EHF Champions League Final Four 2023: Preview, schedule and handball stars to watch at men's top European club competition
Barcelona are aiming to win their third consecutive Champions League title as some of the world's best players will be in action from Saturday 17 June in Cologne, Germany.
Handball
The EHF Handball Champions League Final Four 2023 is just around the corner, with Cologne hosting the biggest spectacle of club handball on 17-18 June.
FC Barcelona Handbol, Barlinek Industria Kielce, Paris Saint-Germain Handball, and SC Magdeburg are the teams qualified for the event featuring many of the world’s best players, including Dika Mem, Aleix Gomez, Ludovic Fabregas, Alex Dujshebaev, Luka Karabatic, Kamil Syprzak and Kay Smits.
Three-time world player of the year Nikola Karabatic is in doubt, after receiving treatment for inflammation of a vein in his right leg back in February.
If the favourites of Barcelona win, they will extend their record as the most successful team in the tournament, having already won 11 times.
Read on for a preview, schedule and the stars to watch as the Champions League winner to be decided by 19 June.
When is the EHF Handball Final Four 2023?
The EHF Champions League semi-finals and final will take place at the LANXESS arena in Cologne, Germany on 17-18 June.
Schedule: Handball Champions League semi-final, final
Here are the match dates and throw-off times:
Saturday, 17 June 2023
Semi-finals:
- 15:15 (CEST): SC Magdeburg (GER) vs FC Barcelona Handbol (ESP)
- 18:00 (CEST): Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) vs Barlinek Industria Kielce (POL)
Sunday, 18 June 2023
3rd place match:
- 15:15 (CEST)
Final:
- 18:00 (CEST)
2023 EHF Handball Champions League Final Four Preview
The two finalists from last year’s Final Four, Barcelona and Kielce, have made it again to the last stage of the competition.
With the final four draw placing the two teams in different semi-finals, we could see a re-match between the two giants. Last year’s final was decided on penalties, with the Catalans coming out on top.
Barcelona are entering the Final Four after defeating GOG of Denmark in the quarter-finals, with a combined score of 73-61 over two matches. The reigning champions are also the highest-scoring team among the semi-finalists, having scored 557 goals, just two more than Paris Saint-Germain Handball in 16 matches.
Reigning champions Barcelona are the only team that remains undefeated in this year's competition. Their opponent in the semi-final, SC Magdeburg, beat Orlen Wisła Płock in the quarterfinals by a 52-50 aggregate over two legs.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated the 2020 Champions League winners THW Kiel in their quarter-final match-up with a 63-56 aggregate score. The French giants have never won the tournament, with their best result being a loss to Vardar of North Macedonia in the 2017 final.
The Parisians face a tough opposition in the semi-final in Poland's Barlinek Industria Kielce, who won the Champions League in 2016 and finished runners-up last season. Led by the brothers Alex and Daniel Dujshebaev on the pitch, and their father Talant Dujshebaev on the sidelines, Kielce knocked out Telekom Veszprém of Hungary in the quarter-finals. The most successful handball club in Poland is aiming to add another Champions League trophy to their cabinet.
Stars to watch at the 2023 EHF Champions League Final Four
Magdeburg vs Barcelona
Barça’s team is stacked with superstars. Dika Mem has been one of the key players for the Spaniards once again this season. He is their top scorer in Champions League with 83 goals.
Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas, Aleix Gomez, Ludovic Fabregas, Luka Cindric and rising star Domen Makuc are all chasing a third title in a row – which no team has yet achieved. Last year the Catalans became the first team to win the competition two years in a row.
Barcelona have dominated the domestic Liga ASOBAL this season, winning every single game. Coach Carlos Ortega has all players eligible for the Final four, except Aitor Ariño who will be absent due to a knee injury.
The underdog from Magdeburg have struggled a lot with injuries this season, and it is likely that the two Icelandic stars Gísli Kristjánsson and Ómar Ingi Magnússon will not be available for head coach Bennet Wiegert in the Final four.
Instead, he will place his trust in Michael Damgaard, Christian O'Sullivan, Matthias Musche, and their top scorer Kay Smits to be decisive in the semi-final.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Kielce
The French top star, Nikola Karabatic, has not played for Paris Saint-Germain since February due to treatment for inflammation of a vein and his availability for the Final Four is uncertain. Raúl González' side will also be without left-back Elohim Prandi, who suffered a left-hand injury during a league game against Nantes, when PSG sealed another French league title.
Paris Saint-Germain still boasts top names like Luka Karabatic, Ferran Sole, Luc Steins and Kamil Syprzak, who has scored 92 goals in 14 Champions League games this season.
Kielce have already clinched the Polish league title but faced a setback when they lost the domestic cup tournament to their rivals, Orlen Wisla Plock, resulting in three players getting injured. Artsem Karalek and the two centre-backs, Igor Karacic and Michal Olejniczak, left the match early and are in doubt for the Final Four. However, according to the team’s physio, Karacic has a good chance to recover.
Despite the injuries, Kilece still have plenty of talent in the squad. The Spanish brothers Alex and Daniel Dujshebaev will shoulder significant responsibility. Their father and coach Talant Dujshebaev has already won the Champions League both as a player and coach. Arkadiusz Moryto of Poland leads the top scorer list for Kielce in the Champions League with 92 goals, delivering a strong performance throughout the season.
After losing the final on penalties last year, Kielce are eager to seek revenge this weekend.
2023 EHF Final Four quotes: What they are saying
Following quotes are all from EHF.com:
“One thing is for sure, once you win it and feel it, you want to feel it again. Other three teams want the same, so it will be tough. It was so nice to win it last season after that tough final. We said to ourselves at the start of this season that we want to be back in Cologne and win it again, for the third time in a row. That would be big for us, for the fans and for the club, “ - Gonzalo Perez de Vargas, Barcelona.
"Barça are one of the hardest team to meet. But either way it would have been a tough semi-final. It is going to be an exciting game. Our opponents have shown in the last two seasons they have a world-class team and in my opinion they are the biggest favourites to win the whole thing. A chance to win this tournament means everything to us. We have been only watching this event for so many years and finally we have a chance to be part of it and play for the trophy” - Christian O’Sullivan, Magdeburg
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter who we play in the semi-final. But yes, it is good to avoid Barça , in the group phase they beat us twice and we also lost that final last year, so I hope we can get our revenge in the final now. The memories of the last year get more present as we come closer to Cologne. It took some time to realise that we were this close to fulfil our dream last time. We are going to write our own history now. Defence is our masterpiece but also our attack is a strong weapon. But Paris has also showed some very good defence in this season” - Andreas Wolff, Barlinek Industria Kielce.
“It is going to be tough as they are one of the best teams in the world. They are the finalists of the last year. When you arrive to Cologne you know the semi-final will be completely different. After five attempts our desire is strong, hopefully we will get a lot from the experience of the previous times.” - Luka Karabatic, Paris Saint-Germain.
2023 EHF Final Four: Where to watch and live stream
The sport of handball is still growing globally, and the Champions League Final Four will be available on many national TV stations and online platforms around the world.
EHFTV.com will live stream the Final Four, but geo-blocking will apply depending on where you are. On their official YouTube channel, you will be able to find match highlights, viral clips and more.
Here is a list of where you can watch the action:
Austria - DAZN
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Arena Sport
Bulgaria – B1B
Croatia – Arena Sport
Canada – DAZN
Czechia – AMC
Denmark –Viaplay
Estonia – ERR
Finland – Viaplay
France – Eurosport
Georgia – Silknet
Germany – DAZN
Hungary – AMC
Israel – Charlton
Italy – Eleven Sports, Sky Sports
Japan – DAZN
Kosovo – Arena Sport
Lithuania – Sport 1
Malta – Melita
Middle East and North Africa – OnSports
North Macedonia – Arena Sport
Montenegro – Arena Sport
Netherlands – Ziggo
Norway – Viaplay
Poland – Eurosport
Portugal – Sport TV
Rumania – Orange Sport, Prima Sport, Digi Sport
Serbia – Arena Sport
Slovenia – Arena Sport
Switzerland – DAZN
Slovakia – AMC
Spain – TV3 Catalunya
Spain – DAZN
Sweden – Viaplay
Türkiye – Tivibu
United Kingdom – Viaplay
World – EHFTV (Geo-restrictions may apply)