Polish derby to highlight #CLVolleyM group stage opening week

The #CLVolleyM is finally here! The group stage of this elite competition gathering the world’s best players will begin on Tuesday night with two fixtures, followed by a massive set of six matches on Wednesday night, before concluding on Thursday with the last two games scheduled for the opening round. While a number of clubs celebrate their historic debut, the eyes of many fans will be on the eagerly anticipated Polish derby between last year’s silver medal winners Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE and wildcard recipients Asseco Resovia RZESZÓW coming up on Wednesday late afternoon. 

Pool A 

The pool favourites TRENTINO Itas and Ziraat Bankkart ANKARA start their campaign on home soil against ambitious rivals from Slovenia and France, respectively, as they renew their rivalry from last year’s #CEVCupM semis – where the side from Türkiye’s capital city emerged victorious before seizing their first European trophy. 

TRENTINO Itas (ITA) vs. ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO) 

Italy’s four-time #CLVolleyM winners TRENTINO Itas and multiple Slovenian national champions and MEVZA League titleholders ACH Volley LJUBLJANA have crossed their paths in three Champions League campaigns previously and the Italians always went on to win the trophy in each of those seasons (2009, 2010, and 2024). TRENTINO have won all five Champions League encounters with ACH Volley, including the 2010 semi-final match, which ended in a 3-1 victory for the Italian side versus ACH Volley BLED. Alen Pajenk (10 points) and Alen Sket (seven points) played for the Slovenians in that match and are now wearing the shirt of ACH Volley after numerous stints in foreign leagues. These two teams also met in the Champions League group phase in 2008/2009 and in 2023/2024. TRENTINO Itas claimed 3-0 and 3-1 victories in both seasons. ACH Volley have a negative 4-15 win-loss record against Italian opposition in the Champions League. Their last win was a 3-2 versus Azimut MODENA in the 2016/2017 group phase.

TRENTINO Itas enters this match without their outside hitter Daniele Lavia, sidelined since August due to a serious right-hand injury that prevented him from participating in the recent FIVB Men’s World Championship in the Philippines. The Argentinean coach, Marcelo Mendez, while making his debut for TRENTINO in an international competition, can rely on all the other thirteen players on the roster.

In their thirteen previous appearances in the CEV Champions League, TRENTINO always started their journey with a victory, with the only exception coming in late 2021 when they lost in straight sets in Perugia. Across all European competitions, TRENTINO have played 184 matches this far, recording 146 wins and 38 losses. The most frequent result is a 3-0 win, which they have achieved in 47.3% of their matches (87 times, 52 of them at home); the least frequent result is a 0-3 loss (which has happened only eight times this far). 

Riccardo Sbertoli, captain of TRENTINO Itas: “We have been drawn in a very challenging pool, composed only of top-level opponents, but this is also the beautiful side to the competition we are about to start. Thursday’s match against ACH Volley will immediately be a big one, because their roster includes many players with much international experience; I am sure they will bring all of that onto the court to try to cause us problems.” 

Ziraat Bankkart ANKARA (TUR) vs. TOURS VB (FRA) 

TOURS VB and Ziraat Bankkart ANKARA meet for the first time in the Champions League. 2005 Champions League gold medallists TOURS VB have a 7-3 win-loss record against Turkish clubs in the Champions League. This includes two awarded wins against Arkas IZMIR in 2020/2021 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year’s CEV Cup winners Ziraat Bankkart ANKARA, on the other hand, have won their two Champions League matches against French opposition this far: they did so (3-0, 3-1) as Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA when playing against PARIS Volley in the 2015/2016 group phase.

Pool B 

Last season’s major sensation Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN make their historic #CLVolleyM debut hosting a side that reached last season’s Final Four, Halkbank, where the team from the Turkish capital city had to be content with fourth place at the end of a year marked by more lows than highs. 

Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN (POL) vs. Halkbank ANKARA (TUR) 

#CLVolleyM rookies, last year’s CEV Challenge Cup winners and reigning Polish national champions Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN will face Halkbank ANKARA for the first time in an official match. 2014 silver medal winners Halkbank have a negative 6-8 win-loss record against Polish teams in the Champions League. Last season they defeated PGE Projekt WARSZAWA in the quarterfinals via a Golden Set, but they subsequently lost the bronze medal match 1-3 against JSW JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel.

Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL (TUR) vs. Knack ROESELARE (BEL) 

Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL and Knack ROESELARE played against each other in the 2013/2014 Champions League. That season coincided with Galatasaray’s only participation in the CEV Champions League before their comeback this year. The Belgians won 3-0 away and 3-1 at home. Stijn D’Hulst and current head coach Matthijs Verhanneman played for Knack ROESELARE in those games. Verhanneman played for 17 seasons for Knack ROESELARE, including as many as 123 Champions League matches – out of 168 that the club has contested in their 23 appearances in the competition this far. Outside spiker Oskar Espeland (Norway), who joined the team this season, played Champions League before for VC Greenyard MAASEIK in 2020/2021 and last year for Germany’s SVG LÜNEBURG.

Knack ROESELARE go into this match with a positive 8-4 win-loss record in matches with Turkish teams. However, even though they won their first eight Champions League matches against Turkish opposition in a row, they lost the subsequent four such fixtures (all in the group phase against Halkbank ANKARA in 2018/2019 and versus Ziraat Bank ANKARA in 2023/2024).

Last Saturday, Knack ROESELARE won their home match 3-1 against Volley Haasrode LEUVEN (3-1), the other Belgian representative in the CEV Champions League Volley this year. As a result, Knack were crowned Autumn Champions in the Belgian national league with only one loss suffered this far. 
 
Matthijs Verhanneman, head coach of Knack ROESELARE: “The difference between the Belgian league and the Champions League is huge. Teams like Galatasaray play a top match almost every week in the Turkish domestic league. For my players it will be a real challenge to adapt to another level of competition.” 

Pool C 

The ‘Block Devils’ from Perugia start their quest for a second straight #CLVolleyM triumph by hosting the Czech national champions, VK Lvi PRAHA. The BR Volleys, on the other hand, will test the likes of Spain’s Guaguas. Will the Spaniards be able to repeat their sensational campaign from 2023/2024 when they progressed to the quarterfinals after beginning their journey from the early rounds? 

BERLIN Recycling Volleys (GER) vs. Guaguas LAS PALMAS (ESP) 

BERLIN Recycling Volleys are playing their 14th consecutive Champions League season and are aiming to reach the knockout stages for the sixth time in a row. The match against Guaguas LAS PALMAS will attract more than 5,000 fans to the Max-Schmeling-Halle, aka the ‘Volleyballtemple’. The BR Volleys have won their opening match in each of the last five years. Only against Hebar PAZARDZHIK (BUL) did they drop a point in a 3-2 win.

BERLIN Recycling Volleys and Guaguas LAS PALMAS face each other for the first time in the Champions League. As SSC BERLIN, the German side played Spain’s Unicaja ALMERIA in the 2004/2005 group phase. Those matches resulted in a 0-3 away loss, and a 3-1 home win for the multiple German national champions and 2015 #CLVolleyM bronze medal winners. Guaguas LAS PALMAS, who are making their second appearance in the pool stage of this elite competition, faced Germany’s SVG LÜNEBURG in their previous such campaign in 2023/2024. The Spaniards lost 1-3 at home and won 3-0 away and subsequently sensationally reached the quarterfinals after starting their journey in the early rounds. 

Three-time Champions League winner Osmany Juantorena will be stepping onto the court of the Max-Schmeling-Halle with the Spanish team. In 2019, he won the Champions League in the very same venue wearing the jersey of Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA). But the Cuban with an Italian passport has also experienced CL evenings when the BR Volleys, backed by their fans, were in top European form. The 40-year-old star suffered painful defeats against Ruben Schott & Co. with Lube (1-3 in 2016) and Ziraat Bank ANKARA (2-3 in 2023).

In recent years, the team from Gran Canaria has included former Berlin players Angel Trinidad (ESP) and Graham Vigrass (CAN). From 2020 to 2023, Matthew Knigge also wore the Las Palmas jersey and successfully kept his fingers crossed for his former club in the qualifiers. The American national team player faces Guaguas for the second time, having already played against them two years ago with SVG LÜNEBURG in the group stage.

Matthew Knigge, player of BR Volleys: “The Champions League always creates a special feeling for us players. You play at least six and hopefully a few more matches at this level. In the Bundesliga, there are 30 or more games per season. So the exclusivity of international competition and the fact that you get to see new faces, or in my case familiar faces, makes it a little sweeter and adds a special touch. The next game is always the most important! Whether it is Guaguas on Thursday or Haching on Saturday. Looking at our ambitions as a team, we want to have a good run in the Champions League, and the first home game is the starting point for that.”

General Manager Kaweh Niroomand: “This is the most important game of the season so far and also crucial for advancing from the group. It is safe to assume that, under normal circumstances, we will be battling behind PERUGIA for second place. That means it will be a fight against the other two teams from Prague and Las Palmas, neither of which should be underestimated, especially the Spanish team. They have a top-class squad with established players such as Nicolas Bruno and Osmany Juantorena. The pressure could help our team. We have made small progress in recent weeks and won our games solidly, but none of our opponents were top teams in the national league. All the more reason for the players to look forward to this challenge and show that they have really developed. I expect very tough resistance, but with home advantage and the support of the fans, the team can really prove itself.” 

Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA (ITA) vs. VK Lvi PRAHA (CZE) 

Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA and VK Lvi PRAHA have never crossed their paths in the CEV Champions League. Last year, the eventual #CLVolleyM champions faced Czech opposition in Round 4 as well, recording two wins in straight sets in as many matches against Jihostroj ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE. VK Lvi PRAHA, contesting this competition for the second time in their history, lost both matches in straight sets against Italian heavyweight Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA in their previous Champions League campaign in the 2023/2024 season. A year earlier, they were eliminated against another Italian club, Bluenergy Daiko Volley PIACENZA (0-3, 1-3) in the 16th Finals of the CEV Cup.

Pool D

The Polish derby featuring last year’s silver medallists ZAWIERCIE and Asseco Resovia is certainly the highlight and most mouth-watering encounter of this leg. Only a few weeks ago, ZAWIERCIE looked truly dominant in an away matchup contested for the elite Polish national league. Will history repeat itself when they play in front of their home fans in Sosnowiec? 

Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE (POL) vs. Asseco Resovia RZESZÓW (POL) 

Domestic rivals Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE and Asseco Resovia RZESZÓW face each other for the first time in the Champions League. Two years ago, in the 2023/2024 season, they locked horns in the quarterfinals of the CEV Cup. Asseco Resovia progressed to the semis after winning the Golden Set (15-11). Karol Butryn (who now plays for Asseco Resovia) scored 13 and 20 points for Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE in those games. However, since that loss, ZAWIERCIE has won all five subsequent encounters with Asseco Resovia, with all five wins recorded in the Polish League. Aaron Russell (17) scored the most points for Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE in their most recent such victory only a few weeks ago, while Karol Butryn (12) was the top scoring player for Resovia. 
 
Speaking of such derbies in the #CLVolleyM, Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE has won two and lost one Champions League games with Polish opposition this far. They beat JSW JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel in last season’s semis. On the other hand, Asseco Resovia have a record of one win and two losses in previous #CLVolleyM matches versus Polish teams. In their most recent such fixture, they beat PGE Skra BELCHATOW in the 2015 semi-finals. 
 
Last season, all three Polish clubs (Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE, JSW JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel, and PGE Projekt WARSZAWA) won all their six group phase games. If we were to include the 2023/2024 season, Polish teams have won their last 21 matches in a row in the group phase. This positive run will forcibly end with this fixture. 

Aluron CMC Warta have never lost a European Cup match played in Sosnowiec, apart from that Golden Set they conceded to Resovia in the 2023/2024 edition of the CEV Cup. Throughout their history, the Jurassic Knights from Zawiercie have faced Asseco Resovia 29 times, winning 18 of those matches. Outside hitter Bartosz Kwolek is somehow known as a Resovia ‘specialist’ – he received the MVP award in each of the last four PlusLiga games against the team from Rzeszów. Standing on opposite sides of the net, Bartłomiej Bołądź and Artur Szalpuk know each other well, because they played together for PGE Projekt WARSZAWA and the Polish national team. Both Jakub Popiwczak and Szalpuk are 2025 World Championship bronze medallists. The game will feature as many as three USA national team players: Aaron Russell, Kyle Ensing, and Erik Shoji.

Michał Winiarski, head coach of Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE: “We are playing as if we were at home. It is our first game, and we know the stands will be packed with our fans, so we really feel like we are on our own court. I think that, as always, we are doing everything we can to prepare for every game in the best possible way. It is sport though – things do not always go as expected but the Champions League is a very prestigious competition and everyone will want to start it well.” 

Resovia have entrusted their new European chapter to head coach Massimo Botti, who joined them after winning both the Polish Championship and the CEV Challenge Cup with Bogdanka LUK LUBLIN last season. Under his guidance, the team prepares to reconnect with a competition that has shaped some of the most significant moments in its modern history.

Massimo Botti: “Our first match will be against ZAWIERCIE, a team we know well. It will be a Polish derby to kick off the CEV Champions League, pitting us against one of the top teams in the PlusLiga and last season's finalists. This will certainly be a significant challenge for us. In Pool D, we also have Lisbon and Lüneburg, two teams with impressive line-ups who will be formidable opponents. We will do everything we can to advance in the competition.”

SVG LÜNEBURG (GER) vs. Sporting CP LISBOA (POR) 

Sporting CP LISBOA and SVG LÜNEBURG face each other for the first time in any European competition. However, Sporting CP LISBOA previously played another German side in the CEV Challenge Cup, defeating Helios Grizzlys GIESEN in the 16th Finals of the 2021 CEV Challenge Cup (3-0 home win followed by a 2-3 away loss).

Even though they are making their first-ever appearance in the competition, Sporting CP can count on a number of players with much Champions League experience, such as Jan Pokersnik and Sergey Grankin. Jonas Aguenier (in 2017/2018) and Lourenço Martins (in 2024/2025) did progress beyond the group stage with the French teams they were playing for at that time. Czech outside hitter Jan Galabov represented Dukla LIBEREC in two editions (2016, 2017) of the #CLVolleyM. While he was playing for the BERLIN Recycling Volleys (from January 2019 to May 2022), Grankin and his team won all seven encounters with SVG LÜNEBURG during that spell.

Interestingly, Sporting CP currently has teams performing at the highest level of European competition in as many as five sports: Football, Futsal, Handball, Rink Hockey, and Volleyball. 

Looking at the current roster, Tiago Barth is the player with the most caps for Sporting CP, with 126. Kelton Semedo Tavares follows next with 124. Coach João Coelho has claimed 98 wins at the helm of the team. 

João Coelho, head coach of Sporting CP: “It is an exciting challenge to face the best in the world’s best club competition. It is fantastic for our project, for our fans, and reveals the emerging quality of the sport in Portugal. We hope to continue to evolve to be up to these great challenges.”

On the German side, with nine appearances to date, Joscha Kunstmann is the SVG player with the most games in the #CLVolleyM. This is the 17th match in the Champions League Volley for SVG. In 2023/2024, the ‘LüneHünen’ played six games in the group stage, and in 2024/2025 they sensationally made it to the quarterfinals. Six SVG players could make their debut in the competition: Santeri Välimaa, Axel Enlund, Christopher Byam, Cole Young, Jackson Howe, and Sho Takahashi. Seven players in the squad have already played in the #CLVolleyM: Daniel Gruvaeus (2021/2022 with AS Cannes), Jesse Elser (2023/2024 with SVG), Ethan Champlin (2024/2025 with Helios Grizzlys Giesen), Shane Holdaway (2024/2025 with Chaumont VB 52), Neo Laumann (2024/2025 with SVG), Axel Larsen (2024/2025 with SVG) and Joscha Kunstmann (2023/2024 and 2024/2025 with SVG). 

“I am really excited. I never imagined I would be playing in the CEV Champions League and that is really a dream coming true. I am excited to hear the anthem alone. This will give me goosebumps. And we get to play the top clubs in Europe. That’s a great challenge for our team and we can really see our level. Sporting is a really professional club, and has a great coach. Of course Grankin stands out, but it is not only him. There is a lot of talent around him. We are well-prepared, and we have played well so far. There is no reason to think we cannot compete. We have to believe that we can win against anybody in this competition too,” setter Santeri Välimaa of SVG LÜNEBURG commented. 

“There is a lot of excitement about playing in the CEV Champions League. It is always a great experience, meeting other Volleyball cultures, too. This is not something that you can take for granted. Sporting is a team with top-class players, including some very experienced ones. This competition will be a huge challenge. There are so many good teams involved. We hope to play to the best of our ability and then we will be able to see how far we can get against these teams. We are all up for it!” said SVG LÜNEBURG head coach Stefan Hübner. 

Pool E 

As the representatives of the elite national leagues of Italy and Poland featuring in this group, Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA and PGE Projekt WARSZAWA share the role of pool favourites. Their home matches with MONTPELLIER and rookies Volley Haasrode LEUVEN will be key already as every point and set counts to determine the final standing and with a direct progression to the quarterfinals at stake. 

Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA) vs. MONTPELLIER HSC VB (FRA) 

Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA are competing in the CEV Champions League for the 19th time. The Italian powerhouse has claimed the European crown twice – they did so in Opole in 2002 as Lube Banca Marche MACERATA and again in Berlin in 2019 – and from 2016 to 2018 consistently secured a spot on the podium for three consecutive seasons. For Italy’s vice-champions, this campaign marks their fourteenth appearance in the last fifteen years. Their long-running streak of consecutive entries came to an end last season, when the club competed in the 2025 Challenge Cup, reaching the final.

CIVITANOVA enters this new edition of the CEV Champions League with a roster that has undergone only minimal changes compared to last season. The squad features three World champions with the Italian national team – outside hitter Mattia Bottolo, middle blocker Giovanni Gargiulo, and libero Fabio Balaso – as well as Bulgaria’s star and World Championship silver medallist Aleksandar Nikolov, who this year plays as opposite hitter. 

The team coached by Giampaolo Medei approaches its European debut unbeaten at home. In the five Italian League matches played at the Civitanova Marche Arena, the squad has claimed five victories, all delivered with convincing performances. Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA boasts a long history of clashes with French opponents in European competitions, yet this marks the club’s first-ever showdown with MONTPELLIER. Adding further intrigue to the matchup, the Italian team also fields one of France’s most promising young talents, the 2007-born outside hitter Noa Duflos-Rossi.

Marko Podrascanin, middle blocker of Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA: “The whole team is extremely eager to make its debut in this new edition of the CEV Champions League, a competition that has become one of absolute prestige for European clubs and therefore for all players fortunate enough to take part in it. Wearing the Cucine Lube jersey means never setting limits for ourselves; the goal is to go all the way in a competition that the club previously won in 2002 and 2019.” 

“Pool E is particularly tough. The presence of both a Polish team and a French team clearly proves it, as those are two of the most competitive leagues in Europe, just like the Italian league. MONTPELLIER is an excellent team, boasting a roster with great potential and currently enjoying another strong season in the French league. To start on the right foot, we will need to approach the match with the proper mindset, aiming to establish good consistency in our serve and side-out phases. The qualification system for the next round leaves no room for missteps. Winning is mandatory, especially when playing at home, at the Civitanova Marche Arena, in front of our fans, whom I truly hope will come out in large numbers to support us.” 

Aleksandar Nikolov: “I am really happy to return to the CEV Champions League, especially because last year we did not have this great opportunity. I am very pleased and proud of the team. I’m also fully aware that this competition reaches the highest level among all continental cups, because it brings together the best teams in Europe – clubs that earned their place by having an outstanding season in their national leagues. I know that MONTPELLIER is a strong club and their team can cause us troubles. I have watched many of their matches, starting from the games against my father when he was playing in France. They are a team with much history, and we will need to play our best Volleyball to prevail — and I am confident we will, because we will be playing at the Eurosuole Forum, in front of our supporters. We can truly make the most of our chances to succeed.”

PGE Projekt WARSZAWA (POL) vs. Volley Haasrode LEUVEN (BEL) 

PGE Projekt WARSZAWA and Volley Haasrode LEUVEN have never played each other before. The team from Poland’s capital city has an immaculate 6-0 win-loss record against Belgian teams in the Champions League going into this fixture. Last season, they won both games against Greenyard MAASEIK without conceding any set to their rivals. While competing as Verva WARSZAWA Orlen Paliwa, the Polish defeated Knack ROESELARE 3-0 and 3-1 in the 2021 group phase. Current Volley Haasrode coach Hendrik Tuerlinckx played for the Belgian team in both those matches – and he will be leading LEUVEN in their historic #CLVolleyM debut.