Key matches coming up in #CLVolleyM as pool standings begin to take shape

Action in the #CLVolleyM resumes this week with the fourth leg in the group stage and a number of matches likely to shape the final standings in each pool. Those leading the pack will be trying to further cement their leadership, whereas others will have to bounce back from the setbacks they suffered this past week. This very much applies to four-time winners TRENTINO Itas as well as to Poland’s PGE Projekt WARSZAWA – with the team from the Polish capital city needing to stop a negative streak of two consecutive losses if they are to remain in contention for the achievement of the high goals they have set for this campaign. 

Pool A 

TRENTINO Itas (ITA) vs TOURS VB (FRA) 

TOURS VB and TRENTINO Itas have played each other seven times in the Champions League, all in the group stage of the competition. Four-time #CLVolleyM winners TRENTINO have won six of these seven matches, including four in straight sets and a 3-1 victory earlier this season. TOURS VB’s only Champions League win against TRENTINO Itas was a 3-2 victory (15-10 in the fifth set) more than 10 years ago, namely on December 16, 2015. However, TOURS VB won the 2017 CEV Cup after defeating TRENTINO Diatec in a Golden Set in the Final (after losing 0-3 away and winning 3-1 home). TOURS VB have lost their last 13 Champions League matches against Italian teams (all in the group phase), since their famous 3-2 win against TRENTINO Diatec in late 2015. On the other hand, TRENTINO Itas have a 11-2 win-loss record against French clubs in the Champions League and the players around star outside hitter Alessandro Michieletto will be trying to redeem themselves after suffering a heavy 0-3 loss at the hands of Ziraat Bankkart last week in Ankara. 

Ziraat Bankkart ANKARA (TUR) vs. ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO) 

The dominant side in Pool A this far, Ziraat Bankkart ANKARA stormed to a comprehensive 3-0 victory in Ljubljana earlier this season to go with two wins from their previous Champions League encounters with ACH Volley LJUBLJANA: 3-2 both at home and away in the 2022/2023 group phase. The Turkish side recorded eight blocks and nine aces in their most recent victory over ACH Volley spearheaded by Nimir Abdel-Aziz (21 points) and Tomasz Fornal (15). The winners of last year’s CEV Cup, where they defeated ACH Volley LJUBLJANA 3-0 and 3-2 in the quarterfinals, did deliver a real masterclass last week as they demolished former #CLVolleyM winners TRENTINO Itas in straight sets. ACH Volley LJUBLJANA will have a mountain to climb if they are to improve on their 1-4 win-loss record against Turkish opposition in the Champions League. Their sole win was a 3-2 victory as ACH Volley BLED versus ISTANBUL B.Sehir Belediyesi in the 2009/2010 group phase.

Pool B 

Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN (POL) vs Knack ROESELARE (BEL) 

#CLVolleyM rookies Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN are on a roll, as they have claimed three wins in a row in the group and recently crowned themselves Polish Cup champions to complete a clean sweep of all domestic titles within less than a year. Their positive streak in Pool B includes a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Knack ROESELARE in the first official match between these two teams. This loss worsened Knack ROESELARE’s record against Polish teams in the Champions League to seven wins and 18 losses, with the latter figure including the last 15 such matches in a row. Therefore, Wilfredo Leon & Co. will be highly motivated to add another piece to their collection as from round to round they slowly but surely cement their role as a real major force to be reckoned with in this year’s Champions League. 

Interestingly, this matchup features the current national cup titleholders from Poland and Belgium. Last week, Knack claimed their first victory in this year’s CEV Champions League Volley with a five-set win against Halkbank ANKARA. As a result, Knack currently sits in second place in the group, just behind LUBLIN before their very first visit to the Polish city. 
 
Matthijs Verhanneman, head coach of Knack ROESELARE: “The match in Lublin will be completely different. I am convinced that they underestimated us somewhat in the previous match in Belgium. That will certainly not be the case now. I also expect them to be highly motivated to show on their home ground why they are the reigning Polish national champions.” 

Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL (TUR) vs Halkbank ANKARA (TUR) 

Earlier this season, these two teams delivered the first Turkish derby in the #CLVolleyM with Halkbank securing a 3-2 home victory. Veterans Yoandy Leal (29) and Matey Kaziyski (26) scored the most points for Halkbank, as double Olympic champion Jean Patry (23) topped the charts for Galatasaray. Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL’s last win against Halkbank ANKARA was a 3-2 victory in the Turkish League in October 2024. This matchup is highly important in a closely contested Pool B – where apart from clear leaders Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN, all remains to play for when it comes to advancement to the Playoff round or to the CEV Cup quarterfinals. 

Pool C 

BERLIN Recycling Volleys (GER) vs. VK Lvi PRAHA (CZE) 

Earlier in January, BERLIN Recycling Volleys needed five sets to edge VK Lvi PRAHA in the Czech capital in what was the first time these two teams faced each other in the Champions League. With that hard-fought victory, BERLIN Recycling Volleys improved their record against Czech teams in the Champions League to 4-1. They won and lost one of their group matches against Jihostroj CESKE BUDEJOVICE in 2012/2013 and subsequently won both group phase games against Dukla LIBEREC in 2016/2017. The BR Volleys will be hoping to regroup after their heavy loss to titleholders PERUGIA this past week to stay in contention for a spot in the next round. 

Jiří Benda, outside hitter of VK Lvi PRAHA: “We are incredibly excited for the match and we want to pay BERLIN back for the defeat they handed us at home. Let’s be honest - we need the points, and we have to win at least 3-2. We need to pay special attention to their opposite Jake Hanes, who is literally a point-scoring machine and put away 26 points against us. They have a huge arena where I have wanted to play for a long time, and great fans, which they showed in Prague. I believe the intense atmosphere won’t throw us off. As always, the match will be decided by serve and reception. The key will be to put them under pressure so that setter Fedor Ivanov cannot run the offense comfortably. At the same time, we have to withstand their pressure. That is the path to victory in my view.”

Ruben Schott, captain of the BR Volleys: “Of course, the away game was a close call. VK Lvi PRAHA performed well, but we also had some dominant phases. At home, we want to gain and maintain control for the entire game. We already won the serve-receive battle in the first leg, but I am sure we can do even better in our arena. If we can build on our recent performance in Lüneburg, I am optimistic. Playing in the Champions League in front of our home crowd is always especially fun. There is something different in the air. We want to push ourselves together to the next victory and make a huge step to stay in the competition.”

Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA (ITA) vs. Guaguas LAS PALMAS (ESP) 

Titleholders Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA have recorded three wins in as many matches this far, but they had to work hard a few weeks ago to edge Guaguas LAS PALMAS at the tiebreak when the ‘Block Devils’ travelled to the Canary Islands and dissipated a 2-0 lead. That fixture coincided with their very first matchup against a team from Spain in the Champions League as well as for the premiere of Guaguas LAS PALMAS against an Italian side in the competition. The roster of the Spaniards includes this year a player well-known to the Italian audience – the legendary outside hitter Osmany Juantorena, who played for Team Italy for many years after his defection from Cuba. Guaguas LAS PALMAS are yet to claim a victory over Italian teams in the CEV European Cups – apart from conceding defeat to PERUGIA in early January, the Spaniards were eliminated by Italy’s Vero Volley MONZA (0-3, 1-3) in the quarterfinals of the 2022 CEV Cup. The reigning #CLVolleyM and Club World champions are the favourites – but Guaguas have shown multiple times that they have the ability to spring a surprise. 

Pool D 

Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE (POL) vs. Sporting CP LISBOA (POR) 

Last year’s silver medal winners Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE are the dominant side in Pool D this far with a perfect record of three wins in as many matches and only one set lost along the way. This positive streak includes a 3-0 victory over Sporting CP LISBOA in the Portuguese capital city from the very first head-to-head matchup featuring these sides. It was also the first time in the Champions League that Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE played against a Portuguese opponent. Rookies Sporting CP LISBOA are still vying for their first success in the competition and they have only taken one set this far from their opening matchup with Germany’s SVG LÜNEBURG. The ‘Jurassic Knights’ from Poland are therefore the clear-cut favourites and their obvious intention is to further solidify their leadership in the group. 

Lourenço Martins, outside hitter of Sporting CP: “Regarding this match, we are aware of the usual difficulties of playing against one of the best teams in the world, the European runners-up, who have one of the best setters in the world. At this stage, he has clearly established himself as one of the top setters worldwide and, being Portuguese, we know him well and are fully aware of what he is capable of. I believe this will be another match in which we must enjoy a truly magical atmosphere while also learning and growing from these moments. It has been a very interesting competition for us, not only because it allows us to face opponents we do not usually encounter in Portugal, but also because we have had our opportunities and delivered some strong performances. Perhaps we have lacked a bit of emotional stability in dealing with these moments and with matches against teams of this level, understanding that every opportunity must be fully taken advantage of. I believe this will be a good match for a team that is still growing, that develops precisely in these situations and that is eager to compete in this type of competition against the best teams in the world. I expect an interesting match, especially because it will be played in Poland, where Volleyball is truly the number one sport. It will be a major challenge for us, but I am confident that we can produce a good performance and try to take some points from the match.” 

João Coelho, head coach of Sporting CP: “It will be an extremely difficult match against a very powerful team with world-class players. They are the current European runners-up and are in excellent form. Naturally, there are differences in physical size and technical-tactical ability between the teams, but on the court we will fight with everything we have, continuing to develop our project and our team, so that we can grow and believe that it is possible to compete for every point. Away matches, in hostile environments and on the opponent’s home ground, are naturally more complex. Even so, we have a solid and ambitious project that aims to grow from this point forward. That growth comes from facing the best teams, in the best leagues and in the top competitions, so that we can become stronger. It is, of course, a source of pride to compete in the Champions League against this type of opponent. All our preparation and our approach to the match are focused on raising our level, taking into account the extremely demanding context and the difficulty the opponent will impose. I would particularly highlight the first contact. ZAWIERCIE, in addition to having one of the best setters in the world, has a serve and a reception that allow them to control the vast majority of matches. For that reason, we will need to be at a very high level in both our serve and our reception if we are to contest the match and aim for the best possible result.” 

SVG LÜNEBURG (GER) vs. Asseco Resovia RZESZÓW (POL) 

Asseco Resovia RZESZÓW and SVG LÜNEBURG face each other for the second time this season and overall in the #CLVolleyM. Earlier this month, Resovia secured a comprehensive 3-0 home victory – thereby repeating the same result from previous home and away matches with SVG LÜNEBURG in the final stage of the CEV Cup 2024. This way, Asseco Resovia RZESZÓW improved their win-loss record against German teams in the Champions League to five wins and two losses. On the other hand, SVG LÜNEBURG have lost all eight Champions League matches against Polish teams this far. Resovia have been performing well lately, not only in the Champions League, since earlier in January they reached the final of the Polish Cup losing to reigning national champions Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN. 

The respective head coaches Stefan Hübner and Massimo Botti played together for RPA-LuigiBacchi.it PERUGIA in the 2009/2010 season, when they secured the CEV Challenge Cup title. SVG LÜNEBURG these days play five top-level games in a row in only 14 days. In addition to the #CLVolleyM matches against ZAWIERCIE (0-3) and Resovia, the ‘LüneHünen’, who are currently top of the charts in the Bundesliga, also play against their three top national rivals BERLIN Recycling Volleys (1-3), VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN and SWD powervolleys DÜREN until February 4. 

Stefan Hübner, head coach of SVG LÜNEBURG: “The fact that we are constantly challenged at such a high level of play is good for us. It helps the team grow. The memory from the previous match with Resovia is still fresher since the previous game was not so long ago. This also makes our analysis a little easier, as some things can be done more quickly. What is more, not much has happened with the opposition during this time, as might otherwise be the case with a few months in between, for example with new players or a different style of play. We are now focusing more on fine-tuning with minimal adjustments so that we can perhaps improve our individual ball contact this time around. The important area will once again be serve reception and how much pressure we can exert ourselves. We want to be able to handle situations better and play things out differently from a tactical standpoint.” 

Pool E 

Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA) vs. Volley Haasrode LEUVEN (BEL) 

Pool E leaders and two-time #CLVolleyM winners Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA are firmly at the top of the group with three wins in as many matches and maximum nine points. They are yet to concede a single set and they will take a huge boost of confidence from last week’s resounding victory in Warsaw for their home matchup with rookies Volley Haasrode LEUVEN. Earlier this season, Lube travelled to Belgium to secure a 3-0 victory, thereby improving their record against Belgian teams in the #CLVolleyM to 15 wins against seven losses, a figure including 12 wins from the last 13 such fixtures. Lube are the clear-cut favourites and the only team in the competition this far to yet lose a single set – a feat they will be trying to keep when hosting the Belgian underdogs on home soil. 

Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA come into the match after two tough league defeats, the latest suffered away in Milan (1-3). In the Italian SuperLega, the team coached by Giampaolo Medei are currently in sixth place and continue to show an inconsistent trend, especially in away matches. For the matchup with LEUVEN, a large delegation from the Catalan Volleyball Federation will also be present at the Eurosuole Forum. It will include executives, coaches and young players, following an important cooperation agreement signed a few months ago with the Italian club, which in the coming years will bring the best prospects of Club España to Civitanova. 

Santiago Orduna, setter of Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA: “In Belgium, in the first leg, we showed some very good Volleyball. As a result, we need to try to reproduce the same kind of performance, even though LEUVEN may try to change something. We must stay focused and never relax, even if on paper this looks like a manageable match. This is the CEV Champions League and any game can become dangerous in an instant. We have to play our game and, with the support of our fans, I am sure we will put in a great performance. At the moment we are topping the pool, but like all the other teams in the group stage, we want to collect as many wins, points and sets as possible. For the team, it is crucial to skip the Play-Off round and face a less dangerous opponent in the quarterfinals. We want to give our all to win every match, without holding back. Playing in Europe gives us extra motivation on the court, but we are also working to replicate in the SuperLega the exciting performances we have shown, like last Wednesday in Warsaw and in our other European matches.”

PGE Projekt WARSZAWA (POL) vs. MONTPELLIER HSC VB (FRA) 

Earlier this month, wildcard holders MONTPELLIER HSC VB caused a sensation with their 3-2 home victory over PGE Projekt WARSZAWA. They currently sit in second place in the pool – whereas PGE Projekt WARSZAWA desperately need to break a negative streak encompassing their last two matches in the competition. Their loss at the hands of MONTPELLIER moved their record with French teams to one win and two losses, whereas it coincided with the first such victory for the French side against Polish opposition. There is much at stake for both teams in this fixture – and even more for the Polish hosts who will have to claim a win if they are to stay in contention for a spot in the next round of the competition and not to lose their sight on pool leaders Lube.