Episode 334: Champions League launches, Maciej Wojs on the Polish sides after opening day drama

With two losses in this week's Men's Champions League and a third likely this evening, we speak to Kevin Domas about the current state of France's big three. PSG are through but have no depth, Nantes couldn't find their classic spark against Vardar and Montpellier need a miracle to avoid the drop to the European League. We discuss this and what impact the new league format has on the competition's jeapordy. For some good news, we turn to the women's teams as Metz are defending their European title with confidence and Brest have secured the best player in the world next season.

It's early days in the handball season but transfers have already taken over the headlines. We discuss Henny Reistad's decision to stay away from Europe's dominant duo and Johannes Golla taking his desires to return to Flensburg public. We also chat about the big games over the last week and see how the new Champions League groups are shaping up. This is a teaser for the full Morning Club episode, made available to our supporters on patreon.com/handballhour

The Club World Championship Begins on Thursday with a new format throwing the non-professional clubs right in the deep end with just one chance to take on the big boys.  Daniel Reid and Joey Williams, playing in goal for Sydney Uni and Los Angeles respectively, join to discuss how they're feeling on the eve of the tournament, how they've been preparing and what this means for handball in both nations with Olympic aspirations.

One of the most fascinating transfers of the summer was the move of Alex Dujshebaev to Gummersbach, after nine seasons at Kielce. The Spanish star and Champions League Winner has made a name for himself as a clutch player over the years and surprised many with his move to the Bundesliga at 33. He speaks to us about his decision-making process, getting used to Life in Germany, adapting to German handball and what excites him about his new club and league.

In our third show of the week, celebrating the start of the new EHF Champions League season, we're joined by Macedonian journalist Filip Mishov to discuss Vardar's return to the competition after four years away. How are the two-time champions shaping up under coach Ivan Cupic, is the club run better than it was at the height of their powers and what are their chances of progressing from an incredibly tight Group B. 

The Men's Champions League began last night with a first-look at the new 24-team format. We were treated to some thrilling matches, two of which featured Polish pair Plock and Kielce. Leading Polish commentator Maciej Wojs joins us to discuss what he saw on the opening day, Kielce's fortunate win at home and whether Plock are just one player away from being a FINAL4 contender.

The Bundesliga begins this week, with a pair of matches on Thursday night, and we're breaking tradition by bringing you our first dedicated podcast of the season before a ball is thrown. Two of our top German contributors, Björn Pazen and Tim Dettmar, join forces on the pod for the first time to discuss new-look Kiel, just how unstoppable Magdeburg are and whether Gummersbach are a dark-horse or just a horse.

Ahead of this weekend's German Super Cup between SC Magdeburg and Fuchse Berlin, we take a look at what has changed for both teams and consider whether it's the end of an era for one or both, which areas of the court might cause trouble and who looks in better shape ahead of the traditional season curtain-raiser.

In a thrilling conclusion to a brilliant week of beach handball, Argentina are women's world champions, while Germany sit atop the men's game. Ebiye Udo-Udoma is back with us to help us break down the conclusion of the championships, what lessons will be learned and gives us some breaking news about his return to the court with Lewis Howes' Los Angeles Team Handball. For the video breakdown early in our interview, watch it in full on patreon.com/handballhour for free.

Filip Jicha's time with THW Kiel came to an end this week. We reflect on this era which began with trophies galore and ended with their worst season in decades. Inevitable? Unfortunate? We discuss with Björn Pazen. Friday saw the draw for next season's EHF Champions League, which has a new format on the men's side. 24 teams and immediate jeopardy, what more do you want?