Barça v Kiel in the TruckScout24 EHF Final4 semi-final

Opponent in the TruckScout24 EHF Final4 confirmed for Barça. The blaugranes are set to tackle THW Kiel in the Champions League semi-final, as determined by the draw held in Budapest on Tuesday.

The other semi-final will see Magdeburg play Aalborg.

The final four will be played in Cologne on June 8 and 9, with the times still to be determined based on TV broadcasts.

Kiel are second for European Cup wins (4), only behind Barça's 11 wins, and they were involved in a miraculous performance in the quarter-finals against Montpellier. The German side overcame a deficit of 9 goals in the return leg (31-21) to seal their ticket to Cologne.

The last time Barça and Kiel faced each other was last season. The blaugranes won the eighth matchday game of the group stage (26-24), after having drawn the first game in Germany (30-30).

Two traditional European handball powerhouses, Barça and Kiel last met in a final four two years ago during the 2021/22 campaign, when Carlos Ortega's side overcame the Germans (30-34) in the semi-finals, before going on to win the title.

Ortega: "It won't be easy, none of the potential opponents would have been"

Barça's coach Carlos Ortega analysed their opponent, explaining that "Kiel are a very tough opponent, they have a very strong defence. They also shoot a lot from the outside, and they defend with 3:2:1 and 6:0".

"It won't be easy, but no opponent is at this stage", concluded the coach.