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An advantage of 11 goals for Lada from the first match leaves room for a somewhat more relaxed attitude on behalf of the Russian team in the second bout. Even if we put aside the result of the first match, the circumstances are a bit unpleasant for the Russians. On Wednesday Lada won the fifth match in the Russian league playoff semifinal, securing the final that starts this week with games in Volgograd on Wednesday and Thursday. A hell of a schedule for Lada, who've spent more time flying and in transit than on court, and for whom the priority this season has been to win the Russian championship and get to the Champions league. Then there is also the fact that Russian teams play far better at home than away, which is one of the factors Esbjerg are also counting on. This season they eliminated Dinamo Volgograd, the leading Russian team in the regular season and the playoff finalist in the title battle, in this very EHF cup, by losing the first match by six and then winning +9 in Esbjerg. Their coach Frederiksen also bases his optimism on a positive experience against Lada while coaching Vejen, with whom they beat Lada +11 at home four seasons ago. If they had it in them to outplay and beat Volgograd by +9, I see no reason why they couldn't beat Lada, who are stretched thin by battling on two fronts, with at least 2-3 goals over the margin offered for the handicap in this second match. Details

After four rounds in the group deciding the 1st through 6th ranking, Leipzig's season is over. By winning their last duel with Metzingen they've cemented their second spot with huge 12 points ahead third Buxtehunder. The title and first spot can't be reached, and are held by Thuringer. Apart from second spot, Leipzig also achieved another big goal, winning the German Cup two weeks ago, beating Blomberg 36-26 in the final. After that final the players mostly partied, they played Metzingen without a single practice session and this match was announced as another celebratory occasion with the fans and all the players who won the cup appearing. Oldenburg are sixth at the moment, at the last playoff position and their only priority in the remainder of the season is getting 5th spot, a position of only theoretical significance, as 4th spot leading to European cups, is realistically out of their reach. Both teams are trending over in their last five games, with both having four overs and just one under at this margin. Both of the more significant games played by Leipzig in the final of the cup also went over. In their three previous games they had 52, 56, and 64 goals, with the last one two months ago. As neither of the teams have any real motive for a competitive result, we can expect a rerun of their last match. Details

The fact remains, Blomberg are the best team among those fighting to stay in the league and for positions 7-12. But, they might not have any motivation left for the rest of the play off. The seventh position would make the team happy, but it has no other significance for them. They did better than they could have hoped for by reaching the German Cup final, and the players are still satisfied with that result. Bensheim won twice to keep their hopes for staying in the league going. They need to win the remaining play off games and they need their direct rival Trier to lose two out of the remaining four rounds, which is not impossible. Bensheim lost all three head to head games with Blomberg this season, the last one took place less than two months ago. They lost it by just three goals. The whole team got much more confident lately and improved their game. Bensheim's back court and Germany's best junior player Jennifer Rode, got in the spotlight. Bensheim are also counting on their former player Magelinskas, who is now the play maker at Blomberg. She was at Bensheim for three seasons, and is now one of Blomberg's best players. However, she didn't do as good as she usually does against her former team. She scored only one goal in the last two games. Bensheim's worst defeat in the six play off games was by 7 goals, and the handicap at their last game was set at the margin of 2.5. Details

Larvik are an absolute favorite in this duel, proving it by beating Byasen both in previous seasons and three times in this one, +11 i +7 in the championship and +3 in the Norwegian cup. The last defeat Larvik suffered against Tertness in the semifinal of this playoff, and the criticism they caught over not trying enough, leads us to believe they will go full throttle in this first match against Byasen, all out attacking and running a lot. They scored an average of 35 goals per game this season, and 32.3 against Byasen this season. By winning 1st place in the championship Larvik have confirmed their 16th title in the last 20 seasons, the trophy and medals given in the last round match more than a month ago. Byasen also achieved their goal by winning second place, which leads to a view of this game as one with no tension and a bit more open than under standard conditions, with only two games played and the goal aggregate counts. Also, a few players on both teams are playing their last games for their clubs, and one of those who will definitely want to leave an impression before leaving is one of their best and most efficient, left wing Camilla Herrem, leaving Byasen after nine seasons. In the end, the stats earlier in the season give us two overs and one under with this margin. Details

Lada had all their successes this season based on the same principle, a fast transformation of the game, 50 shots in the offense, 30 field goal per game in their last five matches, aggressive pressing on the opponent players. The result of that game was placement to the EHF Cup finals, and a big comeback to the semifinals series of the playoffs in the Russian championship. A problem before the match against Esbjerg will be a very short, or none, period to get ready, considering they only had three days off since the last match against Rostov. Coach Akopjan announced rotating players on the court, which means that the fifth match of the semifinals against Rostov might be more important than the one they'll have on Wednesday, or, that rotation will influence their quality and continuity in the 60 minutes of today's duel. Esbjerg already played against the second Russian team in the EHF Cup quarterfinals this season, Dinamo Volgograd, and in both matches, there was 129 goals total, in Volgograd 66, and in the return fixture 63. Last season, Esbjerg played this same cup with another Russian team, Rostov Don, there were 57 goals in the first, and 59 in the second match. A factor working for Esbjerg here is definitely Lada's players' fatigue, they played two matches against Rostov this week, and with a constant pressure from both sides, Esbjerg should use that. The conditions are favorable for a match with over 55 goals, and it's worth the set stake. Details

No need to repeat, but the results are consistent, Viborg are a collection of players who earned and have the potential to play among the best four European teams on the Champions League Final Four played in Budapest this weekend, instead of this Cup of the winners of the cup finals. They haven't been defeated at home this season, they defeated this year's CL finalist twice in the Danish championship, the Midtjylland with 3 and 9 goals difference, they defeated Randers two times, and they're one of the best European teams, they had a +10 on a match a month ago, and in the Cup of the winners of the cups, they crushed another Champions League participant, the Hungarian Ferencvaros with +8 in this cup quarterfinals, in the semifinals in both matches, they defeated the Russian Rostov with the total difference of 17. That same Rostov were the second placed team in the Russian championship, Zvezda were fourth and they defeated Zvezda two times in the regular part of the season. Despite the undeniable Viborg team's quality, Zvezda's big problem is the fact they played two matches this week against Dinamo Volgograd within the Russian championship semifinals, and on Wednesday, they have the deciding fifth match of the semifinals in Volgograd, and they basically haven't been preparing for this match against Viborg. Viborg have to use this situation to the fullest and make a supply in the first match, which would take Viborg to their sevent European trophy. Details

Ethnikos were not outplayed in the first two matches of the finals, and they were the better team for the most of the time, statistically, their service and block were more efficient, the offense was consistent, and the reception was a bit weaker, if we look at the mistakes total. Olympiakos have a big advantage with the results so far, they're a step away from defeating their title, but Ethnikos don't have the pressure on them. Ethnikos already surpassed their goal for this season, getting placed in the semifinals, but since they're a step away from getting the title, they won't surrender, especially because they showed they're equal, at least, to Olympiakos both individually and as a team in four matches against Olympiakos this year, all played in five sets. Ethnikos had a win in their hands two times in these finals, in the first match they lead with 2-1 and 13-8 in the fourth set, in the second finals duel they lead 2-0 in sets and then didn't use a big advantage to crush their big rival, and the main reason they used to explain it was that they lacked focus in the final moments of the match. The factor that lacked in the first two matches could be the home fans and home court, where Ethnikos were defeated only once this season in all three fronts, and where they defeated Olympiakos in the regular part of the season. Details

Generally speaking, I see Issy as the favorites to win the title in the European Cup but a low-scoring game is a a much more realistic chance here. These are two teams that like a running game but base their concept on hard defense, especially the French team with tall central players, while both teams have quality keepers. Statistically speaking, both teams have the best defense in their respective leagues - Hoors have an average of 22.6 goals allowed per game while Issy have an average of 24.8 goals. Hoors have 2 unders on this margin against Savenhof, a team much faster than the French team. Last year, Hoors beat Nimes in the Challenge Cup and the two games saw 49 and 38 goals. Another thing that speaks in favor of this is the fact that Issy played a return game of French playoff quarterfinals on Wednesday and they had very little time to recharge for another 60-minute race. If the results stays leveled early on, we can expect a match with at least 2-3 goals under this margin. Details

Despite the quality that Olympiacos have and the home court advantage, Ethnikos have the momentum ahead of the final game of the series. First of all, they have more energy after handling the semi-finals in three games and had a 15-day break before the final, unlike Olympiacos who secured the finals after 5 matches and had only a couple of days to prepare. Secondly, Olympiacos have a problem with both setters, as their starting setter Kournetas has a constant injury problem while his replacement Maroulis is struggling with his meniscus. The situation among Ethnikos team is more ore less ideal in terms of players as they have two players - Raić and Mijailović - who are among the top 5 scorers in the league (2nd and 4th, respectively). When it comes to reception, Olympiacos's libero Stefanou is the most efficient player in the league, but two Ethnikos's players are right behind him - receiver Mijailović and libero Daridis. The situation is equal in terms block, the starting central blockers are experienced players on both ends. The first match is a huge chance for Ethnikos, the offered set handicap for Ethnikos and the over on total number of points are two good options, but the final choice is the handicap on the away teams, because of good odds and conditions for them to get a good start in the series. Details

If we forget about Randers' miserable start in the first 15 minutes of the first match, the rhythm of the first semifinals match was for over 50 goals scored. Randers saw they can match Midtjylland only with the speed and lucidity of their offenses, and the middle back Macarena Aguilar is a player who can make a difference, they took the control over in the second part and scored 15 goals. Even with the -2 goals difference, they managed to come back to the game for the placement. Their club announced they'll go hard from the beginning, they're one of the best Danish teams when it comes to counter attacks, and that's exactly what the Midtjylland coach pointed out, "if the number of scored goals from the counter attacks is bigger than the one on Randers' side, it could easily decide this match." Randers fulfilled their plan for this season, they placed themselves to the semifinals, and they see that as their advantage, meaning, they won't give up hoping to get to two best Danish teams. They can only do that if they impose their style of playing, fast rhythm and lots of shots on Midtjylland goal. They won't get a second chance. Details

Viborg were a favorite even before the semifinals began, they have four goals difference from the first match, and today, they're playing at home, where they haven't been defeated this season. Statistically, they're the most efficient team of the Danish championship, with 31.5 goals per game, 32 at home, a team who always play to score one goal more. According to coach Dalmos's words, they won't spare themselves in this return fixture, either. Esbjerg are the second most efficient team, after Viborg, with 29.5 goals per game, 28.5 in away matches, they have the two most efficient players among the five best, Polman is the best scorer of Danish championship with 177 goals, Ahlm is fourth. Technically-tactically, this could be their last match this season, they don't have the space to calculate, and nothing to lose. They'll force the offense to try and reduce the four goals difference in the first part of the match, they have the potential in the backcourt, and that will definitely leave more space for Viborg players to use their killing counter attacks, which were the crucial factor in Viborg's win in the second half-time of the first match. As for the goalies, Chana Masson on Viborg's goal knows how to defend well in a series, while both Norwegian goalies can't brag about their continuity in Esbjerg. Two matches this season ended with 58 and 60 goals, the first semifinal match with 54, but the prerequisites before the second show we can expect a match with almost 60 goals. Details

Fener were the first team to beat Vakifbank, decisively winning against them, after an incredible series of 74 wins in all competitions. Just 10 days ago they were close to another such win over Vakif in the Turkish Cup final, with a 2-0 lead in sets, but they relaxed, and along with some debatable decisions by the coach, they lost that final after 5 sets. In the mean time, Fener routinely went through both semifinal matches, while Vakif had to play three, the last on Tuesday in five sets. Fener have had two more days to rest, which could influence the quality of the game, at least in the first match of the final. The venue is the Burhan Felek arena, home ground for both teams, but most of the crowd will be supporting Fener. From the perspective of players, Brazilian Garay, a universal Fener player, complained of a back injury, and might not play. If she doesn't, captain of the team Seda Tokatliokglu will take her place, as the original receiver, although often playing first attacker this season. She played as receiver instead of Garay a few times earlier in the season, one of those against Vakifbank. Garay is extremely offensively oriented, but Seda is a better receiver, so the reception will improve. Fener also have Kim Yeong, for whom Vakif had no answer this season, libero Merve who has had a great season, and Bauer at middle, paired with Edu Erdem for a skim block equaling that of Vakif. Vakif have the advantage in organization, as Naz is a more lucid setter, but she also struggles with a back injury, missing the second semifinal match against Galata and is not in optimal form. They also have Jovana Brakočević as opposite, but she is far from best from lately. In summary, Fener are in a better position before the first match of the final, and worth playing for such a stake. Details

The third game in the final series, the current results is 1-1. AEK won the first match by 3-1 and Olympiacos won the second by 3-0. They are two very even team with similar profiles and dominated by two experienced foreign players on both ends. For AEK its Serbian opposite Jelena Josović and Spanish central blocker Fernandez, while for Olympiacos, it's Hungarian player Kiss on the attack and the Czech central blocker Monzoni. These two teams are very close, they had an even H2H in regular season and both have won their respective home games. This is because they have the support of their home "football" fans as they have been an influence throughout the season. AEK have not lost a single out of 15 home games this season on all fronts. Before the second game, AEK had some problems with the injury of their starting two central blockers Fernandez and Giakoumi. They played in that match but they were below par in terms of efficiency. They are both completely ready now. Details

Pamvohaikos are a huge surprise in the playoffs considering their results and performances during the season. They have secured the eight position in the last round of regular season and got on the last train to avoid the relegation playoffs. In these playoffs, they beat AEK away and Paok in the first game after 5 sets. The impression after the first game against Paok was the the reason for Pamvohaikos's win is a large number of errors from Paok (52 vs 32) and a huge total of 27 points from serve. Coupled with the home court factor, these facts were the reason for that outcome. Ahead of this double-header, Paok were the favorites on paper and it seems very unlikely that they will repeat their performance from the first match in terms of errors, they have more experienced roster, the top scorer in the Greek league Tzelati and will have their fans as the "seventh player". Another information that makes me believe in Paok's win by at least two sets comes from Pamvohaikos as it was reported that their starting setter Krause and one of their receivers Kouzounis have had some knee problems and have undergone a medical treatment during this week, so their performance and possible efficiency (should they play) in this game are questionable. A win for Paok by at least two sets is worth the stake. Details

Direct clash for the first spot, the only spot for the junior WC. The German beat Bulgaria two days ago by 34-16 while the Spaniards beat the same team by 24-19 last night. The Germans are the favorites on account of their more convincing performance against Bulgaria, and the result from the tournament last month in which they beat Spain by 27-21. However, there are some things that speak in favor of this being at least a 50-50 game. First of all, Germany got a huge reinforcement this season in form of the Belgian-born Xenia Smits who played her first three games for Germany at the tournament last month. Smits scored 27 goals in the three games, 10 in the duel against Spain. Several days before the start of these qualifications, an information appeared that Smits got injured and that she wouldn't play in these qualifications, which was a huge shock for the team. The second thing is that this time last year, a tournament was played in Germany which featured four junior teams and Spain demolished the hosts by 35-20, and won the tournament with 3 wins. That was their control tournament ahead of the junior EC 2013 in which both teams played and had similar results. Germany won 10th place with 4 wins and 3 defeats while Spain finished 13th with 3 wins, 3 defeats and 1 draw. Regarding the tournament about a month ago, both teams decided not to go head on as they knew they would play the crucial match of these qualifications. At half-time, the Spaniards were up by a goal and the Germans had their most efficient player Xenia Smiths, their most efficient player. Details

Without underestimating Esbjerg, Viborg are an important team in the final stages of the Danish league. They are superior in all positions, and would probably be at the Champions League Final Four now if not for their bad qualification tournament in Romania. They lost one match against Esbjerg at the start of the season when Viborg were focused on the qualifications. We saw their real quality later in the season and the difference in quality between these two teams was visible more than a month ago when Viborg beat Esbjerg by 14 goals. After that win, they got 5 more and the margin was over 10 goals in all but one game, the Cup Winners' Cup in Rostov, where they won by only 2 goals. Both teams have quality back court but the pivots and wings should make the difference as Viborg have two of the best Danish players Fisker and Lyksobrog. They also have a much better defense. The only problem might lie in the fact that the game is played in Esbjerg's court, but according to announcements from Viborg, they will want to get a re-run of the previous game and secure the place in the finals today. Details

Poland had a physical battle against the Serbian players, they started playing a bit late, they controlled the game in the later stages and ended up winning just one point from that first qualification game. The fact is that Poland were damaged by some refereeing decisions as Serbia scored 8 of their 20 goals from penalty shots and that the Poles had 8 players sent off during the match says enough. On the other hand, the Poles down by 3-5 goals throughout the entire game against the Netherlands, but that's mostly due to the Dutch team saving their main players and rotating the roster. Poland have failed to qualify for the junior-level EC in 2013 but if we look at their rivals in the qualifications, they had a very tough group as they played against Romania, who ended up as the fifth-placed team at the EC, and they had a bad game against Slovenia. Since then, they have been more active in competition and played a tournaments at the end of 2013 and they won 2nd place, beating Switzerland by 39-28, and the Czech Republic by 30-20, while losing against Norway by 22-30. They also played two more games against Romania (27-29) and Lithuania (30-29). They have two players who had their debut with the senior national team - Labuda and Janiszewska. Apart from ending the EC with 7 defeats in 7 games, Slovakia have only 1 win and 7 defeats in 2014 - 3 defeats against Slovenia (18-31,24-33, 23-37), 1 against Switzerland (29-35), 1 against Austria (19-37) and one against the Czech Republic (17-23). The Poles beat the same Czech and Swiss teams by 10 and 11 goals in late 2013. There is no margin for error, the home team have to reach the WC and we believe the refs might favor them today as well. Details

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The current score in the play off final series is 1-1. First two matches took place in Belgrade, Zvezda won the first one, Vojvodina the second one. The format is best of five matches. Vojvodina beat Partizan in the fifth set tie break to get here, they didn't have much time to rest and prepare ahead of the first game of the final. They lost the first game convincingly, but only four days later proved why they got in the final. But, I think the reason for that win is not so much Vojvodina's great performance, but Zvezda's wrong approach. Zvezda were on a 15-match winning streak against Vojvodina before that defeat, they had the 5-0 head to head record this season - three in the championship (3-0,3-2,3-0), and two in the Cup. The have only one defeat throughout the season - this one. The team are young, but they left a great impression in the Challenge Cup as well. They have the best scorer and opposite in Serbia Dusan Petkovic, who records 8 points per set on average. Zvezda also have better receivers, while Vojvodina has better middle blockers, and Dejan Radic. On the whole, Zvezda's offense is far more efficient. Both teams are oriented on serving, but Zvezda are still better in that segment too. Blocking is the only aspect of the game Vojvodina are better at. Zvezda are the favorite for the win and the title, they will probably not have the wrong approach again, and for the first time this season, we can get great odds for their win before the match. The odds were never over 1,30 at their win in the six head to head games this season. Details

Astrahanochka are an experienced team, there's no doubt about it, they are one of the Top 5 teams in the Russian league. But, they have also already lost the battle for the title, having lost to Zvezda twice (by 4 and 10 goals) in the two play off quarter final games. Zvezda were in position 4, while Lada ended the regular season in position 3. They were knocked out of the Russian cup, which made the EHF Cup the priority. But, I can't help to feel like they had the referees on their side the whole first half time against Lada. They had staggering 14 seven-meter throws, 4 in the first 10 minutes, Lada's players had 9 2-minute suspensions, and so on...Lada had only a few training sessions together ahead of the first leg semi final game - nine players were participating in the national team's campaign. The preparation period for this game was much better, they have a lot of players to count on, the offense is good, unlike Astrahanochka's, they have the experience necessary for such a game. And most importantly, they will have much better officials than in the first game. Details