#CLVolleyM returns with must-watch matches in Ankara and Warsaw

The #CLVolleyM returns this week with two major attractions – the matchup featuring Ziraat Bankkart ANKARA and four-time winners of the competition TRENTINO Itas in Pool A, and another ‘blockbuster’ coming up in the Polish capital where PGE Projekt WARSZAWA will be trying to bounce back from their 2-3 loss at the hands of MONTPELLIER HSC VB in the second leg when they host 2002 and 2019 #CLVolleyM winners Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA of Italy. It is another week filled with thrilling action as the third leg will play a major role in shaping the standings in each pool. Stay tuned for Volleyball of the finest level! 

Pool A 

Ziraat Bankkart ANKARA (TUR) vs. TRENTINO Itas (ITA) 

The leadership in Pool A will be at stake in Türkiye’s capital city as these teams have the same record of two wins in as many matches this far. Even though Ziraat and TRENTINO meet for the first time in the #CLVolleyM, they crossed their paths in the semis of last year’s CEV Cup – when Ziraat lost 2-3 in Trento after dissipating a 2-0 lead before emerging victorious at home (3-1) to progress to the finals where they eventually seized the crown. TRENTINO will have to work hard to maintain their immaculate record against Turkish teams in the #CLVolleyM which stands at nine wins and no losses at all. On the other hand, Ziraat are yet to record a single victory against Italian opposition in this elite competition after losing twice to Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA in the 2022/2023 group phase. Nimir Abdel-Aziz, Ziraat’s scoring machine, will play a former team of his – since he starred for TRENTINO in 2020/2021, reaching the Super Final of the #CLVolleyM. That season, Nimir was the top scorer of the competition with a massive personal tally of 209 points. 

ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO) vs. TOURS VB (FRA) 

A key match for these two teams since they are yet to record their first victory in the competition this season. ACH Volley will be trying to break their negative streak as they have lost all six of their matches with TOURS VB thus far – all in the group phase of the #CLVolleyM. On the other hand, TOURS VB will be trying to extend their most impressive record with any opponent in the competition. Their most recent matches came in the 2023/2024 season, when TOURS VB won 3-1 in Ljubljana and subsequently secured a 3-0 home victory. Even though they are yet to edge TOURS VB, ACH Volley have six victories to their name against French opposition compared to 10 losses. However, in recent times their record has been fairly negative – with only one victory in their last 10 such matches. This will provide additional motivation for the ‘Orange Dragons’ as they play their second match in front of a home crowd at Tivoli Hall. 

Pool B

Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL (TUR) vs. Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN (POL) 

Pool B leaders and #CLVolleyM rookies Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN will face Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL for the first time in an official match. Wilfredo Leon & Co. recently added another accolade to their slowly but surely growing collection by securing the Polish Cup title in Krakow to go with their national league and Challenge Cup triumphs from the past season. Before edging Knack ROESELARE earlier this season, Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL had claimed their only win in the Champions League against a Polish side: 3-2 at home versus Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE in the 2013/2014 group phase. The Turkish team had lost the away match against the same opponent 0-3. Galatasaray are making only their second-ever appearance in this competition. 

Halkbank ANKARA (TUR) vs. Knack ROESELARE (BEL) 

Halkbank ANKARA and Knack ROESELARE played against each other in the 2016/2017 and 2018/2019 Champions League seasons. The Belgians won 3-1 and 3-0 in the 4th Round in 2016/2017. The Turkish side won both group phase games in 2018/2019 (3-2, 3-1). Stijn D’Hulst and current coach Matthijs Verhanneman played for Knack ROESELARE in 2016/2017. Verhanneman also featured for them in 2018/2019.

Knack ROESELARE (W8-L5) won their first eight Champions League matches against Turkish opposition, but they lost their last five such encounters (group phase matches against Halkbank ANKARA in 2018/2019 and versus Ziraat Bank ANKARA in 2023/2024 plus an away match with Galatasaray HDI earlier this season). Last year’s fourth-place finishers Halkbank ANKARA have a W4-L4 record against Belgian teams in the Champions League (all matches played in the group phase). Moreover, when Halkbank ANKARA won the CEV Cup in 2013, they defeated Knack ROESELARE in the Challenge Round that same season (3-0, 3-0).

Pool C 

Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA (ITA) vs. BERLIN Recycling Volleys (GER)

These teams have an immaculate record of two wins in as many matches this far – so first place in the group will be at stake when they lock horns on Wednesday evening in Perugia. They previously played each other in the quarterfinals of the 2022/2023 season – when PERUGIA recorded two wins (3-1, 3-2). Oleh Plotnytskyi (15 and 18 points) and Roberto Russo (10 and 14) were among the best scorers for the Italians in those matches against BERLIN Recycling Volleys.
BERLIN Recycling Volleys have a negative W4-L17 record against Italian teams in the Champions League, including losing the last six such fixtures in a row. On the other hand, Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA have won all four Champions League matches against German sides and the defending #CLVolleyM champions will be trying to add one more victory to their streak.

Guaguas LAS PALMAS (ESP) vs. VK Lvi PRAHA (CZE) 

Still vying for their first victory in Pool C, Juan Manuel Barrial’s VK Lvi PRAHA and Sergio Miguel Camarero’s Guaguas LAS PALMAS faced each other in the Playoff round of the 2023/2024 Champions League. The Spanish team won 3-0 at Gran Canaria, lost 1-3 in Czechia and progressed after the winning the Golden Set 15-8 in Prague. Argentinean outside hitter Nicolas Bruno scored 39 points for Guaguas LAS PALMAS in those games (18 and 21 respectively). . That season, Guaguas sensationally reached the quarterfinals after starting their campaign from the early rounds. Moreover, Guaguas LAS PALMAS had won 3-1 and lost 2-3 against Czechia’s Jihostroj ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE in the group phase of that 2023/2024 campaign, so their current record against Czech opposition stands at two wins and two losses. 

Pool D 

SVG LÜNEBURG (GER) vs. Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE (POL) 

Last season, Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE defeated SVG LÜNEBURG in the quarterfinals (3-0, 3-1) before securing a historic silver medal from the Final Four held in Lodz. Bartosz Kwolek scored 20 points for the Polish side in the 3-1 win. However, the current Pool D leaders from southern Poland lost their other two Champions League matches against German clubs: 1-3, 0-3 versus BERLIN Recycling Volleys in the 2022/2023 group phase. SVG LÜNEBURG have lost all seven Champions League matches against Polish teams including a 0-3 loss at the hands of Asseco Resovia less than two weeks ago. 

Asseco Resovia RZESZÓW (POL) vs. Sporting CP LISBOA (POR) 

Asseco Resovia RZESZÓW have never faced a Portuguese opponent in the Champions League. However, there are some ‘indirect’ precedents, since Sporting CP LISBOA were eliminated by Poland’s Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN in the semis of last season’s Challenge Cup (lost 0-3, 0-3). Sporting CP LISBOA’s setter Sergey Grankin won the Final of the 2012 CEV Cup with Dinamo MOSCOW against Asseco Resovia. He played in both matches in the Final (3-2 wins at home and away). Resovia recently reached the final of the Polish Cup losing to Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN in Krakow to cement their leading role in the domestic arena.

Pool E 

PGE Projekt WARSZAWA (POL) vs. Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA) 

After two wins, both by a 3-0 score-line in the matches they have played this far, Cucine Lube head into this away trip to Poland aiming to complete a hat-trick of victories that would further strengthen, perhaps even decisively, their leadership at the top of Pool E.

The Italian team coached by Giampaolo Medei, who had started the season with a very poor away record (just one win in eight matches played on the road), are now coming off two consecutive victories in as many away games (the first in Belgium in the CEV Champions League vs Volley Haasrode LEUVEN, and the second a few days ago in the Italian SuperLega against Grottazzolina). As a result, Lube travel to Warsaw with great confidence, also boosted by the outstanding form of Aleksandar Nikolov.

Two-time #CLVolleyM winners (2002 and 2019) Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA and PGE Projekt WARSZAWA meet for the first time in the Champions League. Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA have a W18-L8 record against Polish clubs in the Champions League. However, they have lost their last three such matches, all in 2021/2022 (vs Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN-KOŹLE in the group phase and vs JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel in the quarterfinals). Nevertheless, the Italians have won eight of their 10 group phase fixtures against Polish clubs. The exceptions are the loss against Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN-KOŹLE (2-3) in 2021/2022, and a 1-3 defeat versus PGE Skra BELCHATOW in 2006/2007 (as Lube Banca Marche MACERATA). Last season, Cucine Lube were beaten in the Challenge Cup final by a Polish team, Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN, which later went on to win their national championship. 

PGE Projekt WARSZAWA recently suffered a rather surprising 2-3 loss at the hands of MONTPELLIER HSC VB in France. They have a W1-L3 record against Italian clubs in the Champions League, all as Verva WARSZAWA Orlen Paliwa. They won their most recent such encounter (3-2) versus Leo Shoes MODENA in the 2020/2021 group phase. More recently, Projekt WARSZAWA defeated Italy’s Mint Vero Volley MONZA in the final of the 2024 Challenge Cup (3-1, 3-1). Their roster features two familiar faces from the Italian league: Kévin Tillie and Bartosz Bednorz.

Marko Podrascanin, middle blocker of Cucine Lube: “This match in Poland is certainly the key game in our journey in Pool E, perhaps even the most difficult one, considering that the team we will face has many players in their roster with great international experience. Given the current standings, I believe most of the pressure ahead of this match is on our opponents, who, after the loss they suffered in France, absolutely need to beat us to stay in the race for the first place. On our side, we will need great focus and, above all, consistency in our game, keeping mistakes to an absolute minimum. The serve could be decisive, as often happens in matches like this, which are settled by the smallest details.”

MONTPELLIER HSC VB (FRA) vs. Volley Haasrode LEUVEN (BEL) 

Wildcard holders MONTPELLIER HSC VB will be trying to capitalize on the wave of enthusiasm resulting from their sensational 3-2 victory over PGE Projekt WARSZAWA in the previous round. They play #CLVolleyM rookies Volley Haasrode LEUVEN for the first time. If we look at the current records, French clubs lead the way in their matchups against Belgian teams in the Champions League with a record of 11 wins and nine losses.