The quarter-finals of the Handball Champions League will have a taste of novelty for Brest, much less for Metz. After being exempt from the playoffs, the teams from Lorraine and Brittany will have the advantage of playing at home in the return leg.
An advantage, but not a guarantee of qualification. And the players from Metz know it all too well, as three years ago, they squandered a seven-goal lead acquired in the first leg against Ferencvaros.
“Obviously, it’s my most painful quarter-final, since the question has been asked of me. Now, do I still think about it? Not at all, not at all, not at all,” assured Metz coach Emmanuel Mayonnade to the press ahead of this new quarter-final against the Hungarians.
The squads have undergone significant changes (Laura Glauser and Orlane Kanor now play for Ferencvaros) and the two teams have faced each other four times since, with four victories for Metz, who were present at the Final Four in 2024 and 2025.
A year after being eliminated by Metz in the quarter-finals, the players from Brest also aim for the final four. They face Bistrita, a Romanian club competing in only their second Champions League.
However, the players from Finistère will be without pivot Pauletta Foppa, on maternity leave (like Coralie Lassource), and possibly goalkeeper Camille Depuiset, who is uncertain due to a concussion protocol. Left backs Clarisse Mairot and Annika Lott (Germany) are making their return from injury.
The quarter-finals schedule: – Bistrita (Rou) – Brest, Saturday, April 18 at 4:00 pm (return leg on April 26 at 6:00 pm) – Esbjerg (Dan) – CSM Bucarest (Rou), Saturday at 4:00 pm (return leg on April 26 at 4:00 pm) – Ferencvaros (Hon) – Metz, Sunday, April 19 at 2:00 pm (return leg on April 25 at 6:00 pm) – Odense (Dan) – Györ (Hon), Sunday at 4:00 pm (return leg on April 25 at 4:00 pm)
Darleux returns to Brest. The BBH announced on Friday, April 17, 2026, the appointment of Cléopâtre Darleux as head of the club’s sports department for the professional section and the training center starting from next season.
