Hungarian-Romanian clashes highlight round 4; five teams still unbeaten
After the international break, the EHF Champions League Women 2026/27 returns for round 4 this weekend. The Match of the Week travels to Hungary, where FTC-Toyota Kovács welcome CSM Bucuresti in a clash between two clubs that switched players over the summer. Team Esbjerg and Brest Bretagne Handball look to maintain their perfect starts, while BV Borussia Dortmund hope to build on their impressive round 3 win.
Another Hungarian-Romanian clash will take place in group B, as Györi Audi ETO KC aim to extend their winning run in the match against Gloria Bistrita. Title holders Metz Handball host Nykøbing Falster Håndbold, while Odense Håndbold will take on Storhamar Håndball Elite in a Nordic duel.
It will be a very difficult game. They are a very good team, and they have started the Champions League at a very high level. They have a lot of very good players. I hope that in this game we can show the same energy we had last year and make it a difficult game for them. They are playing at home, with great support from their fans, so we need to handle that atmosphere and play at our best level if we want to take some good points from there.
We’ve delivered strong performances in our opening games, and now the goal is clear — to turn those performances into points. We’ll get our first opportunity on Sunday when Dortmund visit SR-Group Arena. We’re looking forward to the game and will give everything to secure the first points this season
The game in Brest is the last in our opening run against four top European teams, so we know that another very strong opponent is waiting for us. Brest is a great place to play, with a strong home atmosphere, and we know they are particularly difficult to face on their home court. For us, the most important thing is to show that we are progressing day by day as a team. We want to take another step forward and will come to Brest ready to give everything we have.
We’re really looking forward to playing at home in front of our fans. With their support behind us, we want to fight for our first two points of the season. We know that it will require a strong performance from the first minute, especially with an aggressive and solid defence and an effective attack. We have continued to develop as a team, and now we want to show that progress on the court and reward our fans with a great performance.
They are a very good team with a solid defence. I hope we can find a way to avoid their best defenders. They also have a very stable goalkeeper, but I think this away match will be very, very difficult for us. However, with a solid defence and the support of the goalkeeper, we can manage to win.
It’s a very important match because it’s our first one after the international break. I really hope we can continue the positive momentum we’ve had at the start of the season. It’s a team we played against a few weeks ago during pre-season, so we know they can cause us problems in certain areas. It’s up to us to use the experience we gained from that game to step up, respond well and impose our game in this match.
I think we need to be very disciplined and focused from the beginning. Bistrita is a strong team and they can punish you if you give them too many easy opportunities. For us, it will be important to have a solid defence, run when we have the chance, and stay patient and connected as a team for 60 minutes.
I believe Györ has been the benchmark in women's handball over the last decade. We will have to try not to lose control of the match and remain effective in attack so as not to give them fast-break opportunities. Sarah Bouktit on the six-meter line, Bruna de Paula and Thale Rushfeldt Deila with their one-on-one play, and Dione Housheer with her shots from nine metres out will be the toughest challenges for our defence to handle.
