Round 11IFK Kristianstad (SWE) vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER)Kristianstad ArenaSunday, 19 February, 17:30 hrs

Media InformationVELUX EHF Champions LeagueSeason 2016/17

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IFK Kristianstad (SWE) vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER)

• For the first time ever, an ehfTV.com Match of the Week takes place in Kristianstad.

• For the second consecutive season, the defending champions in their respective countries meet in the group phase. Last year, Kristianstad took both points in the home match (32:29).

• If Löwen win Sunday’s match, they book their Last 16 ticket.

• Kristianstad’s top talent Jerry Tollbring, All-star Team member at the World Championship 2017 and top scorer for the team with 54 goals in the group phase so far, will transfer to Rhein-Neckar Löwen next season.

• Kristianstad coach Ola Lindgren was Löwen coach from June 2010 until September 2011. Four months later he joined Kristianstad.

• Lindgren was Swedish national team coach in double function for several years, and Löwen coach Nikolaj Jakobsen will begin his second parallel coaching role soon – taking over the Danish men’s national team. From June 2019, he will focus only on the national team.

• As players, both coach met several times, though Lindgren was more successful with the national team (twice world champion, four-time EHF EURO champion, three-time Olympic finalists), while Jakobsen won most of his club-level trophies with THW Kiel (twice EHF Cup winner, Champions League finalist).

• Fans in Kristianstad Arena will see three current or former Swedish internationals on Löwen’s side: Both goalkeepers Mikael Appelgren and Andreas Palicka, and left back Kim Ekdahl du Rietz.

• Besides Tollbring, Appelgren and Palicka, Kristianstad’s Albin Lagergren was part of the Sweden squad at the World Championship 2017 in France.

• Ekdahl du Rietz will quit his job at Löwen after this season to make a one-year trip around the world.

• Except for Montenegrin goalkeeper Nebojsa Simic, Kristianstad’s squad are all Scandinavian with players from Sweden, Iceland (3), Norway (2) and Denmark (1).

• Löwen left wing Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson will face his Icelandic national teammates Arnar Arnarsson, Olafur Gudmundsson and Gunnar Steinn Jonsson, with whom he was part of the France 2017 squad.

• While Kristianstad are playing their second ever Champions League season (after just missing the Last 16 in 2015/16), Löwen have proceeded to the knock-out stage all six times they participated in the group phase, including securing a VELUX EHF FINAL4 spot in 2011.

Round 11

Most Games vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen:Richard Hanisch 3Albin Lagergren 3Johannes Larsson 3Leo Larsson 3Nebojsa Simic 3Jerry Tollbring 3

Most Goals vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen:Jerry Tollbring 16Andreas Cederholm 10Moorchegani Iman Jamali 9Kristian Björnsen 6Arnar Freyr Arnarsson 4Olafur Andres Gudmundsson 4Philip Henningsson 4Albin Lagergren 4Christian O’Sullivan 4

GROUP B

Most Games vs IFK Kristianstad:Mikael Appelgren 3Rafael Baena Gonzalez 3Kim Ekdahl du Rietz 3Patrick Groetzki 3Gedeon Guardiola Villaplana 3Mads Mensah Larsen 3Hendrik Pekeler 3Alexander Petersson 3Andre Schmid 3

Most Goals vs IFK Kristianstad:Andre Schmid 26Mads Mensah Larsen 12Rafael Baena Gonzalez 8Kim Ekdahl du Rietz 7Hendrik Pekeler 7Harald Reinkind 7

Sunday, 19 February, 17:30 hrsPlaying hall

IFK KristianstadVästra Storgatan 6929154 KristanstadSwedenCapacity: 4,800

Domestic leagues

Handbollsligan

Last 4 games

08.02. vs Ystads IF HF W28:27

02.02. @ Redbergslids L31:21

31.01. @ HK Aranas L35:29

30.12. vs Redbergslids W25:16

Next game:

16.02. vs HK Malmo

Standings

1. Alingsas HK 22 655:544 34

2. Lugi HF 22 614:543 32

3. Malmö 22 600:527 31

4. Kristiansatd 21 580:518 31

Domestic league

Bundesliga

Last 4 games

21.12. @ Kiel W29:26

17.12. vs Erlangen W29:27

10.12. @ Balingen W32:25

7.12. vs Lemgo W35:32

Next game

09.02. vs TSV Hannover-Burgdorf

Standings

1. Flensburg 19 582:453 35

2. RNL 18 534:453 32

3. Kiel 19 541:454 32

...

18. Bergischer HC 19 471:555 5

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Historic encounters in the EC

Historic encounters

IFK Kristianstad vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen 1-0-2 (81:88) 2:4

22.10.2015 IFK Kristianstad vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen, VELUX EHF Champions League – Group B 32:29 (20:12)26.11.2015 Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs IFK Kristianstad, VELUX EHF Champions League – Group B 29:20(15:10)12.10.2016 Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs IFK Kristianstad, VELUX EHF Champions League – Group B 30:29 (17:13)

Details of last match - 12.10.2016 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Rhein-Neckar Löwen-IFK Kristianstad (VELUX EHF Champions League – Group B) 30:29 (17:13)

Referees: Ivan Pavicevic/Milos Raznatovic (Montenegro).Suspensions: 6’ – 12’ (Reinkind 2’, Guardiola Villaplana 2’, Petersson 2’ –

Lipovac 2’, Arnarsson 2’, Albin Lagergren 2’, Gudmundsson 4’, Jonsson 2’).Number of 7m: 4/3 – 4/4.

Attendance: 1,312.

Mikael Appelgren Andreas Palicka

Andre Schmid (8) Michel Abt

Dejan Manaskov (3)Rafael Baena Gonzalez (1)

Marius Steinhauser Mads Mensah Larsen (4)

Hendrik Pekeler (2)Patrick Groetzki (4)

Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson Harald Reinkind (5)

Gedeon Guardiola Villaplana (1) Alexander Petersson (1)

Kim Ekdahl du Rietz (1)

Leo Larsson Nebojsa Simic(2) Mario Lipovac (4) Arnar Freyr Arnarsson (4) Philip Henningsson Tim D. Sörensen(3) Stig Tore Moen Nilsen(2) Albin Lagergren(1) Johannes Larsson (4) Olafur Andres Gudmundsson(1) Viktor Hallen(5) Jerry Tollbring (2) Gunnar Steinn Jonsson Alexander Tatarintsev (1) Richard Hanisch

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Most goals in one game IFK Kristianstad vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen:

Moorchegani Iman Jamali 8 22.10.2015 IFK Kristianstad-Rhein-Neckar Löwen 32:29Andreas Cederholm 6 22.10.2015 IFK Kristianstad-Rhein-Neckar Löwen 32:29Jerry Tollbring 6 22.10.2015 IFK Kristianstad-Rhein-Neckar Löwen 32:29Jerry Tollbring 5 26.11.2015 Rhein-Neckar Löwen-IFK Kristianstad 29:20Jerry Tollbring 5 12.10.2016 Rhein-Neckar Löwen-IFK Kristianstad 30:29

Most goals in one game Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs IFK Kristianstad:

Andre Schmid 11 26.11.2015 Rhein-Neckar Löwen-IFK Kristianstad 29:20Andre Schmid 8 12.10.2016 Rhein-Neckar Löwen-IFK Kristianstad 30:29Andre Schmid 7 22.10.2015 IFK Kristianstad-Rhein-Neckar Löwen 32:29Kim Ekdahl du Rietz 6 22.10.2015 IFK Kristianstad-Rhein-Neckar Löwen 32:29Rafael Baena Gonzalez 5 26.11.2015 Rhein-Neckar Löwen-IFK Kristianstad 29:20Mads Mensah Larsen 5 26.11.2015 Rhein-Neckar Löwen-IFK Kristianstad 29:20Harald Reinkind 5 12.10.2016 Rhein-Neckar Löwen-IFK Kristianstad 30:29

Last Ten Games in VELUX EHF Champions League:

IFK Kristianstad: current run – won one25.09.2016 Kristianstad SWE vs HC Vardar MKD L 23:2801.10.2016 Kielce POL @ KS Vive Tauron Kielce POL L 38:2808.10.2016 Kristianstad SWE vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb CRO W 29:2212.10.2016 Frankfurt am Main GER @ Rhein-Neckar Löwen GER L 30:2922.10.2016 Kristianstad SWE vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO D 29:2912.11.2016 Brest BLR @ HC Meshkov Brest BLR L 32:2719.11.2016 Kristianstad SWE vs MOL-Pick Szeged HUN L 21:2926.11.2016 Szeged HUN @ MOL-Pick Szeged HUN L 33:2830.11.2016 Kristianstad SWE vs HC Meshkov Brest BLR D 29:2911.02.2017 Celje SLO @ RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO W 27:28

Rhein-Neckar Löwen: current run – won one25.09.2016 Szeged HUN @ MOL-Pick Szeged HUN D 28:2828.09.2016 Frankfurt am Main GER vs RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko SLO W 31:3008.10.2016 Brest BLR @ HC Meshkov Brest BLR L 30:2812.10.2016 Frankfurt am Main GER vs IFK Kristianstad SWE W 30:2923.10.2016 Kielce POL @ KS Vive Tauron Kielce POL W 26:3410.11.2016 Frankfurt am Main GER vs HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb CRO W 25:2417.11.2016 Frankfurt am Main GER vs HC Vardar MKD L 27:3326.11.2016 Skopje MKD @ HC Vardar MKD W 26:2901.12.2016 Zagreb CRO @ HC Prvo plinarsko drustvo Zagreb CRO L 25:2109.02.2017 Mannheim GER vs KS Vive Tauron Kielce POL W 28:25

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IFK Kristianstad vs German clubs 2-0-3Season Opponent Home Away Competition

2014/15 HSV Hamburg 27:29 28:26 EHF Cup – Qualification Round 32015/16 Rhein-Neckar Löwen 32:29 20:29 VELUX EHF Champions League – Group B2016/17 Rhein-Neckar Löwen 29:30 VELUX EHF Champions League – Group B

Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs Swedish clubs 5-1-1Season Opponent Home Away Competition

2007/08 Hammarby IF HB 36:26 31:31 Cup Winners’ Cup – Last 162011/12 Eskilstuna Guif 39:36 35:34 EHF Cup – Last 162015/16 IFK Kristianstad 29:20 29:32 VELUX EHF Champions League – Group B2016/17 IFK Kristianstad 30:29 VELUX EHF Champions League – Group B

VELUX EHF Champions League 2016/17 - MOTW #11

Media Information

EHF Media & Communications, 16/2/2017Contributors: Björn Pazen, Roy Knoppert