The top four teams in this year's EHF Champions League Women are set to clash for the title in the 20,000-seater MVM Dome. The semi-finals pitch the record champions against debutants, and the reigning champions against resurgent opponents.
After conceding a painful loss against Brest Bretagne Handball last season in the semi-finals, Györi Audi ETO KC, who won five titles between 2013 and 2021, are back in business, but will face another team that has lost a single game this season, Team Esbjerg.
On the other hand, Metz Handball beat reigning champions Vipers Kristiansand twice in the group phase, but can they do it again in a fiery clash that will yield the second finalist for Sunday?
Györi Audi ETO KC (HUN) vs Team Esbjerg (DEN)
Saturday 3 June 2022, 15:15 CEST, live on EHFTV
- Györ qualified for the seventh time in eighth editions for the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest, winning the title four times, boasting 10 wins and two losses
- Esbjerg, who have played only 56 games in the EHF Champions League Women, will be fighting for the trophy at the EHF FINAL4 for the first time
- the Hungarian powerhouse has the best attack in the competition with an average of 32.9 goals per game, while their defence has conceded the fewest goals per game: 24.8 on average
- the MVP of last season’s EHF FINAL4, Norwegian back Henny Reistad, is Esbjerg’s top scorer this season, putting 86 goals past the opponents; Györ’s top scorer Stine Oftedal has scored 54 goals so far this season
- no other player has a better average of goals scored per game at the EHF FINAL4 than Reistad, who scored 30 times in four games, being the 10th best scorer in the history of the tournament
- the two teams finished first in their respective groups in the group phase, being the sides with the lowest amount of losses in the competition this season – one each
- Esbjerg are coming into the EHF FINAL4 after losing the play-offs for the Danish domestic title to Odense Handbold: they lost 25:24 on Tuesday and the best-of-three series 2-1
- the two sides have met only twice in the EHF Champions League Women: Györ clearly won both duels in the 2016/17 season: 32:26 and 33:22
If you want to achieve final victory, you have to get through the semi-final first. It won’t be easy. There are many different teams with different styles of play, I am sure it will be a great weekend of handball.
It will be a tough game, really tough. Györ have the best team on paper and everyone is maybe expecting them to win, but they also have the big pressure by losing this game last year. They really want to win this year.
