Odense and Györ renew rivalry; FTC look to stay perfect in round 6
The EHF Champions League Women 2026/27 returns for round 6 this weekend with intriguing clashes across both groups. In group A, FTC-Toyota Kovács look to protect their status as the competition's only unbeaten side against in-form BV Borussia Dortmund, while the Match of the Week sees Team Esbjerg host Brest Bretagne Handball, as both clubs aim to bounce back from their first defeats of the season.
In group B, Metz Handball and Györi Audi ETO KC lost their first points last week, sharing the spoils in a mutual encounter. Now, both sides hope to get back on the winning track as Metz host HSG Blomberg-Lippe, while Györ play at Odense Håndbold. Gloria Bistrita take on Storhamar Håndball Elite in another exciting game, and HC Podravka meet Nykøbing Falster Håndbold.
FTC is a top team that is very strong in every position and can make it to the FINAL4. That's a tough challenge for us, but we want to be a bit uncomfortable for them and take something from the game. For us, it's now important that we travel to Budapest with a positive feeling despite the defeat in the Bundesliga. We have nothing to lose, and we've had good results in the Champions League so far. We're going to put everything on the line once more and see what's possible in Budapest.
It is going to be an intense match. Brest is a team that plays very aggressive in defence. They are highly mobile and they tend to take a lot of initiative during the game. It is going to be a tough match, but those are also the fun ones.
This will be a really important game for us because we’ll be facing a great opponent with some really talented players. But, to be honest, in the Champions League you only face the best. We know they have one of the best players in the world. We’re going into this game with a clear goal. Of course, we want to win every game, but this one is particularly important for us. We’ll be fully focused on getting the win and, of course, we’ll give it everything we have.
A tough away game against CSM awaits us. We were there last year as well, so we know it will be a great experience. Our main goal for this game is to minimise our technical errors, as we have had too many in our recent matches.
Storhamar is an established Champions League team with years of experience in the competition. They are proving to be very solid defensively this season and are a highly disciplined team in attack. We have great respect for our opponents and know it will be a tough battle.
Gloria Bistrita is a good team with many talented players and plenty of quality. They are strong both individually and as a team, and they have several players who can make a difference in the match. We know that facing them will be a challenge, but we have faith in our own team and will do our best to bring home a good result.
The objective this weekend is clear: To continue our positive momentum and preserve our unbeaten record in the Champions League. Against Blomberg, we must remain vigilant. Although they are lacking points, this team remains, in my eyes, highly competitive and relies on high-quality players. This match must be approached with the utmost seriousness. A final high-level challenge that is essential to validate the work accomplished before the players leave for the international break.
We want to set ourselves clear goals for the game against Metz, while also keeping our expectations realistic. Winning away from home against a team like Metz is a huge challenge, but we’ll give everything we have as a team and stay true to our values.
We know they like to play physically and at an extremely high pace, and we need to be both brave enough and capable of matching that intensity. We also want to challenge them in certain periods and see if we can outrun them. Both teams like to take their chances and finish attacks, so it will require tremendous defensive discipline from us from start to finish.
I think it will be really fun to be back there. I have a lot of memories from that club and from that arena. I think intensity, first of all, I know that they didn't have the best start in the season and there have been a lot of changes in general in the club, but they have really good players and we have to be ready for everything. I think when they have the intensity then they play really good.
We will prepare thoroughly this week, as a fierce 60-minute battle awaits us. We are playing against an excellent team, but I believe in our quality and that we can secure the two points. We are training at slightly different times this week to adjust to Sunday's match schedule, and I hope the crowd will come out in large numbers to support us.
We must keep the offensive level from our latest game, and step up defensively, to challenge Podravka in their own venue. We are learning all the time and we are trying to up our game, but we realise that we are up against more experienced teams.
