS Dmitry Kovalev RUS Left Wing Omsk, RUS Maxim Kuretkov RUS Right Back Maykop, RUS Timofei Maslennikov RUS Right Wing Chekhov, RUS Roman Ostashchenko RUS Centre Back Moscow, RUS Anton Otrezov RUS Centre Back Alma-Ata, KAZ Ruslan Parshutin RUS Left Back Astrakhan, RUS Dmitrii Santalov RUS Left Back Blagoveshensk, RUS Dmitry Shelestyukov RUS Centre Back Volgograd, RUS Oleg Skopintsev RUS Right Wing Krasnodar, RUS Evgeny Trushin RUS Centre Back Krasnoyarsk, RUS Roman Tsarapkin RUS Right Back Moscow, RUS Oleg Grams RUS Goalkeeper Krasnodar, RUS Artem Grushko RUS Goalkeeper Odessa, RUS Dmitry Pavlenko RUS Goalkeeper Zaporoje, UKR Mikhail Safronov RUS Goalkeeper Teuchejsk, RUS Average: 23,11 191,3 86,4 Vladimir Maximov coach handball legend is still the only person who has become an Olympic champion both as a coach and as a player led the Russian national team to a number of big titles but resigned from that job in 2012 to fully concentrate on his club duties at Medvedi joined the club in 2001 and has led the team to the title of the Russian champion every year since that time last season was no exception as Medvedi won the gold medals for the 14th consecutive time EC trophy: Cup Winner s Cup 2006 OG: G 1976 (as player), 2000, B 2004, WCh: G 1993, 1997, S 1978 (as player), 1999, EURO: G 1996, S 1994,

112 Oleg Grams goalkeeper born and raised in Krasnodar, the 31-year-old moved to Chekhov at a very young age has been a member of Medvedi since the club foundation in 2001 during this time, he has become a 14-time Russian champion gained a lot of experience on the international stage, competing both for Medvedi and for the Russian national team at he EURO, WCh and the Olympics Oleg Skopintsev left wing returned to Chekhov after the three-year break, during which he played at Dinamo Minsk and Motor Zaporozhye born in Krasnodar but moved to Chekhov at the age of 17 played six years for the reserve team of Medvedi before becoming a regular player in the main squad the fast winger is technically gifted and frequently used in the 5:1 defence. EC trophy: Cup Winners Cup 2006 Dmitryi Shelestyukov left back born in Volgograd, he started his career at the local team Kaustik where he stayed until the summer of 2015 having moved to Chekhov, already won the Russian Supercup with his new team and was actually the top scorer of Medvedi in that game against SKIF Krasnodar his ambition is to play for the Russia national team and eventually to become an Olympic champion his idol is Denmark s star Mikkel Hansen Anton Otrezov centre back Was born in Stavropol, a city in the south of Russia and started his career at the local team Dinamo-Viktor where he gradually became one of the key players moved to Chekhov in 2014 and the following year won the Russian league for the first time in his career was one of the leaders of the Russian team that took the sixth place at the Universiade in Gwangju, Korea this summer Pavel Andreev line player born in St.Petersburg and started to play handball there joined Medvedi at the beginning of his career but needed some time to gain experience in the reserve team started to regularly play for the first team of Medvedi in the 2014/15 season and already won a number of trophies including Russian championship, Cup and Supercup already a member of the Russia national team EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 2006 Alexander Chernoivanov line player veteran is currently the oldest player in the squad, and his rich experience is very helpful for his young teammates was born in Krasnodar and started his career at the local club SKIF joined Chekhov in 2004 but needed two years to move up from the reserve to the first team nine-time Russian champion Alexander Kotov right back born in Volgograd and started his career at Kaustik moved to Chekhov together with his teammate from Kaustik Dmitri Shelestyukov in the summer of 2015, he has played for the Russia U-21 team at the Junior WCh in Brazil not a relative of his teammate Kirill Kotov Dmitry Kovalev right wing captain of Medvedi and one of the key figures both on and off the court born in Omsk, he played a few seasons at Sungul Snezhinsk before moving to Chekhov in 2003 last spring, he won the Russian league for the 12th consecutive time with the Russia national team he participated in a number of major international tournaments including the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup

113 GROUP C Futebol Clube do Porto (POR) Five times in the previous six seasons, FC Porto have failed to qualify for the VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase, in the 2013/14 season they were part of it and caused some remarkable surprises. After getting eliminated by Zaporozhye in the 2014 qualification, now Porto were awarded a direct spot in the competition and will face La Rioja, Brest, Medvedi, Vojvodina and Presov in Group C of the VELUX EHF Champions League. After their 20th national championship, the Portuguese record champions have changed their coach: Ricardo Costa is the successor of Ljubomir Obradovic, who led Porto to the group phase of the EHF Cup last season. Five new arrivals are in his squad, while four players left Porto. Because of the new playing system, the Portuguese champions have to finish at least in second position of their group to qualify for the Last 16. Club director Manuel Arezes is confident of making it to the knock-out stage for the first time since the 1999/00 season: We will have to face strong opponents, but we believe that we have a chance to win all our ten group matches and to make it to the Last 16. Besides defending the domestic titles in Portugal, all matches in the Champions League have a huge importance for Porto, as Arezes mentions: We face some of the best teams and players of the world and thus have a perfect opportunity to raise the level of our players and to increase the interest for handball in Portugal. In addition, it is a chance for the whole club and the sponsors to spread its brand to new markets. Playing hall Dragao Caixa Via Futebol Clube do Porto, Porto, Portugal Capacity: 2,225 Team captain Ricardo Moreira is sure that Porto are on the same level as their opponents in Group C: We have to win our home matches to proceed to the next stage - and we want to provide our fans with some good games and attractive handball in the Dragao Caixa (Dragon s den), our arena. Club Address: Futebol Clube do Porto Estadio do Dragao vi FC Porto Entrada Poente, Piso Porto Portugal Media contact: Joana Moreira Tel: [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: FC-Porto Kit colours Light Player shirt: white and blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: grey/blue Dark Player shirt: brown Player short: dark brown Goalkeeper shirt: grey/blue Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Portuguese champions Coach: Ricardo Costa (since 2015, former club: ISMAI) Captain: Ricardo Moreira Newcomers: Gustavo Rodrigues (Pinheiros-Brazil) Rui Silva (Sporting Lisboa) António Areia (Benfica Lisboa) Felisberto Landim (Belenenses) Jordan Pitre (Valence) Left the club: Mick Schubert (Ajax Kobenhavn) João Ferraz (HSG Wetzlar) Wesley Freitas (N/A) Francisco Silva (N/A) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 9 Last 16 (1): 1999/2000 Group Phase (1): 2013/14 Qualification (6): 2004/2005, 2009/2010, 2010/2011, 2011/2012, 2012/2013, 2014/15) Other Cup Winners Cup: Quarter-finals 2000/2001, 2001/2002 Portuguese league: 19 titles (1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Portuguese cup: 7 titles 113

114 Futebol Clube do Porto (POR) Biggest win: 27:24 (15:11) v KIF Kolding Kobenhavn DEN (h), Biggest defeat: 35:23 (16:13) v KS Vive Targi Kielce POL (a), Longest winning run: 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) Longest losing run: 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 3 matches ( ) 3 matches ( ) Most goals: 30 v KS Vive Targi Kielce POL 30:35L (h), Most goals opponent: 35 v KS Vive Targi Kielce POL 30:35L (h), Most goals both teams: 65 v KS Vive Targi Kielce POL 30:35L (h), Fewest goals: 20 v KIF Kolding Kobenhavn DEN 25:20L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 21 v Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral FRA 22:21W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 43 v Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral FRA 22:21W (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2013/14 FC Porto Vitalis POR : :15 5th Gr. B Total : :15 114

115 Futebol Clube do Porto (POR) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 15 Daymaro Amador Salina CUB Line Player Havana, CUB Gilberto Brito Duarte POR Left Back Portimao, POR Gustavo Cesar Rodrigues BRA Right Back São Paulo, BRA Yoel Cuni Morales CUB Right Back Havana, CUB Hugo Delgado Santos POR Left Wing Porto, POR Alexis Hernandez Borges CUB Line Player Habana, CUB Michal Kasal CZE Left Back Nové Mesto n. M., CZE Edgar Mendes Ribeiro POR Left Back Lisboa, POR Felisberto Mendes Ribeiro POR Line Player Lisboa, POR Nuno Miguel Pereira Goncalves POR Left Back Tavira, POR Jordan Pitre FRA Left Wing Saint Mande, FRA Antonio Rodrigues Areia POR Right Wing Lisboa, POR Ricardo Silva Moreira POR Right Wing Figueira da Foz, POR Nuno Silva Soares Roque POR Centre Back Benavente, POR Miguel Soares Martins POR Centre Back Porto, POR Rui Sousa Martins Silva POR Centre Back Guimaraes, POR Hugo Madeira Laurentino POR Goalkeeper Evora, POR Alfredo Bravo Quintana POR Goalkeeper Havana, CUB David Santos Sousa POR Goalkeeper Porto, POR Average: 24,89 192,2 92 Ricardo Costa coach in June 2014 replaced Ljubomir Obradovic, who took over the Montenegrin national team during the previous season Manolo Cadenas and Jordi Ribera are his greatest source of inspirations has already won six national championships for FC Porto (three as a player and three as assistant coach in the 2014/15 season was the head coach of ADA Maia. during his player career gathered 206 caps, only three players in the national team history have more 115

116 Hugo Laurentino goalkeeper experienced goalkeeper has been of most importance to the Dragons since he joined the club in 2005/06, winning seven championships might not be from the north of Portugal (born in Évora), but he certainly carries the northern spirit has had a distinguished career with FC Porto, but has also played for clubs in the south of the country, such as Vitória de Setubal and Évora AC, as well as being a regular on the Portugal national team Hugo Delgado Santos left wing Porto-born winger has never played professional handball for other club than FC in the premiere season of FC Porto in the CL (13/14) scored 12 goals after the departure the Danish left wing Mick Schubert in the summer of 2015 to Ajax Kobenhavn he should get more playing time, but will share his position with a French newcomer Jordan Pitre Gilberto Duarte left back standing at 1.97 m one of FC Porto s towers and one of the most important players in the squad was already a force to be reckoned with when joining the club in 2007, later he won seven national championships since his arrival awarded best player of the league in 2011/12 and was honored with the FC Porto s Golden Dragon in that same season, an award that rewards the best athlete of each sport Nuno Roque centre back arrived at Porto at the beginning of the 2014/15 season and won the championship title in his first season before Porto he played for league rivals Aguas Santas and reached the Challenge Cup semi-final in 2013/14 also had stints with Sporting and Benfica Lisbon and Madeira member of the Portuguese national team Rui Silva centre back came to FC Porto as one of the summer reinforcemenets in 2015 played in Sporting Lisboa, which played against Porto in the 2015/16 league final promising playmaker, a lot of people compare him with Carlos Resende, the best Portuguese handball player of the history Alexis Borges line player debuted in the CL with Porto in 2013 at the age of only 21 years very strong player on the 6-metres-line almost always capable of finding a way through defenders part of the Cuban national team shares the position with another Cuban player Gustavo Cesar Rodrigues right back Brazilian signed for FC Porto before the 2015/16 season played in EC Pinheiros (Sao Paulo Brazil) plays in the youth Brazilian national team, which reached 8th position in the Youth World Championship 2015 won Panamerican (2015) and Paulista championship (2014). Ricardo Moeira right wing Captain of the side, he is the soul of the Dragons was an FC Porto Player from 1997 to 2001 and returned to the club three years later to become the most influential player in the dressing room also played in Vitória de Setubal, CPN and Belenenses besides being the starting right wing, he usually takes the penalties known by keeping a cool head when things are going wrong for FC Porto, putting his teammates minds in place 116

117 GROUP C RK Vojvodina (SRB) Novi Sad based club HC Vojvodina became Serbian champion for the fourth time in May, but after three failed attempts at qualification for the VELUX EHF Champions League, they now have their maiden voyage in the group phase of the competition. It is the icing on the cake of the most successful season of Vojvodina s history, winning the domestic treble for the first time with the Serbian league, cup and super cup. The mastermind behind those successes was coach Djordje Ćirković, but he left to become coach of Romanian side Constanta and since July Nikola Marković has taken up the role alongside coaching the Serbian U19 national team at the World Championship in Russia. A quirky fact about the management team is that Marković (former coach of Red Star Belgrade), his assistant coaches Dragan Kukic and Milan Mirkovic and even new team manager Snezana Vukanovic were all line players in their active handball career. Vojvodina will be part of three competitions - the Serbian league, SEHA Liga and VELUX EHF Champions League - and their concrete goal for the Champions League is to win at least three matches against their opponents La Rioja, Brest, Medvedi, Porto and Presov in Group D. Playing hall Spens,Novi Sad Sutjeska Novi Sad Serbia Capacity: 7,000 Club Address: RK Vojvodina Sentandrejski put 106B Novi Sad Serbia Media contact: Dan Fracile [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: RK Vojvodina Kit colours Light Player shirt: red Player short: red Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: black To reach this goal, Vojvodina made one major transfer: Powerful and tall Former Russian international Alexej Rastvortsev, who had been playing for Vardar Skopje in the past and competed at the very first VELUX EHF FINAL4 in 2010 with Chekhovskie Medvedi. On the other hand, two Serbian internationals - Miroslav Kocić (to Besiktas Istanbul) and Uroš Elezović (to Lakwiya/Qatar) - have left the club, as did Montenegrin Vuk Lazović to German side N-Lübbecke. But despite those departures, Vojvodina are aiming to defend their Serbian titles and to represent Serbian handball in a proud way, as manager Darko Jevtic says, adding that the participation in the European top flight is an affirmation for the club, the chance to promote handball and a complete new experience for the club and the players. Team captain Danimir Ćurković is hoping to give strong resistance to all opponents and to provide the fans with the best possible results. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Serbian champions Coach: Nikola Marković (since July 2015) former coach: Djordje Ćirković Captain: Danimir Curkovic Newcomers: Aleksandar Gugleta (Radnički Nis) Goran Trkulja (Bidasoa Irun) Milan Vučković (Požarevac) Dejan Pralica (Radnički Nis) Alexej Rastvortsev (Vardar Skopje) Left the club: Miroslav Kocić (Besiktas Istanbul) Boban Živković (Železničar) Mladen Ivanović (Zvezda) Jovan Kukobat (Sloga Požega) Vuk Lazović (TUS N-Lübbecke) Srdjan Veljković (Zrenjani) Uros Elezović (Lakhwiya) Miralem Bećirović (destination unknown) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participation (including 2015/16 season): 4 Qualification (3): 2005/06, 2013/14, 2014/15 Other EHF Cup: Group Phase 2014/15 Cup Winners Cup: Last /12 Serbian league: 4 titles (2005, 2013, 2014, 2015) Serbian cup: 4 titles 117

118 Vojvodina (SRB) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 22 Nikola Arsenic SRB Centre Back Novi Sad, SRB Danimir Curkovic SRB Left Back Vrbas, SRB Sergo Datukashvili GEO Left Back Tbilisi, GEO Aleksandar Gugleta SRB Right Wing Knin, CRO Milan Jovanovic SRB Left Back Vrbas, SRB Filip Marjanovic SRB Left Wing Beograd, SRB Zoran Nikolic SRB Line Player Beograd, SRB Milos Orbovic SRB Right Back Vrbas, SRB Ognjen Petrovic SRB Left Wing Novi Sad, SRB Dejan Pralica SRB Centre Back Sarajevo, BIH Stefan Ranisavljevic SRB Right Back Novi Sad, SRB Alexei Rastvortsev RUS Left Back Belgorod, RUS Vanja Smiljanic SRB Right Wing Apatin, SRB Strahinja Stankovic SRB Right Wing Vrbas, SRB Bojan Todorovic SRB Centre Back Belgrade, SRB Goran Trkulja BIH Line Player Banja Luka, BIH Stefan Trkulja SRB Centre Back Novi Sad, SRB Milan Vuckovic SRB Left Back Prokuplje, SRB Luka Arsenic SRB Goalkeeper Zrenjanin, SRB Bojan Perovic SRB Goalkeeper Apatin, SRB Todor Jandric SRB Goalkeeper Novi Sad, SRB Average: Nikola Markovic coach started coaching career in 2004, after being promoted as the first team coach at RK Crena Zvezda had a spectacular coaching debut, winning against the then holders Celje Pivovarna Lasko (32:32) in the CL Group Phase former RK Crvena Zvezda player, and a member of a highly acclaimed generation that won the double after 50 years vast experience coaching in the Serbian League, having led Crvena Zvezda, Zeleznicar Nis and Jugovic Kac before joining Vojvodina 118

119 Luka Arsenic goalkeeper made his breakthrough to Vojvodina first team in 2011 aged 18, playing his 5th season with the club spent 2014/15 as a backup for the first-choice Miroslav Kocic, displaying great potential former junior national team key player is among the top goalkeeping talents in Serbian league comes from a handball family, as both mother and father were former players, younger brother, 19-year old Nikola is a talented centre back and current Vojvodina teammate Sergo Datukashvili left back first ever Georgian player to play for any Serbian handball club, joining Metaloplastika in 2000 real journeyman sharpshooter, having played in 13 countries before joining Vojvodina in 2014 represented Montenegrin side Lovcen Cetinje in the Group Phase of the CL during 2000/01 season reached the EHF Cup final with RK Gorenje Velenje in 2008/09 Filip Marjanovic left wing went trough the youth ranks of SK Beograd, but made his name playing for RK Metaloplastika joined RK Vojvodina in the summer of 2014 occasional Serbian national team member, making his debut in 2011 coached by Veselin Vukovic his seven-goal performance in a key match against Bosnia Herzegovina saw Serbia qualify for the EHF EURO 2014 member of Metaloplastika side that made the final of the Challenge Cup in 2013/14 Alexey Rastvortsev left back veteran played 13 seasons for Chekhov, before spending two seasons at Vardar ahead and eventually joining Vojvodina played at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in 2009/10 with Chekhovskie Medvedi lifted the Cup Winners Cup trophy in 2005/06, in addition to playing in the Champions Trophy finals the same year scored 40 goals in Russia s bronze medal run at 2004 Olympic Games in Athens EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 2006 OG: B 2004 Dejan Pralica centre back has experience playing in the CL Group Phase with RK Crvena Zvezda in 2008/09 real household name in the Serbian championship, having played for Crvena Zvezda, Metaloplastika, Radnicki Kragujevac before best scorer for Radnicki Kragujevac in the 2014/15 with 149 goals in all competitions 2014/15 Serbian Super League play-off MVP, averaging above six goals per match (6.1) Goran Trkulja line player made his first handball steps playing for RK Borac m:tel Banja Luka spent 2014/15 season playing for the Spanish second-tier CS Bidasoa joined RK Vojvodina to replace Montenegrin line player Vuk Lazovic at the heart of Vojvodina s 6-0 defence Milos Orbovic right back started career in local club RK Vrbas, representing them in the Challenge Cup considered one of the biggest right back prospects in Serbian handball joined RK Vojvodina in 2014, quickly establishing himself as a first-choice right back current Serbian national team member and third choice right back behind Marko Vujin and Nemanja Zelenovic Aleksandar Gugleta right wing started playing handball for Serbian First League outfit RK Crvenka made his name playing for Radnicki Kragujevac in the SEHA league and Challenge Cup scoring 103 goals in last season alone occasional Serbia national team member, since making his debut in 2014 joined Vojvodina in 2015 to be able to play in the CL has a silver medal won at the Universiade in Gwangju

120 GROUP C Tatran Presov (SVK) Their tallest player leaves, a new coach arrives and they get seeded for the group phase meaning they avoided playing in the VELUX EHF Champions League Qualification Tournament a short summary of the major happenings at Tatran Presov ahead of the start of the season. After failing to qualify four times straight from 2011 to 2014, the Slovak champions are back in the Group Phase, in which they will compete with La Rioja, Brest, Chekhov, Porto and Vojvodina in Group C. The new coach of the eleven-time Slovak champions is Rastislav Trtik, who took over from Peter David. In the preparation, Trtik s team finished second twice at tournaments in Sala (Slovakia) and Doboj (Bosnia), which they had won in 2013 and The new squad consists of five newcomers arriving from five different countries. Four players left - including 2,13 metres tall Latvian Dainis Kristopans is now playing for Presov s group phase rival Brest. In addition, Trtik has to cope with some long-term injuries, such as left back Oliver Rabek and playmaker Vasja Furlan. After four years in a row of missing the qualification for the VELUX EHF Champions League it is great to be back and to be able to promote handball in Slovakia and our region, says manager Branko Benko, adding: Our objective is to do our best, win all home matches, try to steal some points in away matches and aim for second place. With a new head coach and five new players I believe it is a feasable goal. Playing hall City Hall Presov Jana Pavla II Presov Slovakia Capacity: 3,500 Club Address: TATRAN Presov Holleho Presov Slovakia Media contact: Branko Benko [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: TatranPresovHandballTeamSlovakia Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: green Dark Player shirt: green Player short: green Goalkeeper shirt: black Besides the Slovak Super League and the Champions League, Tatran will compete in the multinational SEHA Liga - and to make it among the top six teams like in 2014/15 is there additional goal for the season. Benko expects some interesting games in the Group Phase and will welcome some well-known faces into their arena: It is a quite interesting group. We face teams from all over Europe, from far East like Chekhov all the way to the far West like La Rioja or Porto. Also we face two of our regular opponents of the SEHA League, Meshkov Brest and Vojvodina Novi Sad. I believe that all matches will be interesting and will sell out our Tatran Handball Arena. Team captain, left wing Radoslav Antl, expects close matches too: All opponents are very strong and it will be really hard to play against them. We would like to take advantage of our home matches and of course to do our best in the away matches. Hopefully we can finish in second when it is all done and dusted. Qualification for the 2015/2016 VELUX EHF Champions League: Slovakian champions Newcomers: Alexey Peskov (ZTR Zaporozhye) Igor Chupryna (Lokomotiv Chelyabinsk) Ivan Ivkovic (HCB OKD Karvina) Vladimir Bozic (ALPLA HC Hard) David Pogany (START Nove Zamky) Left the club: Dainis Kristopans (Meshkov Brest) Tomas Urban (ThSV Eisenach) Jakub Krupa (Azoty Pulawy) Svetislav Verkic (ThSV Eisenach) Coach: Rastislav Trtik (since 2015, successor of Peter David) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 12 Last 16 (1): 2004/05 Last 32 (1): 1993/94 Group Matches (4): 2005/06, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010/11 Qualification (5): 2009/10, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15 Other EHF Cup Quarter-final 2011/12, Last /95, 1995/96, Group Phase 2012/13, Round /10, Round /07 Cup Winners Cup Quarter-final 205/06, Last /08, 2008/09, Round /03 Slovak league: 11 titles (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) Slovak cup: 12 titles 120

121 Tatran Presov (SVK) Biggest win: 37:24 (17:11) v RK Metkovic CRO (h), Biggest defeat: 42:25 (22:12) v MKB Veszprém KC HUN (a), Longest winning run: 2 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 7 matches ( ) 7 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 12 matches ( ) Most goals: 37 v RK Metkovic CRO 37:24W (h), Most goals opponent: 42 v MKB Veszprém KC HUN 42:25L (a), v GOG Svendborg TGI Gudme DEN 42:32L (a), Most goals both teams: 74 v GOG Svendborg TGI Gudme DEN 42:32L (a), Fewest goals: 20 v HSV Hamburg GER 32:20L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 18 v RK Metkovic CRO 18:29W (a), Fewest goals both teams: 47 v RK Metkovic CRO 18:29W (a), v HC Banik Karvina CZE 22:25L (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2004/05 Tatran Presov SVK : :9 Last /06 Tatran Presov SVK : :10 3rd Gr. F 2007/08 Tatran Presov SVK : :9 3rd Gr. D 2008/09 Tatran Presov SVK : :8 3rd Gr. D 2010/11 Tatran Presov SVK : :18 6th Gr. B Total : :54 121

122 Tatran Presov (SVK) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 28 Radoslav Antl SVK Left Wing Kosice, SVK Tomas Cip CZE Right Wing Zubri, CZE Vasja Furlan SLO Centre Back Postojna, SLO Jakub Hrstka CZE Left Wing Zubri, CZE Ivan Ivkovic CRO Right Back Split, CRO Michal Kopco SVK Line Player Kosice, SVK Dominik Krok SVK Left Back Bardejov, SVK Radovan Pekar SVK Left Back Presov, SVK Alexey Peskov RUS Right Back Moscow, RUS Andrej Petro SVK Line Player Sala, SVK David Pogany SVK Left Back Dunajska Streda, SVK Oliver Rabek SVK Left Back Nove Zamky, SVK Alexandr Radcenko CZE Centre Back Krasnodar, RUS Viacheslav Sadovyi UKR Left Back Kiev, UKR Lubos Sarpataky SVK Right Wing Presov, SVK Milos Sarpataky SVK Centre Back Presov, SVK Lukas Urban SVK Centre Back Presov, SVK Richard Wilga SVK Left Wing Presov, SVK Vladimir Bozic CRO Goalkeeper Split, CRO Igor Chupryna UKR Goalkeeper Illychevsk, UKR Matej Vernarsky SVK Goalkeeper Presov, SVK Average: 26,76 192,6 94,2 Rastislav Trtik coach collected his first coaching experience with Banik Karvina in the Czech Republic Czech Republic national team head coach for three years between 2002 and 2005 in 2005, won promotion to German Bundesliga with MT Melsungen head coach of Tatran Presov between 2008 and 2011, winning three Slovak championship titles, leading Tatran into their last CL Group Phase campaign in 2010/11 122

123 Vladimir Bozovic goalkeeper best goalkeper in Super Globe 2013 for Al Rayyan, played the Asian CL final with that club number one option for Tatran in goal, recoginised as a key to their solid defensive work very enthusiastic and communicative during games, one of the leaders on the court his maximum in Europe remains Last 16 in the CL with Bosnain side HC Bosna BH Gas in 2010/2011 arrived from Bregenz, before he spent two seasons with Brest, four seasons in Spanish ASOBAL Dominik Krok left back one of the players who remembers last CL group phase adventure back in 2010/2011 joined Presov in 2009, ever since became one of the longest serving players in current squad known for his powerful shots from the distance, one of the favourites of fans in Presov for his friendliness and ever present smile big fan of tennis, where he develops his skills and accuracy Radoslav Antl left wing legend of the club, longest serving player with the club from current squad in his ninth season fans love him for his passionate approach and communication with the crowd during the game competed at all major tournaments for Slovakia with excotic playing experience in Japan in 2004/2005 scored his record 43 goals in the CL paving the way for Presov to the Last 16 awarded the Slovak Player of the Year (2005 & 2014) Vasja Furlan centre back creativity and quick thinking, ability to produce key passes in the offensive game are main strengths of the Slovenian national team player moved to Presov last year from Norway, where considered one of the best players of Follo HK in Slovenia played for Gold Club Kozina, Celje Pivovarna Lasko and RK Maribor Branik often compared to the veteran playmaker Alexander Radcenko for his style of play had his best European season in 2008/2009, scoring 24 goals for Celje in the CL Michal Kopco line player awarded the Slovakian line player of the year in 2014, his leadership on and off the court is vital successor of Antl, was chosen as the team captain in the beginning of the 2014/15 season together with Andrej Petro, they form superb duo and they motivate each other to improve on the club level as well as in national team one of the key man of Tatran s defensive play, aggressive and hard to beat one on one Andrej Petro line player one of the most experienced players in the club joined Tatran in 2012 considered to be one of the heaviest players in Europe (127 kg), his physical strength provides him ability to fight his way through the opponents joined Presov after his spells abroad for Kadetten, Ivry, Kecskemeti and Dormagen featured at two EUROs (2008 and 2012) and two WChs (2009 and 2011) for Slovakia EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 2006 Alexey Peskov right back two-metre tall Russian international came to to replace Latvian giant Dainis Kristopans in 2015 most experienced player from the squad, played the CL for his mother club Chekhovski Medvedi and Celje also played in Poland s Wisla Plock and Ukraine s Dinamo-Poltava, with the latter having won the Ukrainian league in 2012, spent three seasons in Ukrainian Zaporozhye Tomas Cip right wing Czech international started his career in his hometown, Zubri, where he played until his transfer to Presov in the summer of 2011 one of the two players from Zubri, the other one being left winger Jakub Hrstka regular Czech national team starter, until now has featured in 47 games and scored 113 goals able to defend on the wing as well as attack, although he is highly rated for his game in offence 123

124 ENERGY TAKES OVER ENERGY BOOST STABIL

125 Group D preview ELVERUM HÅNDBALL ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN GROUP D Group D of the VELUX EHF Champions League seems to become the most unpredictable group If this Group D had been played two years ago, no one would probably have hesitated to name HC Metalurg as favourites to win it apart from the fact that the Macedonian club would not even have played in Group C or D back then due to the their strength at the time. However, after losing more than 20 players, even the charismatic coach Lino Cervar will have his trouble taking the team to one of the two top positions, which would qualify them for the knock out stage. Still, it is hard to point out one or even two obvious favourites in the group, and this may be the Skopje based team s chance after all. Two Norwegians and a Swede have reinforced Skjern Handbold who are in the Champions League for the first time since the 2003/04 season. Line player Bjarte Myrhol and goalkeeper Magnus Dahl, both from Norway as well as Swedish left back Marcus Olsson have both strengthened the Danish runners-up from last season. If Skjern had not loaned out Danish international Henrik Möllgaard to Paris shortly before the start of the season, the third team of the EHF Cup last season would probably have been favourites to win the group. As it is, they are likely to have to struggle for a top two position. HC Motor Zaporozhye are in for their third Champions League season in a row and the third in history. Having reached the Last 16 in the debut season in 2013/14, they did not make it any further than the group phase last season. The big question is if they will be strong and consistent enough this season to conquer one of the two positions, which will mean a knock out berth. Kadetten Schaffhausen definitely do not miss European experience. In fact, the Swiss club have been in a European Cup competition each and every year in the history of the EHF, and this season is their seventh in the Champions League group phase. Last season, the came close to qualifying for the Last 16, but lost the chance on the last match day of the group phase. However, with players like the experienced left wing Manuel Liniger and the Hungarian playmaker Gabor Csaszar, just to mention a few, the Cadets are certainly among the contenders for the two tickets. For the first time in three years, Romanian handball is represented in the VELUX EHF Champions League, and at the same time, there is a new kid in the class. Until recently, HCM Baia Mare have been better known for their women s team, but this season, the men from the club celebrate their Champions League debut. At the same time, Baia Mare are celebrating their return to European men s handball after ten years of absence, as their latest European adventure was in the 2005/06 season. Just like Baia Mare, Elverum Handball Herrer are debutants in the Champions League, where they are the first Norwegian team in six years. An impressive first place in the qualification tournament in Bosnian Banja Luka made the group phase berth for the team under the playing Swedish coach Mikael Apelgren. Already before the qualification tournament, Apelgren stated, that should his team reach the group phase, the Last 16 would not be an unrealistic goal. The coming months will prove him either right or wrong. Peter Bruun 125

126 Group D head-to-heads Historic encounters of the Group D opponents in the EC HC Metalurg vs Skjern Handbold (46:67) 0: Skjern Handball vs RK Metalurg Skopje, Challenge Cup Round 2 34:21 (18:11) Skjern Handball vs RK Metalurg Skopje, Challenge Cup Round 2 33:25 (21:10) HC Motor Zaporozhye vs Kadetten Schaffhausen (68:58) 4: HC Motor Zaporozhye vs Kadetten Schaffhausen, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 31:26 (18:13) Kadetten Schaffhausen vs HC Motor Zaporozhye, VELUX EHF Champions League Group D 32:37 (14:18) No previous encounters HC Metalurg vs HC Motor Zaporozhye HC Metalurg vs Kadetten Schaffhausen HC Metalurg vs HCM Baia Mare HC Metalurg vs Elverum Handball Herrer Skjern Handbold vs HC Motor Zaporozhye Skjern Handbold vs Kadetten Schaffhausen Skjern Handbold vs HCM Baia Mare Skjern Handbold vs Elverum Handball Herrer HC Motor Zaporozhye vs HCM Baia Mare HC Motor Zaporozhye vs Elverum Handball Herrer Kadetten Schaffhausen vs HCM Baia Mare Kadetten Schaffhausen vs Elverum Handball Herrer HCM Baia Mare vs Elverum Handball Herrer 126

127 GROUP D HC Metalurg (MKD) If seven or eight players leave a team, it is a huge transition, but if - like in the case of Metalurg Skopje - 25 players say good-bye, it is a complete restart. After facing some financial problems in the previous season, coach Lino Cervar had to push the reset button in the Macedonian capital. With the exception of the Austrian international Janko Bozovic, arriving from Meshkov Brest, Metalurg only signed young players. As they do not compete in the multinational SEHA- Liga this season, they can focus fully on the Macedonian league. In the domestic league they will try to snatch the title from their city rivals Vardar. Cervar s team will face Skjern, Zaporozhye, Schaffhausen, Baia Mare and Elverum in Group D in the VELUX EHF Champions League. Despite all their difficulties, Cervar hopes to make it to the Last 16: We have a young team eager to take on new challenges. I hope we will start the Champions League fully motivated and I also hope that some good results will come our way. Our goal is to get out of the group and to be among the best 16 teams. I know it will be difficult given that this is a young and new team that does not have too much experience on the international stage. Playing hall Boris Trajkovski bul. 8 Septemvri bb Skopje FYR Macedonia Capacity: 7,000 Metalurg started their preparation in Mavrovo, and then took part in two test tournaments in Bursa (Turkey) and Skopje. The former national champions even have to replace one of their biggest talents for the rest of the year, as Marko Neloski is still recovering from knee surgery after an injury which occurred in the last match of the 2014/15 season at Vardar. Metalurg hope for a Neloski-comeback in Cervar calls the group phase opponents: Interesting and challenging we are up against experienced teams like Kadetten or Zaporozhye, home and away matches will be tough. Skjern are dangerous, and motivated debutants Baia Mare are a bit of an unknown entity to us. But the coach is confident that being part of the VELUX EHF Champions League brings Metalurg forward: Playing in the Champions League for us has always been very special. Despite losing more than 20 top players it is a privilege to play against the best handball teams in the world. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Macedonian runners-up Past achievements Club Address: HC Metalurg ul. Jane Lukroski Skopje FYR Macedonia Media contact: Ana Neloska [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: rkmetalurgofficial Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: yellow/orange/white Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: blue Coach: Lino Cervar (since 2009) Captain: Zarko Pesevski Left the club: Darko Stanic (Rhein-Neckar Löwen) Miroslav Kocic (RK Vojvodina) Dejan Manaskov (RK Vardar) Naumce Mojsovski (El Jaish) Pavel Atman (Meshkov Brest) Filip Mirkulovski (HSG Wetzlar) Vuko Borozan (N-Lübbecke) Luka Cindric (HC Vardar) Renato Vugrinec (Maccabi Rishon LeZion) Vladan Lipovina (HSG Wetzlar) Goce Georgievski (Fenix Touluse) Ace Jonovski (Bergischer HC) Velko Markoski (RK Rabotnicki) Nikola Markoski (RK Rabotnicki) Mijajlo Marsenic (HC Vardar) Vanco Dimovski (RK Rabotnicki) Janja Vojvodic (RK Vrbas) Gjorgje Golubovic (destination unknown) Darko Djukic (Besiktas) Damir Efendic (Borac Banja Luka) Dragan Vrgoc (Benfica) Martin Manaskov (RK Vardar II) Goce Ojleski (Odorhei) Nikola Mitrevski (Benfica) Petar Misovski (end of career) VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 8 Quarter-final (2): 2012/13, 2013/14 Last 16 (1): 2011/12 Group Phase (3): 2006/07, 2008/09, 2014/15) Qualification (1): 2010/11 Other 9 participations in other EC Macedonian league: 6 titles (2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014) Macedonian cup: 5 titles Newcomers: Janko Bozovic (Meshkov Brest) Marko Matic (Mecklenburg-Schwerin) Luka Mrakovcic (RK Zamet) Milos Vukovic (Spartak Subotica) Kemal Fazlic (RK Gorazde) Antonio Pesevski (HC Metalurg II) Daniel Dupjachanec (Besa Famiglia) Konstantin Petrov (RK Radovis) Filip Kuzmanovski (RK Pelister) 127

128 HC Metalurg (MKD) Biggest win: 32:18 (18:14) v Bjerringbro-Silkeborg DEN (h), Biggest defeat: 24:43 (12:23) v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER (a), :35 (3:17) v THW Kiel (a), Longest winning run: 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 8 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 8 matches ( ) Most goals: 37 v Drammen HK NOR 37:30W (h), Most goals opponent: 43 v SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER 43:24L (a), Most goals both teams: 69 v THW Kiel 27:42L (h), Fewest goals: 15 v KS Vive Targi Kielce POL 26:15L (a), Fewest goals opponent: 14 v St. Petersburg HC RUS 14:32W (a), Fewest goals both teams: 36 v HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb 19:17L (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2006/07 RK Metalurg Skopje MKD : :12 4th Gr. D 2008/09 HC Metalurg MKD : :8 3rd Gr. C 2011/12 HC Metalurg MKD : :10 1/8-finals 2012/13 HC Metalurg MKD : :6 1/4-finals 2013/14 HC Metalurg MKD : :12 1/4-finals 2014/15 HC Metalurg MKD : :17 6th Gr. A Total : :69 128

129 HC Metalurg (MKD) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 7 Janko Bozovic AUT Right Back Bar, MNE Marko Buvinic CRO Right Back Pula, CRO Nikola Kosteski MKD Right Wing Struga, MKD Goran Krstevski MKD Centre Back Resen, MKD Milorad Kukoski MKD Left Back Struga, MKD Filip Kuzmanovski MKD Left Back Bitola, MKD Bojan Madjovski MKD Left Wing Skopje, MKD Tadej Matijasic SLO Left Wing Ljubljana, SLO Marko Neloski MKD Centre Back Struga, MKD Davor Palevski MKD Left Wing Skopje, MKD Zharko Peshevski MKD Line Player Skopje, MKD Kostadin Petrov MKD Line Player Veles, MKD Filip Taleski MKD Left Back Krusevo, MKD Martin Velkovski MKD Right Back Skopje, MKD Luka Mrakovcic CRO Daniel Dupjacanec MKD Goalkeeper Prilep, MKD Antonijo Peshevski MKD Goalkeeper Skopje, MKD Average: 22,86 191,8 91,4 Lino Cervar coach most successful coach of the Croatian men s national team, becoming Olympic gold medallist in 2004 and world champion in 2003 collected several more medals like two WCh silver medals in 2005 and 2009 and EHF EURO silver 2008 and 2010 parallel to his work for the Croatian federation, was coach of RK Zagreb for a long time in 2009 he started coaching Metalurg a job he focuses on completely since resigning from the helm of Croatia steered them to quarter-finals in 2013 and 2014 OG: G 2004, EURO: S 2008, 2010, WCh: G 2003, S 2005,

130 Antonio Peshevski goalkeeper older brother to Zarko Pesevski, current Metalurg captain towering at 209cm, he is one of the tallest goalkeeper in the VELUX EHF Champions League came trough the youth ranks of RK Metalurg, became the first team member in 2015 after spending one season on loan at RK Dracevo Marko Neloski left back product of Metalurg s youth system, came into prominence under Cervar s coaching baton this 19-year old completes the exceptional talent Metalug nurtures at left back position in the 2015/16 season made a breakthrough into the first team setup at Metalurg in 2013/14 Filip Taleski left back considered one of the biggest talents in Macedonian handball made his first team debut for Metalurg at the age of 17 scored 27 goals in three matches at the Men s 20 EURO qualification, has made 16 caps for all Macedonian youth selections before called up for the senior team his debut for Macedonian national team came in 2014 in the WCh 2015 play-off against Greece made his CL debut in a match against THW Kiel Milorad Kukoski left back one of few experienced players that stayed at the club despite financial difficulties of last season has garnered a good national reputation, playing for the very best Macedonian league teams: Pelister, Vardar, Zomimak and now Metalurg equally adept at playing as a line player, in both attack and defence phase Goran Krstevski centre back among the frontrunners of new Metalurg generation member of the highly talented Metalurg s generation of players born in 1996 rose through the youth ranks at Metalurg alongside current first team teammates Filip Taleski and Marko Neloski Zharko Peshevski line player current Macedonia national team member, having played in all the youth selection for his country Metalurg team captain brother Antonio a teammate, goalkeeper at Metalurg made his first team debut in 2009, becoming a first-choice line player after Mijajlo Marsenic left to join Vardar Janko Bozovic right back Austrian national team member, with 85 caps and 197 goals 2015/16 will be his second CL season, having joined from another group phase outfit and SEHA League finalist HC Meshkov Brest son of legendary Buducnost player Stanka Bozovic Marko Buvinic right wing/right back joined Metalurg in 2015 from RK Porec, relishing a chance to work under fellow Croatian, coach Lino Cervar very versatile player, with ability to play on both the right back and right wing position has been a member of all the Croatian youth national teams 130

131 GROUP D Skjern Handbold (DEN) 2014/15 was the most successful season in Skjern Handbold s club history. They took the Danish cup, qualified for the EHF Cup Finals in Berlin, where they finished third, and qualified for the VELUX EHF Champions League for the first time since 2003 as runners-up of the Danish championship. Now the team of coach Ole Nörgaard wants more. However, Skjern lost two of their most prolific back court scorers: Henrik Möllgaard moved to Paris Saint-Germain for one season on loan, while giant shooter Nikolaj Markussen joined domestic rivals Bjerringbro. In a big move of their own, Nörgaard and manager Anders Dahl-Nielsen secured a transfer coup in the form of Norwegian line player Bjarte Myrhol. The transfer from German side Rhein Neckar Löwen brings a huge amount of international experience. In addition, the club infrastructure was improved by the enforcement of their home fortress, the Skjern Bank Arena, which now has a capacity of 3,200 and opens up much better marketing opportunities. The premiere for the enforced arena was the Danish Super Cup, in which Skjern gave a tough fight to reigning champions KIF Kolding Kobenhavn, losing by a solitary goal, 22:23. Playing hall Skjern Bank Arena Ranunkelvej Skjern Denmark Capacity: 2,400 Club Address: Skjern Handbold Ostergade Skjern Denmark Besides fighting for top spots in the domestic competitions and to qualify again for an EHF European Cup competition, Skjern hope to finish among the top two teams in Group D of the VELUX EHF Champions League, in which they face Metalurg, Zaporozhye, Schaffhausen, Baia Mare and the winner of the qualification tournament. We hope to win our home matches and to take some important points abroad, says Dahl Nielsen, who had been coach and director of 2014 VELUX EHF FINAL4 winners Flensburg a number of years ago. The Skjern manager expects an interesting group with some very strong teams. Kadetten Schaffhausen have experience in playing Champions League and it is always a challenge to play in Ukraine, FYR Macedonia and Romania. Team captain Thomas Klitgaard estimates the group as a challenging one: We have to face very difficult opponents, which all have European experience - especially Kadetten, Metalurg and Zaporozhye. It will be some very interesting matches. But we gained a lot of international experience from last season, which we hope to benefit from. We will fight hard to advance from the group. Media contact: Jette Alstrup [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: skjernhaandbold Kit colours Light Player shirt: light blue Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: red Dark Player shirt: dark blue Player short: dark blue Goalkeeper shirt: lightblue Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Danish runners-ups Newcomers: Magnus Dahl (Kristianstad) Markus Olsson (Kristianstad) Bjarte Myrhol (Rhein Neckar Löwen) Left the club: Frederik Børm (SønderjyskE) Kristoffer Laursen (Skanderborg) Nikolaj Markussen (Bjerringbro-Silkeborg) Henrik Møllgaard (Paris Saint Germain) Coach: Ole Nørgaard (since 2012) Captain: Thomas Klitgaard Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 3 Last 16 (1): 2003/04 Group Phase (1): 1999/2000, Other Challenge Cup: Winners 2001/02, 2002/03 EHF Cup: Semi-final 2006/07, 2014/15 Cup Winners Cup: Quarter-final 2005/06 Danish league: 2010, 2013 Danish cup: 2012 Super-Cup winner 131

132 Skjern Handbold (DEN) Biggest win: 30:20 (18:11) v RK Bosna Sarajevo BIH (h), Biggest defeat: 24:34 (11:18) v SC Magdeburg GER (a), Longest winning run: 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) 1 match ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 2 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 3 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 3 matches ( ) 3 matches ( ) Most goals: 30 v RK Bosna Sarajevo BIH 30:20W (h), v SC Magdeburg GER 30:25W (h), Most goals opponent: 34 v SC Magdeburg GER 34:24L (a), Most goals both teams: 62 v Fotex KC Veszprém HUN 33:29L (a), Fewest goals: 16 v ZTR Zaporozhye UKR 16:20L (h), Fewest goals opponent: 20 v ZTR Zaporozhye UKR 16:20L (h), v RK Bosna Sarajevo BIH 30:20W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 36 v ZTR Zaporozhye UKR 16:20L (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 1999/00 Skjern Handball DEN : :10 4th Gr. C 2003/04 Skjern Handball DEN : :9 Last 16 Total : :19 132

133 Skjern Handbold (DEN) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 14 Emil Siersbæk Bergholt DEN Line Player Ringkøbing-Skjern, DEN Bjarke Fredsted Christensen DEN Left Wing Ringkobing-Skjern, DEN Morten Balling Christensen DEN Left Wing Skive, DEN Magnus Dahl NOR Goalkeeper Oslo, NOR Jacob Lyhne Hansen DEN Left Back Esbjerg, DEN Mathias Gliese Jensen DEN Right Wing Lemvig, DEN Simon Storgaard Jensen DEN Centre Back Herning, DEN Jesper Dahl Jørgensen DEN Right Wing Ringkobing-Skjern, DEN Thomas Klitgaard DEN Line Player Aalborg, DEN Lasse Mikkelsen DEN Centre Back Brønderslev, DEN Bjarte Hakon Myrhol NOR Line Player e Oslo, NOR Morten Kirkeby Nielsen DEN Left Back Ringkobing-Skjern, DEN Markus Olsson SWE Left Back Karlshamn, SWE Simon Opstrup DEN Left Wing Ringkobing-Skjern, DEN Simon Overgaard Poulsen DEN Centre Back Ringkobing-Skjern, DEN Rene Toft Brølling Rasmussen DEN Right Wing Ringkobing-Skjern, DEN Kasper Søndergaard Sarup DEN Right Back Skive, DEN Daniel Svensson DEN Centre Back Copenhagen, DEN Søren Pedersen DEN Goalkeeper Thistedm, DEN Jacob Lund Kjaer DEN Goalkeeper Herning, DEN Loke Peter Brasen DEN Goalkeeper Herning, DEN Average: 25,1 190,5 89,8 Ole Norgaard coach joined Skjern in the summer of 2012 debuting as the coach of a senior team previously head of development of talents under the Danish Handball Federation in his first season he led Skjern to the bronze medals in the Danish league and a ticket in the EHF Cup calm and analysing coach who is good at making his players understand his plans and ideas 133

134 Magnus Dahl goalkeeper joined Skjern from Swedish champions IFK Kristianstad ahead of the 2015/16 season over 50 internationals for Norway guarantees a certain international experience has also gained international experience from playing in Atletico Madrid, PSG and Wetzlar apart from the Norwegian clubs Nordstrand, Follo and Fyllingen in Skjern, replacing one of the greatest talents in Danish handball, Kristoffer Laursen who has left for league colleagues Skanderborg Markus Olsson left back just like Norwegian goalkeeper Magnus Dahl, joined from new Swedish champions IFK Kristianstad ahead of this season said goodbye to Kristianstad in style by scoring 11 goals in the Swedish championship final against Alingsas HK Skjern is his first club outside Sweden, while having EHF Cup experience with Kristianstad from three previous seasons, the CL will be new to him in Skjern, replacing 211 cm tall Danish international Nikolaj Markussen who has left for league rivals Bjerringbro Silkeborg Bjarke Christensen left wing playing his 10th successive season in Skjern after joining from nearby Tarm Foersom IF total of 67 junior internationals for Denmark, but still none at senior level good from the wing in the established attacking play, but his greatest strength is the counter-attack turned down an offer from Flensburg in 2013 to extend his contract with Skjern instead Lasse Mikkelsen centre back joined Skjern from league rivals KIF Kolding in the summer of junior internationals, but the senior debut is still waiting his 197 cm make him a tall playmaker, and beside setting up his team s attacking play, he is also dangerous himself with a variety of shots like with so many other back court players, his biggest idol is Nikola Karabatic Bjarte Myrhol line player joined Skjern in the summer of 2015 from Rhein- Neckar Löwen in August 2011 diagnosed with cancer, a surgery and chemo therapy changed his life always willing to fight and only two and a half months after the surgery he returned to the court after leaving first club in Sandefjord, he joined Veszprem, before arriving in Nordhorn and later Mannheim EC trophies: EHF Cup 2008, 2013 Thomas Klitgaard line player in his seventh season in Skjern a key player in the central defence as well as on the line in the attack having started his career in Aalborg, he has had foreign adventures in Spanish CBM Galdar and German MT Melsungen his skills have earned one international for Denmark as well as one junior international not only his age (37), but also his 248 league matches for Skjern make him one of the most experienced players in the team Daniel Svensson back originally a left back and playmaker, but can play all three positions in the back court line playing his second season in Skjern after joining from Bundesliga side TUS-N-Lübecke in 2013 has also a career in Spanish handball behind him, in Toledo Balonmano physically strong and a passionate fighter who is not afraid of taking risks in his way of playing got cancer in the spring 2013, but managed to be back on the handball court seven months later, fully cured Rene Rasmussen right wing playing his 7th season in succession for Skjern after joining from third league club Raekker Moelle highly reliable wing with a great take-off from the right wing position, fast in counter attacks total of 33 junior internationals for Denmark. his twin brother Joergen is also a handball player, but on the opposite wing, playing for league rivals and neighbours FC Midtjylland 134

135 GROUP D HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) The current situation in Ukraine has made things far from easy for for Motor Zaporozhye, but the three-time domestic champions keep their heads held high for the new season in the VELUX EHF Champions League. Motor s newcomer Sergiy Shelmenko is even holding some very high hopes to make it to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne: As a player of Chekhovskie Medvedi I played in Cologne, so I am sure we can succeed with Motor as well. Besides Shelmenko, Boris Pukhovskiy from SKA Minsk is the biggest name among the five newcomers in Zaporozhye. In addition, Motor have a new coach on their bench: Nikolai Stepanec, who replaces Sergej Bebeshko, who had resigned after missing the Last 16 of the previous Champions League season and now took over Belarussian champions and Champions League participant Meshkov Brest. On the other hand, some well-known faces left Motor such as top shooter Sergyi Onufrienko, who joined French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain, Inal Aflitulin made it to Motor s group phase opponent Baia Mare (Romania), while Oleg Skopincev went the opposite way of Shelmenko, signing for the Chekhov bears. Playing hall TEC Terminal Kievskaya Brovary Ukraine Capacity: 3,500 Despite these losses, Stepanec is confident that we are ready to fight with any rival of our group. Zaporozhye will face Metalurg, Skjern, Schaffhausen, Baia Mare and the winner of the qualification tournament in Group D. All teams look to be quite equal, according to Stepanec, adding: It is great to be part of the VELUX EHF Champions League again. Club Address: HC Motor Zaporozhye Ivanova Str Zaporozhye Ukraine Media contact: Dmitriy Karpushchenko [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: HC-Motor Kit colours Light Player shirt: white/red Player short: white Goalkeeper shirt: yellow/black Dark Player shirt: blue Player short: blue Goalkeeper shirt: red/black Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Ukrainian champions Newcomers: Gleb Kalarash (St. Petersburg HC) Sergiy Shelmenko (Chekhovskie Medvedi) Boris Pukhovskiy (SKA Minsk) Aidenas Malasinskas (Fraikin BM. Granollers) Serhi Orlovskiy (ZNTU-ZAS Zaporozhye) Left the club: Egor Evdokimov (N/A) Oleg Skopincev (Chekhovskie Medvedi) Inal Aflitulin (HCM Baia Mare) Alex Pedan (N/A) Richard Stochl (N/A) Sergyi Onufrienko (Paris Saint-Germain Handball) Coach: Nikolay Stepanets (since 2015, successor of Sergey Bebeshko) Captain: Sergey Shelmenko Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 3 Last 16 (1): 2013/14 Group Phase (1): 2014/15 Other EHF Cup: Group Phase 2012/13 Cup Winners Cup: Quarter-finals 2011/12 Ukrainian league: 3 titles (2013, 2014, 2015) Ukrainian cup: 2 titles 135

136 HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) Biggest win: 24:18 (14:10) v St. Petersburg HC RUS (a), :30 (16:16) v Aalborg Handball DEN (a), Biggest defeat: 44:27 (20:13) v MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN (a), Longest winning run: 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 6 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 6 matches ( ) Most goals: 37 v Kadetten Schaffhausen SUI 32:37W (a), Most goals opponent: 44 v MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN 44:27L (a), Most goals both teams: 71 v MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN 44:27L (a), Fewest goals: 21 v Dunkerque HB Grand Littoral FRA 21:23L (h), Fewest goals opponent: 18 v St. Petersburg HC RUS 18:24W (a), Fewest goals both teams: 42 v St. Petersburg HC RUS 18:24W (a), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage MP GF GA GD PTS Stage 2013/14 HC Motor Zaporozhye UKR : :15 Last /15 HC Motor Zaporozhye UKR : :14 5th Gr. D Total : :29 136

137 HC Motor Zaporozhye (UKR) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 69 Sergii Burka UKR Left Back Zaporozhye, UKR Zakhar Denysov UKR Left Wing Ilychevsk, UKR Vladyslav Dontsov UKR Right Back Zaporozhye, UKR Dmytro Doroshchuk UKR Line Player Volyn reg., UKR Gleb Kalarash RUS Line Player Moscow, UKR Artem Kozakevych UKR Right Wing Novovolynsk, UKR Iurii Kubatko UKR Right Back Zaporozhye, UKR Kostyantyn Kurylenko UKR Left Back Zaporozhye, UKR Aidenas Malasinskas LTU Centre Back Lietuva, LTU Sergii Orlovskyi UKR Left Wing Zaporozhye, UKR Barys Pukhouski BLR Centre Back St.Mazorita, BLR Sergey Shelmenko RUS Right Back Kiev, UKR Olexandr Shevelev UKR Line Player Zaporozhye, UKR Ievgen Zhuk UKR Left Wing Zaporozhye, UKR Stanislav Zhukov UKR Left Back Novovolynsk, UKR Gennadiy Komok UKR Goalkeeper Zaporozhye, UKR Valentyn Koshovy UKR Goalkeeper Zaporozhye, UKR Yevgen Sapun UKR Goalkeeper Zaporozhye, UKR Average: 27,55 193,1 92 Nikolay Stepanets coach not a new face in Motor as he worked as their assistant coach in the past in role of an interim coach he won two Ukrainian championship titles and also had his debut in the CL in their last two group phase convinced the Motor s managers to give him a chance to start the 2015/16 season as head coach Kiev born, 50-year-old coached also domestic rivals Budivelnik Brovary and also steered Etoual Sportiv du Sahel to Tunisian league silver and the League Cup in 2007 as Motor play in Brovary in the 2015/16 season, Stepanets returns where he made his first steps as a coach 137

138 Gennadiy Komok goalkeeper talented goalie last play the CL in the 2011/12 season with Russian St.Petersburg, in the only year he spent abroad raised in Zaporozhye, he was number one goalkeeper in the team of city rivals ZTR, multiple CL participant helped ZTR to win five national titles a key player in the national team of Ukraine on the way for their last major tournament EHF EURO 2010, currently taking a break for the national team Ievgen Zhuk left wing promising Ukrainian prospect on the left wing after a few seasons in Burevestnik Lugansk he returned to his mother club after Skopintsev left for Chekhov he should get more prominence on the playing court scored 12 goals in two CL seasons with Motor has exellent accelaration and can surprise with hard shots even from a back court position Sergey Burka left back the tallest (208 cm) player of the Ukrainian championship joined Motor in 2012 from the city rivals of ZTR collected four national titles with his former club ZTR and added two with Motor together with his current teammate Shevelev was among players of the national team of Ukraine at their last major tournament - EHF EURO 2010 since then he has been a regular fixture in the Ukrainian selection Aidenas Malasinskas centre back joined Motor in the summer of 2015, but quickly became a key element in Motor Lithuanian international has no problems with language barrier speaking Russian as well as all team of Motor played also for Kaunas clubs Lusis and Granitas-Karys in his homeland followed by stints with Irun Bidasoa, Fraikin BM. Granollers, Naturhouse La Rioja came from BM Puerto Sagunto and finished third in the ASOBAL top scorers list in the 2014/15 season Barys Pukhouski centre back moved to Motor Zaporozhye from SKA Minsk in the summer of 2015 spent the end of the last season at his home club SKA after leaving Hungary s Csurgo for family reasons also had an experience of playing for Dinamo Minsk in the past one of the leaders and the best all-time scorer (571 goals) of the Belarus national team Olexandr Shevelev line player one of not too many Ukrainians who played in the European leagues recently arrived from Dinamo Minsk (BLR), but played in Astrakhan, Aalborg and in service of Ciudad Real scored his first goals in the CL in 2011 his premiere appearance in the CL was in the 2006/07 season with Ukrainian club Portovik experience and physical strength make him a crucial figure in the center of defence and attack Sergey Shelmenko right back born in Ukraine and played for the national team, but then acquired Russian citizenship and opted to play for Russia after a number of seasons at Medvedi, Shelmenko left the team for Dinamo Minsk, but was unlucky as this club ceased to exist came back to Russia where he spent the rest of the 2013/14 season at St.Petersburg after a short second stint with Medvedi he signed for Motor in the summer of 2015 Artem Kozakevich right wing Motor s long hunt for one of the most talented players in Ukraine was successfully completed in 2014 after the winger from Portovik Yuzhniy signed his dream to score first goals in the CL came true in the 2014/15 season shares the position with Yuriy Kubatko and is considered as one of the main specialists for penalties 138

139 GROUP D Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI) After narrowly missing the VELUX EHF Champions League Last 16 last season, eight-time Swiss champions Kadetten Schaffhausen have their sights set on reaching the knockout stages again this time around, like they did in 2011 and Coached by former German international and world champion Markus Baur (coach of the German junior national team as well), Kadetten bolstered their squad for their ninth participation in Europe s elite club competition since In addition to four talents from their youth programme, the biggest newcomer is Austrian international Nikola Marinovic. The goalkeeper arrives from German club Frisch Auf Göppingen and replaces young German Jonas Maier, who left for TBV Lemgo alongside Swedish line player Anton Mansson. In Marko Mamic (Dunkerque) and Rares Jurca (Basle), two more experienced players left Schaffhausen. Luka Maros (Pfadi Winterthur) is the biggest signing from within the domestic league. The summer transfers gives manager Gabor Vass confidence that they can progress from Group D (opponents: Metalurg, Skjern, Baia Mare and Elverum). In his opinion, the VELUX EHF Champions League is the most important international competition. Each participation shows every top club in Europe how they have developed. Playing hall BBC Arena Schweizersbildstr Schaffhausen Switzerland Capacity: 3,000 Club Address: Kadetten Schaffhausen Schweizersbildstrasse Schaffhausen Switzerland Media contact: Barbara Imobersteg [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: kadettensh Kit colours Light Player shirt: orange Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Dark Player shirt: black Player short: orange Goalkeeper shirt: green Team captain David Graubner shares the hopes of making it through from the first stage: As simple as it sounds, as hard it will be: the objective for the next season is to qualify for the next round. Therefore, we want to finish the group phase in position one or two. In Graubner s opinion the teams in our group are equally strong, which makes it difficult to say who is going to qualify for the next stage. We expect a lot of tight games and hope to be strong enough in crunch time. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Swiss champions Coach: Markus Baur (since 2013) Captain: David Graubner Newcomers: Nikola Marinovic (Frisch auf Göppingen) Luka Maros (Pfadi Winterthur) Johan Koch (TV Emsdetten) Christoffer Brännberger (Haslum Handballklub) Albin Alili (Kadetten Espoirs) Lucas Meister (Kadetten Espoirs) Zoran Markovic (Kadetten Espoirs) Kaj Stokholm (Kadetten Espoirs) Left the club: Jonas Maier (TBV Lemgo) Anton Mansson (TBV Lemgo) Marko Mamic (Dunkerque) Rares Jurca (RTV Basel) Ruben Schelbert (N/A) Benjamin Geisser (St. Otmar St. Gallen) Leszek Starczan (NLB Espoirs) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 9 Last 16 (2): 2010/11, 2011/12 Group Phase (5): 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2012/13, 2014/15) Qualification (1): 2009/10 Other EHF Cup: final 2009/10 Cup Winners Cup: semi-final: 2007/08 Swiss league: 8 titles (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) Swiss Cup: 7 titles 139

140 Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI) Biggest win: 43:18 (23:08) v HC Bosna BH Gas Sarajevo BIH (h), Biggest defeat: 25:36 (13:19) v FC Barcelona Intersport ESP (a), matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest unbeaten run: 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) 2 matches ( ) Longest losing run: 4 matches ( ) 4 matches ( ) Longest run without win: 5 matches ( ) 5 matches ( ) Most goals: 43 v HC Bosna BH Gas Sarajevo BIH 43:18W (h), Most goals opponent: 40 v Füchse Berlin GER 35:40L (h), Most goals both teams: 75 v Füchse Berlin GER 35:40L (h), Fewest goals: 22 v Portland San Antonio ESP 31:22L (a), v SC Pick Szeged HUN 22:23L (h), Fewest goals opponent: 18 v HC Bosna BH Gas Sarajevo BIH 43:18W (h), Fewest goals both teams: 45 v SC Pick Szeged HUN 22:23L (h), VELUX EHF Champions League record MP W T L GF GA GD PTS Stage 2005/06 Kadetten Schaffhausen SUI : :9 3rd Gr. G 2006/07 Kadetten Schaffhausen SUI : :7 3rd Gr. B 2007/08 Kadetten Schaffhausen GCZ SUI : :7 3rd Gr. C 2010/11 Kadetten Schaffhausen SUI : :13 1/8-finals 2011/12 Kadetten Schaffhausen SUI : :14 1/8-finals 2012/13 Kadetten Schaffhausen SUI : :16 6th Gr. D 2014/15 Kadetten Schaffhausen SUI : :14 6th Gr. D Total : :80 140

141 Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 22 Albin Alili SUI Left Back Frauenfeld, SUI Christoffer Brännberger SWE Line Player Farsta, SWE Gabor Csaszar HUN Centre Back Celldömölk, HUN Nikola Cvijetic SUI Right Wing Schaffhausen, SUI David Graubner SUI Left Back Moosseedorf, SUI Johan Koch DEN Line Player Svendborg, DEN Dimitrij Küttel SUI Right Back Gersau, SUI Manuel Liniger SUI Left Wing Winterthur, SUI Zoran Markovic SUI Left Back Schaffhausen, SUI Luka Maros SUI Left Back Zürich, SUI Lucas Meister SUI Line Player Basel, SUI Sergio Muggli SUI Centre Back Zürich, SUI Andrija Pendic SUI Centre Back Arbon, SUI Filip Pendic SUI Line Player Krusevac, SRB Markus Richwien GER Right Wing Magdeburg, GER Leszek Starczan POL Left Wing Olesnica, POL Aleksandar Stojanovic SRB Right Back Jagodina, SRB Nik Tominec SLO Right Wing Luzern, SUI Nikola Marinovic AUT Goalkeeper Belgrad, SRB Nikola Portner SUI Goalkeeper Bern, SUI Kaj Stokholm SUI Goalkeeper Zürich, SUI Average: 26,52 190,9 91,6 Markus Baur coach one of the most prolific playmakers ever in Germany and was part of the golden generation as a player was the extended arm of coach Heiner Brand, so it was obvious that he would become a coach started his coaching career at his former club Lemgo and in 2012 became part of the coaching staff of the German federation 2014 was his most successful year as a coach, leading Kadetten to the Swiss championship and cup title and the German juniors to gold at the Men s 20 EHF EURO EC trophies: EHF Cup: 2006 OG: S 2004, WCh: G 2007, S 2003, EURO: G 2004, S 2002, B

142 Nikola Marinovic coach for more than ten years the number 1 of the Austrian national team was born in Belgrade, but changed the citizenship to Austrian in 2004 his first CL start with Austrian side Bregenz later transferred to various German clubs (Wetzlar, Balingen and Göppingen) Joined Kadetten before the 2015/16 season to replace Jonas Maier Austrian handball player of the year in 2007 Manuel Liniger left wing experienced wing player had been part of the successful Kadetten team from 2007 until 2010 twice semi-finalist of the Cup Winners Cup (becoming top scorer of the competition in 2008/09) and finalist in the EHF Cup 2009/10 started his career in Winterthur and also had spell at German sides Wilhelmshaven, Lemgo and Balingen one of the all time top scorers of Swiss national team with over 800 goals Nikola Portner goalkeeper quite international - born in France and goalkeeping number 1 of the Swiss national team his father Zlatko was a famous handball player in ex-yugoslavia had his first match in the Swiss league at the age of 17 joined Kadetten in summer 2014, but after two seasons he leaves for Montpellier David Graubner left back Swiss international is one of the most experienced players in the Kadetten squad already played seven years for Schaffhausen until 2012, before he joined German side Großwallstadt, but returned one year later like Liniger part of the Kadetten team, which made it to three EC semi-finals, including the final of the EHF Cup in 2010, when they lost against Lemgo, former club of their coach Markus Baur six-time Swiss champion Gabor Csaszar centre back had played professional handball in five different countries: Hungary, Denmark, Spain, France and now Switzerland joined Kadetten in the middle of the 2014/15 season, arriving from French powerhouse PSG Paris the playmaker of the Hungarian national team part of two Olympic Games (2004, 2012) with Hungary, each time to finish fourth national champion in Hungary and Switzerland Johan Koch line player had been playing for German side Emsdetten before he joined Kadetten at the start of the 2015/16 season replaces Swedish line player Anton Mansson, who left for Lemgo (Germany) had been teammate of Mikkel Hansen in his first club GOG Svendborg played three years for current Swedish champions Kristianstad until 2013, before he moved to Germany Dimitrij Küttel right back had 99 appearances in the Swiss youth and junior national teams, scoring an overall of 341 goals had his debut in the Swiss men s national team in 2014 belong to the successful Swiss junior team, which now is an integral part of the men s team arrived from Aarau at Schaffhausen shares the right back position with more experienced Alexandar Stojanovic Markus Richwien right wing German is the only current Kadetten player, who was part of a VELUX EHF FINAL4 tournament, playing at Cologne with Füchse Berlin in 2012 born in Magdeburg, he went through all youth teams of former CL winner SCM in 2007 joined Füchse Berlin, where he became German international debuting against Switzerland in 2008 after winning the German cup and making it to the EHF Cup Finals on home court in 2014, signied for Kadetten, his first club abroad 142

143 GROUP D HCM Baia Mare (ROU) After 16 years, a men s team from Baia Mare is back in the Champions League - in 1998 and 1999 they played the 1/16 round and came up short twice under their old name Minaur Baia Mare. HCM is, apart from HC Vardar, the only club with a male and a female Champions League participant. For the third time they became Romanian champions and by winning this they ended the long series of trophies for HCM Constanta. In Group D, Baia Mare will face Metalurg, Skjern, Zaporozhye, Schaffhausen and the winner of the Qualification Tournament - Elverum Handball Herrer. Ivan Karacic arrives from Meshkov Brest, former Veszprem wing Tamas Ivancsik joined the Romanian side as well as his former team mate Uros Vilovski, Inal Aflitulin arrived from their opponents Zaporozhye and Vladislav Ostroushko from Hungarian side Csurgoi. Romanian champions have benefitted greatly from their Danish born coach Lars Walther, who had been coaching clubs in Denmark, Germany, Slovenia and Italy, before he took over Wisla Plock from 2010 to 2013 to lead them to the Polish championship and the VELUX EHF Champions League. Since 2014, Walther has been Baia Mare s coach. He expects tight games in their group with his country fellows from Skjern being the favourites for the top position: Skjern, Kadetten, Motor and Metalurg are teams with a lot of Champions League experience, we are a potential underdog. But we are here to learn. It is very important for us to show Europe that interesting things are happening in Romanian handball and especially in Baia Mare. Playing hall Sala Polivalenta Lascar Pana Bd. Unirii Nr.14 A Baia Mare - Maramures Romania Capacity: 2,080 Club Address: HCM Baia Mare Str. Valea Rosie Baia Mare - Maramures Romania Media contact: Paul Ursachi [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: hcminaur Kit colours Light Player shirt: blue-white Player short: blue-white Goalkeeper shirt: multicolour Dark Player shirt: yellow Player short: yellow Goalkeeper shirt: multicolour Manager Liviu Bala hopes to gain international experience too: Coming back to play in major European club competition is a great honour for us. It is our aim to gain experience and to qualify for the Last 16. To reach this goal, team captain Viorel Fotache wants to focus on the home strength of his team: Our aim is to try and win our home games because the away game will be difficult for us due to our lack of experience. Kadetten are the team with the most experience in our group and I am sure they will be in first place by the end of the Group Phase. Unfortunately for Walther, two key players missed the season preparation - Antonio Pribanic and Karacic are injured, but both are supposed to be back on track for the start of the Champions League season. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Romanian champions Coach: Lars Walther since 2014 Captain: Viorel Fotache Newcomers: Uros Vilovski (Balatonfüredi) Tamas Ivancsik (Balatonfüredi) Ivan Karacic (Meshkov Brest) Ionut Ramba (HC Odorhei) Vladislav Ostroushko (Csurgoi KK) Cristi Ghita (Selestat) Inal Aflitulin (HC Motor) Albert Cristescu (HCM Constanta) Left the club: Steffen Stegavik (Elverum) Nikola Eklemovic (retired) Andrei Grasu (CSA Steaua) Patricio Martinez Chavez (retired) Ivan Milas (Gwardia Opole) Cristian Malmagro (Naturhouse La Rioja) Daniel Muresan (retired) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 1 Other Challenge Cup: Quarter-final 2003/04, 2004/05 EHF Cup: Round /06 Romanian league: 3 titles (1998, 1999, 2015) Romanian Cup: 5 titles 143

144 HCM Baia Mare (ROU) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 13 Inal Aflitulin RUS Centre Back Astrakhan, RUS Daniel Bera ROU Left Wing Fagaras, ROU Mihai Ionut Busecan ROU Line Player Baia Mare, ROU Albert Georgian Cristescu ROU Line Player Moreni, ROU Viorel Fotache ROU Left Back Galati, ROU Radu Cristian Ghita ROU Right Back Bacau, ROU Tamas Ivancsik HUN Right Wing Györ, HUN Ivan Karacic BIH Centre Back Mostar, BIH Tudor Mihai Marta ROU Right Wing Baia Mare, ROU Bogdan Patru Mihai ROU Right Back Botosani, ROU Vladislav Ostroushko UKR Left Back Cherkasy, UKR Andrei Mihai Popescu ROU Centre Back Baia Mare, ROU Antonio Pribanic CRO Line Player Rijeka, CRO Ionut Ramba ROU Left Back Fagaras, ROU Alexandru Sabou ROU Left Wing Baia Mare, ROU Marius Sadoveac ROU Right Wing Timisoara, ROU Paul Andrei Simulescu ROU Uros Vilovski HUN Line Player Senta, SRB Razvan Mihai Pop ROU Goalkeeper Baia Mare, ROU Peter Tatai HUN Goalkeeper Györ, HUN Average: 28,25 190,3 92,6 Lars Walther coach his best CL performance is the Last 16, with Slovenian powerhouse Gorenje Velenje, in 2006 a local hero in Baia Mare, Walther led HCM to a historic double, the second in the club s history and the first after 16 years as a player made a trip through Europe, playing for a number of Danish clubs and for sides from Germany, Portugal, and Iceland in 2000 started his coaching career at Virum Sorgenfri in Denmark, followed by stints at Roskilde, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, Velenje, Hildesheim, Conversano, Emsdetten and Orlen Wisła Płock 144

145 Peter Tatai goalkeeper after leaving Pick Szeged in 2014, Tatai won his first Romanian championship title with HCM Baia Mare in the 2014/15 season Hungarian reached the CL semi-final with Veszprem in 2006, where he also claimed the Cup Winners Cup and two Hunagarian league titles his amazing saves have earned him a special place in the hearts of Baia Mare s fans Alexandru Sabou left wing born and raised in Baia Mare, Sabou made his comeback after a seven-year exile in Constanta integral part of HCM s team which won their first title after a 16-year hiatus, it was his dream as a little boy to see Baia Mare win the championship with six Romanian championships and seven Romanian Cups, is one of the most decorated Romanian players ever EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 2008, EHF Cup 2014 EC trophies: EHF Cup 2002 EC trophies: Challenge Cup 2015 Ionut Ramba left back has three silver medals in the Romanian championship with Stiinta Bacau, but left the club in bad terms, after a falling-out with the coach his dream is to play in Bundesliga, he had several offers, but Bacau declined all of them after a stint in HC Odorhei, where he won the Challenge Cup, he left for Baia Mare his idol is Siarhei Rutenka, the legendary Belarussian left back Inal Aflitulin centre back very technical player, with a high handball IQ, he became an instant fan-favourite in Baia Mare after his arrival from Zaporozhye in 2015 Astrakhan-born started playing in the youth team of Chekhovskie Medvedi and in 2011 he transferred to Motor has 15 games in the Russian national team and has played in the EHF EURO 2014 named the MVP of the Men s 19 European Open in Sweden in 2007 Antonio Pribanic line player defensive specialist, has already played two seasons in the CL with Pick Szeged admits he knew nothing about HCM before his arrival, but after one year he says that Baia Mare is a perfect city for him had trouble learning Romanian, but says he is getting better day by day being born in Rijeka, a port at the Adriatic Sea, his favourite hobbies are fishing, scubadiving and navigating Uros Vilovski line player has been Tamas Ivancsik s teammate in Veszprem and Balatonfüredi came to Baia Mare after Nikola Eklemovic, the former Veszprem and Baia Mare player, recommended him to sign with HCM the Hungarian press branded Vilovski as a guardian angel, after he saved Zarko Sesum s and Ivan Pesic s life, after an incident in Veszprem which cost the life of Romanian Marian Cozma EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 2008, Champions Trophy 2008 Marius Sadoveac right back versatile left-hander plied his trade as a right wing at HCM Constanta, but he seldom plays on the wing in Baia Mare played six years for Constanta, winning six titles and four Romanian Cups even if he was seen as a huge talent, he did not leave his home town, Timisoara, until he was 23, as he did not believe he could adapt in another town Tamas Ivancsik right wing former teammate with Tatai and Vilovski in Veszprem, is Baia Mare s most decorated player, with seven Hungarian championships, six Hungarian Cups and the Cup Winners Cup in 2008 his older brother, Gergö plays for Veszprem, while younger brother Adam is in Tatabanya KC played eight consecutive seasons in the CL ( ), scoring at least 11 goals in each married to a successful lawyer with whom he shares the exact date of birth EC trophies: Cup Winners Cup 2008, Champions Trophy

146 Elverum Handball Herrer (NOR) A six year long wait and their absence is no more - Norwegian handball is back in the VELUX EHF Champions League. After Fyllingen was the last team to be part of the VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase in the 2009/10 season, now Elverum put Norway back on the map after two wins at the qualification tournament in Banja Luka against the OCI Lions (Netherlands) and Alpla Hard (Austria). Two years ago, the club located close to Hamar and Gjövik failed qualify against Porto after becoming Norwegian champions for the first time, now they made their dream come true, right before the club s 70th anniversary in It is reported that more than 3,000 fans came to the outdoor matches in the 1960 s, so Elverum have a long handball tradition. The mastermind behind the recent success is the only player-coach among the 28 Champions League participants: Swedish playmaker Michael Apelgren. Apelgren gained Champions League experience in Sävehof, and took over the coaches position in 2014 continuing on from current Norwegian national team coach Christian Berge, who is still part of Elverum s coaching staff. In the 2013/14 season - after coming up short in the Champions League qualification - the biggest international success so far for the almost all-scandinavian squad was making it to the group phase of the EHF Cup. Now they hope for more sold-out matches in their arena, when they host their Group D opponents. Playing hall Terningen Arena Hamarvegen Elverum Norway Capacity: 2,400 Club Address: Elverum Handball Herrer Postboks Elverum Norway Media contact: Erik Henriksen [email protected] Online information: Website: Facebook: elverumhandball Kit colours Light Player shirt: white Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: yellow Dark Player shirt: black Player short: black Goalkeeper shirt: green Some of their more experience players like former team captain Leonel Ojala ended their career after becoming champions in spring, so Apelgren s team is quite fresh. Now the whole club is eagerly awaiting their first ever Champions League Group Phase match against Swiss champions Schaffhausen. It is the goal of EHH to develop the players and to put the club up there with the best names in handball. After our dream came true, we want to make the best of playing in the Champions League. Nicolaj Mehl, right back in the squad, and, in addition, part of the club management, hopes that his club can show Europe that the Norwegian league is better than the people believe. Being part of the Champions League is a really big thing for us and Norwegian handball. Though we face really good teams in the group phase, we hope to be lucky enough to cause some surprises on home ground. Team captain Morten Nergaard shares those expectations: We want to make it difficult for all teams to beat us. Our club has dreamt of being part of the Champions League for so many years, so now we are eager to get things started. We have a lot of respect for our opponents and their great players, and we are really happy to host them in Norway. Qualification for the 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League: Norwegian champions, winner of the Qualification Tournament Coach: Michael Apelgren (since 2014) Captain: Morten Neergaard Newcomers: Lars Norberg (Kolstad) David Wattström (Anderstorp SK) Petter Överby (Nötteröy) Jörgen Jansrud (Falk Horten) Steffen Stegavik (Baia Mare) Left the club: Leonel Ojala (end of career) Henri Auer (end of career) Kjetil Aanestad (end of career) Jörgen Bakke (Varberg) Rolf Sandberg (end of career) Erik Hallberg (Charlottenlund) Martin Karlsson (RP IF Linköping) Past achievements VELUX EHF Champions League Participations (including 2015/16 season): 2 Qualification (1): 2013/14 Other Cup Winners Cup: Quarter-final 2010/11 EHF Cup: Group Phase 2012/13 Norwegian league: 3 titles (2009, 2013, 2015) 146

147 Elverum Handball Herrer (NOR) Team roster No. First Name Surname Nat. Position Date of Birth Place of Birth Height Weight 9 Michael Apelgren SWE Centre Back Stockholm, SWE Karl Anders Victor Björkman SWE Right Wing Varnamo, SWE Aleksander Borresen NOR Line Player Baerum, NOR Jonas Burud NOR Right Wing Oslo, NOR Hakon Bratvold Ekren NOR Centre Back Elverum, NOR Torbjörn Fredriksen Eide NOR Left Back Melhus, NOR Joergen Jansrud NOR Left Back Eidskog, NOR Andre Lindboe NOR Left Wing Tonsberg, NOR Didrik W. Linderud NOR Right Wing Oslo, NOR Nikolaj Mehl DEN Right Back Struer, DEN Luka Mitrovic SRB Left Back Vrsac, SRB Morten Nergaard NOR Goalkeeper Elverum, NOR Lars Nordberg NOR Back Elverum, NOR Vegard Bakken Oeien NOR Goalkeeper Elverum, NOR Petter Överby NOR Line Player Kongsvinger, NOR Steffen Stormo Stegavik NOR Centre Back Trondheim, NOR Erik Thorsteinsen Toft NOR Left Back Elverum, NOR Average: 26,11 190,5 92,9 Michael Apelgren coach joined Elverum as playing head coach ahead of the 2014/15 season succeeded former Norwegian international Christian Berge, as Berge became national team coach of Norway was a successful playmaker for Puerto Sagunto in the Spanish Liga Asobal before joining Elverum as a player, he has also represented BM Granollers as well as several Swedish clubs has five Swedish championships as a player played five internationals for Sweden in his playing days. 147

148 Morten Nergaard goalkeeper has spent far most of his career in Elverum, had a short foreign adventure by Danish Aalborg in 2012 played eight internationals for Norway one of the Elverum players who has European experience from the 2012/13 CL qualification and the EHF Cup Group Phase Andre Lindboe left wing born in the women s handball stronghold Larvik played for four other Norwegian clubs before he joined Elverum in 2011 (Halsen, Larvik, Fram, Sandefjord) made a debut in the national team of Norway in April 2011 against Germany took part at the EHF EURO 2014 scoring seven goals in three matches Erik Toft Thorsteinsson left back versatile back court player, and though being right handed, he can actually play all three back court positions has always played in Elverum, the place where he was also born had his debut in Elverum s league team already at the age of 16. is not the only famous name in his family, as his mother is in charge of a well-known Norwegian TV program played 27 junior internationals for Norway Luka Mitrovic left back a versatile Serbian back court player who can also play the playmaker position which he has done in several of his previous clubs playing his second season with Elverum after joining from Danish Norsjaelland Haandbold in the summer of 2014 has played ten senior internationals for Serbia came from Metaloplastika Sabac in his homeland originally, but before joining Elverum, he played three years in Denmark (Nordsjaelland, Aalborg and Skive FH) Hakon Bratvold Ekren centre back has played all his handball career in Elverum played one senior international and 17 junior internationals for Norway. physically strong player and an inventive playmaker, his idol used to be another quite inventive playmaker, Ivano Balic apart from being good at organising his team s attacking play, he is also good at seeking his own chance by breaking through the opponents defence Nikolaj Mehl right back playing his second season in Elverum after joining from league rivals Drammens HK in the summer of 2014 has been playing in Norway since 2012 has a past career in the Danish league clubs Team Tvis Holstebro and Lemvig Thyboron as well as second league club Faaborg HK has an academy exam in international trade and marketing Petter Överby line player joined Elverum ahead of the 2015/16 season from league rivals Notteroy signing a two-year contract with an option for a further year played 12 senior internationals for Norway, including the EHF EURO 2016 qualifiers against Croatia by joining Elverum, he left his younger brother Henrik who was among his teammates in Notteroy strong and solid pivot who is good at making room on the line and with a fine scoring percentage from the line. Karl Anders Björkman right wing on his second stay with Elverum after a trip back to his homeland Sweden to play for league club H43 Lund from came originally from Anderstorps SK in the second Swedish league sustained a knee injury in last season s Norwegian play-off final against Bodo, but was expected fit for the start of the 2015/16 season 148

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150 2014/15 Top Scorers Rank Player Club Goals 1 Momir Ilic (SRB) MKB-MVM Veszprém (HUN) Kiril Lazarov (MKD) FC Barcelona (ESP) Mikkel Hansen (DEN) Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) Karol Bielecki (POL) KS Vive Tauron Kielce (POL) 92 5 Timur Dibirov (RUS) HC Vardar (MKD) 78 6 Zsolt Balogh (HUN) MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) 76 Marko Vujin (SRB) THW Kiel (GER) 76 8 Nikola Karabatic (FRA) FC Barcelona (ESP) 75 9 Igor Karacic (CRO) HC Vardar (MKD) Alex Dujshebaev (ESP) HC Vardar (MKD) Dragan Gajic (SLO) Montpellier Agglomeration HB (FRA) 71 Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson (ISL) FC Barcelona (ESP) Dean Bombac (SLO) MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) Bo Dybdal Spellerberg (DEN) KIF Kolding Kobenhavn (DEN) Uwe Gensheimer (GER) Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) 65 Zlatko Horvat (CRO) HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) Alexander Dereven (RUS) Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) 62 Thomas Mogensen (DEN) SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) Renato Sulic (CRO) MKB-MVM Veszprém (HUN) Dmitry Zhitnikov (RUS) Chekhovskie Medvedi (RUS) /15 All-Star Team 150

151 Past Winners 2015 FC Barcelona (ESP) 2014 SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) 2013 HSV Hamburg (GER) 2012 THW Kiel (GER) 2011 FC Barcelona Borges (ESP) 2010 THW Kiel (GER) 2009 BM Ciudad Real (ESP) 2008 BM Ciudad Real (ESP) 2007 THW Kiel (GER) 2006 BM Ciudad Real (ESP) 2005 FC Barcelona-Cifec (ESP) 2004 RK Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO) 2003 Montpellier HB (FRA) 2002 SC Magdeburg (GER) 2001 Portland San Antonio (ESP) 2000 FC Barcelona (ESP) 1999 FC Barcelona (ESP) 1998 FC Barcelona (ESP) 1997 FC Barcelona (ESP) 1996 FC Barcelona (ESP) 1995 Elgorriaga Bidasoa (ESP) 1994 TEKA Santander (ESP) 151

152 History: 22 years of EHF Champions League /94 Final: ABC Braga vs TEKA Santander 22:22/21:23 (43:45) The inaugural year of the Men s EHF Champions League saw the classic home and away knockout matches being replaced with a totally new system. 32 teams went into two qualification rounds, eliminating 24 clubs. The remaining eight teams were placed into two groups of four teams each playing in a round-robin system. TEKA Santander and ABC Braga topped their respective groups and faced each other in the final. Santander narrowly kept the upper hand and started what should become an eight-year Spanish club winning streak in the Men s EHF Champions League. 1994/95 Final: Elgorriaga Bidasoa Irun vs Badel Zagreb 30:20 / 26:27 (56:47) The final of the EHF Champions League s second season became the match of a lifetime for Irun s Nenad Perunicic, nicknamed the canon or Il Conquistadore by the fans. He was his team s key player in the final and, in his first year in Spain, not only he lifted the EHF Champions League but also the national championship trophy with Irun. 1995/96 Final: FC Barcelona vs Elgorriaga Bidasoa Irun 23:15 / 23:23 (46:38) In the season that was marked by the Bosman decision, which had substantial effects on transfer regulations and transfer fees in sport, FC Barcelona won their first EHF Champions League title. No other should be capable of dethroning the Catalan side for the next four years. 1996/97 Final: FC Barcelona vs Badel Zagreb 31:22 / 30:23 (61:45) In their second consecutive EHF Champions League Final Barcelona dominated both matches against Badel Zagreb. And while the Spanish side celebrated their second EHF Champions League triumph, the Croatian side had lost their second final. Also in 1996/97 the so called fast break was born due to a rule change, making handball more attractive and athletic than ever before. 1997/98 Final: FC Barcelona vs Badel Zagreb 28:18 / 28:22 (56:40) Barcelona beat Zagreb once more to win their third consecutive EHF Champions League title. But at least as much news as the repeated triumph made the wedding of Barcelona player Inaki Urdangarin who married Christina, youngest daughter of Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, on 4th October /99 Final: Badel Zagreb vs FC Barcelona 22:22 / 18:29 (40:51) Once again there were tears in Zagreb and joy in Barcelona. The Spanish team beat Zagreb in their third consecutive final and lifted the EHF Champions League trophy for the fourth time in a row. Zagreb s coach Velimir Klajic had to admit that Barcelona at this moment in time, were quite simply the best club team in the world. 1999/00 Final: THW Kiel FC Barcelona 28:25 / 24:29 (52:54) THW Kiel became the first German team to make it into the Final but even a 28:25-victory in the final s first leg was not enough to end Barcelona s EHF Champions League winning streak. Backed by half of the Spanish national team and international stars like Christian Schwarzer and Tomas Svensson, Barcelona won their fifth title. 2000/01 Final: Portland San Antonio FC Barcelona 30:24 / 22:25 (52:49) For Barcelona it was a whole new feeling to watch another team celebrating at the end of the Champions League Final. Following five consecutive titles an era came to end when Spanish King Juan Carlos handed the huge tropy to Portland San Antonio at the end of all- Spanish Final. 2001/02 Final: Fotex Veszprem vs SC Magdeburg 23:21 / 25:30 (48:51) One year after Barcelona s dominance had ended in the EHF Champions League, the dominance of Spanish clubs also came to an end, when SC Magdeburg became the first German team to win the competition. And late at night, at the end of a glittering party, Stefan Kretzschmar and coach Alfred Gislason were still up for jokes: Training is on the agenda. The entire team is going to run through the whole town until 08:00 tomorrow morning, they both proclaimed. 2002/03 Final: Portland San Antonio Montpellier HB 27:19 / 19:31 (46:50) A new star was born during the finals of the 2002/03 EHF Champions League season. Montpellier s Nikola Karabatic scored 11 goals in the first leg in Spain and another six in front of his home fans, enabling his team to turn around the eight goal defeat from the first leg and to become the first French side to win the EHF Champions League. 2003/04 Final: Celje vs Flensburg- Handewitt 34:28 / 28:30 (62:58) In March 2003 the EHF had decided on a new structure for the competition. Three teams from Spain and Germany now had a starting slot. Two representatives from Hungary, Slovenia, Denmark and Croatia would start in the Group Phase. Overall 32 teams (8 groups of 4 teams each) made up the Group Phase. Flensburg had profited from the new system but Slovenian side Celje was too strong in the final. 2004/05 Final: BM Ciudad Real vs FC Barcelona Cifec 28:27 / 27:29 (55:56) Following four years without being present in the final, Barcelona won their sixth EHF Champions League title. And while the spectator record for one match was 10,000 fans, the whole city celebrated Barcelona s victory. We did a lap of honour in the Stadion Nou Camp in front of 100,000 spectators and were celebrated by the whole town, remembers Barcelona s Dane Lars Krogh Jeppesen. 152

153 History: 22 years of EHF Champions League /06 Final: Portland San Antonio vs BM Ciudad Real 19:25 / 28:37 (47:62) Spanish businessman and BM Ciudad Real president, Domingo Diaz de Mera, had put together a team that proved to be unbeatable in the 2005/06 Champions League season. Mera bought superstars from all over Europe and the team around Olafur Stefansson, Mirza Dzomba, Didier Dinart et al. paid justified Mera s expenses when they beat Spanish rival San Antonio in the final. 2006/07 Final: SG Flensburg- Handewitt vs THW Kiel 28:28 / 27:29 (55:57) The EHF Champions League, through the efforts of the 2005 founded EHF Marketing GmbH, became a unified look. Since 2006, TV spectators across Europe know they are watching a men s EHF Champions League match when they see the distinct blue lagoon and black supplied by flooring specialists Gerfloor in addition to the season s individual yellow and blue handball supplied by adidas. On the sport side of things, Kiel won their first EHF Champions League title, beating arch rival Flensburg-Handewitt. 2007/08 Final: BM Ciudad Real vs THW Kiel 27:29 / 31:25 (58:54) In the 2007/08 season a second Group Phase with four groups of four teams each replaced the Last 16-matches and the quarter-finals. The first teams of each group qualified for the semi-finals and in the final 2006 champion Ciudad Real faced 2007 champion THW Kiel. The Spanish side prevailed and could win their second EHF Champions League trophy. 2008/09 Final: THW Kiel vs BM Ciudad Real 39:34 / 27:33 (66:67) THW Kiel and BM Ciudad Real faced each other in the final for the second year in a row and even though Kiel had won the first leg of the final by five goals, it was Ciudad Real that won the EHF Champions League for a second consecutive time. Kiel were still in the lead by 20:16 after 39 minutes but with a series of 10:3 goals within 11 minutes Ciudad Real turned the match in their favour. 2009/10 Final: FC Barcelona Borges vs HW Kiel 34:36 In the 2009/10 season the number of participating teams in the first Group Phase was reduced from 32 to 24. Four groups of six teams each were formed and the first four teams qualified for the knockout phase which replaced the second group phase. For the first time the VELUX EHF FINAL4 tournament, which combined the Semi-finals and the Final, was held in Cologne, Germany, to decide the champion. THW Kiel won their second title when they beat Barcelona. 2010/11 Final: FC Barcelona vs Renovalia Ciudad Real 27:24 Since 2010 the event is known as the VELUX EHF Champions League. 40,000 fans stormed to Cologne to attend the VELUX EHF FINAL4 weekend and TV viewing audience figures went to a new height. 310 million viewers from 76 countries worldwide watched 2,800 hours of TV transmissions 2010/11. Barcelona extended their lead as the most successful club in EHF Champions League history when won their seventh title, beating Ciudad Real in the Final. 2011/12 Final: THW Kiel vs BM Atletico Madrid 26:21 The German powerhouse sensationally lost in their first home match of the season against Montpellier, but no other team was able to overcome THW Kiel throughout the remaining of the season. Gíslason led his team to the third trophy in the club s history becoming the first coach who won with two different teams. Defending champions from Barcelona were eliminated in the quarter-finals by AG København, but the Danish side was stopped in the semi-final by Atlético Madrid, who made it to the VELUX EHF FINAL4 for the fourth time in a row. 2012/13 Final: FC Barcelona vs HSV Hamburg 29:30 AET HSV Hamburg go into the new season as the defending champion. For the first time the extra-time had to decide the winner. In 20 years of EHF Champions League history there have only been two champions, Montpellier in 2003 and Celje in 2004, who neither came from Spain nor from Germany. The All-Stars team of the 20 years were announced: Goalkeeper Tomas Svensson (SWE), Left Wing Stefan Kretzschmar (GER), Left Back Filip Jícha (CZE), Line Player Andrei Xepkin (ESP), Centre Back Jackson Richardson (FRA), Right Back (Oláfur Stefansson), Right Wing Mirza Džomba (CRO), Best defender Didier Dinart (FRA) 2013/14 Final: SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs THW Kiel 30:28 For the third year in a row a team from Northern Germany prevailed as SG Flensburg-Handewitt took both of their opponents at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 by surprise. In the semi-final the Vranjes boys eliminated giants of FC Barcelona after a penalty-shoot-out thriller and made the Cinderrella story perfect by beating their neighbours from Kiel 30:28 in the final. 2014/15 Final: FC Barcelona vs MKB-MVM Veszprem 28:23 The defending champions from SG Flensburg-Handewitt were eliminated already in the Last 16 as well as Rhein-Neckar Löwen. The end of the three-year-old reign of Bundesliga was sealed only in Cologne as THW Kiel were unable to repeat their 2014 semi-final win against Veszprem. However, the effort of Hungarian champions for their premiere trophy were denied by FC Barcelona who rose to the throne for the eighth time in the EHF history. 153

154 All-time club standings ( ) # TR Name of the club MP W D L GF:FA GD P NP % G 1 1 FC Barcelona Lassa ESP : :100 (19) 78,07 B 2 2 THW Kiel GER : :111 (19) 74,77 A 3 3 MKB-MVM Veszprém HUN : :124 (20) 69,31 A 4 4 HC PPD Zagreb CRO : :188 (22) 54,81 A 5 5 BM Atletico Madrid ESP : :61 (10) 78,82 A 6 6 RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO : :143 (18) 58,91 A 7 7 Montpellier HB FRA : :120 (16) 61,04 B 8 8 SG Flensburg-Handewitt GER : :87 (11) 66,54 A 9 9 HSV Hamburg GER : :51 (7) 73, Portland San Antonio ESP : :66 (9) 67, Chekhovskie Medvedi RUS : :119 (14) 52,78 C KIF Kolding Kobenhavn DEN : :95 (12) 54,33 B MOL-Pick Szeged HUN : :125 (13) 47,03 B KS Vive Tauron Kielce POL : :70 (9) 61,11 B Reale Ademar Leon ESP : :94 (10) 53,00 D Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER : :50 (6) 64,29 B Chambery Savoie Handball FRA : :87 (8) 41, HC Metalurg MKD : :69 (7) 44,36 D RK Gorenje Velenje SLO : :71 (6) 42,74 A SC Magdeburg GER : :29 (4) 63, HC Vardar MKD : :85 (9) 37,50 B Orlen Wisla Plock POL : :86 (9) 34,85 A Kadetten Schaffhausen SUI : :80 (8) 35,48 D Paris Saint-Germain Handball FRA : :41 (5) 51,19 A TATRAN Presov SVK : :54 (7) 25,00 C Naturhouse La Rioja ESP : :27 (3) 38,64 C HC Motor Zaporozhye UKR : :29 (3) 34,09 D HC Meshkov Brest BLR : :56 (6) 17,65 C Skjern Handbold DEN : :19 (3) 32,14 D Futebol Clube do Porto POR : :15 (2) 25,00 C Besiktas Jimnastik Kulubu TUR : :18 (2) 10,00 A Alpla HC Hard AUT : :12 (1) 0,00 Q NR Elverum Handball Herrer NOR :0 0 0:0 (1) 0,00 D NR HCM Baia Mare ROU :0 0 0:0 (1) 0,00 D NR Vojvodina SRB :0 0 0:0 (1) 0,00 C NR IFK Kristianstad SWE :0 0 0:0 (1) 0,00 B NR RK Borac m:tel BIH :0 0 0:0 (0) 0,00 Q NR OCI-LIONS NED :0 0 0:0 (0) 0,00 Q ^ = Excluding Qualifying matches The club name is the last used name in the CL TR total ranking MP matches played W wins D draws L losses GF:GA goals for:goals against P points NP number of participations % = winning percentage G - group All stats in this guide are provided by Roy Knoppert 154

155 2015/16 VELUX EHF Champions League Group Phase Media Guide by EHF Media & Communications, 15/09/2015 Contributors: Björn Pazen, Peter Bruun, Bence Martha, Zoran Milosavljevic, Kevin Domas, Magda Pluszewska, Bruno Pinevic, Sergey Nikolaev, Francisco Miranda, Igor Grachev, Amina Idrizi, Nejc Adnik, Eren Cetin, Fulya Oktem, Tomas Cuncik, Adria Barrio, Adrian Costeiu, Nemanja Savic, Roy Knoppert 155

156 For further information please contact: Vladislav Brindzak EHF Media & Communications [email protected] European Handball Federation Hoffingergasse Vienna Austria Tel EHF Marketing GmbH Hoffingergasse Vienna Austria Tel