Sports weekend

News from handball and football

Florin Orban, 01.02.2019, 13:30

Oana Manea, the pivot of Romanian handball team CSM Bucharest, believes this coming Saturdays match against Krim Ljubljana is crucial if the team wants to go through to the Champions Leagues quarterfinals. CSM Bucharest has been trying to recover after the defeat they sustained last week in the game against Gyor, while right now, Manea says, the most important thing is for CSMs line-up to play as a united team. “The absence of Cristina Neagu and Amanda Kurtovic takes its toll on our performance. They are two top handball players, we began the season with them as key pieces for the team, and now we miss them. Thats how I feel about it, Agerpress news agency quoted Oana Manea as saying.

The leg against Krim Ljubljana counts towards the second round of main Group 2. In the as-it-stands table, Győr are at the top, with 10 points. Following in descending order are Kristiansand and CSM Bucharest, each with 6 points on their record sheet. Ferencvaros Budapest are 4th-placed, while Krim Ljubljana and Thuringer come 5th and 6th, respectively. In order to make headway in the quarterfinals, Romanian champions CSM Bucharest need to be placed on one of the first four positions in the group.

In the EHF Cup, Magura Cisnadie, playing in the competitions Group A, stands no chance to go past the group stage. After four games played, Magura Cisnadie have zero points on their record sheet. On Sunday on home turf, Magura Cisnadie take on Danish side Team Esbjerg. In Group D, SCM Craiovas chances to go through to the quarterfinals exist only in theory. SCM Craiova are at the bottom of the table in their group, with a record of one win and three defeats. SCM Craiovas next match is scheduled against Danish opponents Nykøbing.

In football, this coming weekend, Romanian League One championship is resumed, with the fixtures counting towards the 22nd round.

On Friday, Concordia Chiajna take on FC Botosani, while Gaz Metan Medias face Astra Giurgiu. On Saturday, Dunarea Calarasi play FCSB on home turf, while CFR Cluj receive the visit of FC Hermannstadt. On Sunday, FC Voluntari are pitted against Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe at home, while in the south-eastern Romanian village of Ovidiu, Viitorul Constanta take on Universitatea Craiova. The last fixture of the 22nd round is scheduled on Monday, when Dinamo Bucharest are pitted against Poli Iasi.

CFR Cluj are at the top of the table, with 46 points, FCSB are the runner-up team, with 40 points, while 3rd-placed are Craiova, with 38 points.

(translated by: Eugen Nasta)