Courtesy: LEN
There will be a newcomer in this season’s Champions League as the draw set up a game between France’s upcoming side Noisy le Sec and Greece’s Vouliagmeni – neither of these two have ever managed to make the main round since the newly shaped Champions League was launched in 2014. The three favourites, OSC, Brescia and Jadran, also participants in the last season, all may expect another run on the big stage.
The respective draws for the Champions League Qualification play-offs and the second qualification round in the Euro Cup have been conducted by the LEN TWPC Commission and the Bureau Liaisons via a video-conference.
The last phase of the Champions League qualifications, the four play-off matches will see the usual tough battles, though the favourites are not facing really hard tasks. Perhaps the biggest challenge awaits the best of the field, Brescia – the Italians, semi-finalists last June, are to clash with Hungary’s former great Vasas, which are aiming to recall the club’s glorious days and strengthened its line-up accordingly.
OSC’s duel with Panionios and Jadran Split’s meet with the surprise qualifier Oradea looks just a bit easier mission for the two sides which had also reached in the group stage a year ago.
France’s emerging team Noisy le Sec may complete its great march by ousting Vouliagmeni – the Greeks played in the Champions League group-stage for a couple of times earlier, reached the quarter finals in 2013, but could not repeat that feat ever since, when the newly shaped format was inaugurated. The French have never made any bigger splash so far, so this showdown promises great excitements.
In the Euro Cup, all six groups seem pretty much balanced and with only the top two going through and all the others are eliminated, we will see tremendous fights in the second round. Enough to have a look at the group in Sabac: a team from Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro were drawn together – so the entertainment and excitements are guaranteed here and in the other pools as well.
The draw for the preliminary round of the newly launched LEN Challenger Cup will be conducted shortly, once the list of the potential hosts is finalised.
Champions League, Qualification Play-offs
Game A: OSC Budapest (HUN) v Panionios GSS (GRE)
Game B: CN Noisy le Sec (FRA) v NC Vouliagmeni (GRE)
Game C: A HID Vasas-Plaket (HUN) v AN Brescia (ITA)
Game D: Jadran Split (CRO) v CSM Oradea (ROU)
The four winners will qualify for the Main Round (their spots in the two groups have already been decided, see the draw below) – the four losing sides will continue in the Euro Cup eight-finals.
Draw for the Main Round (reminder)
Group A: Pro Recco (ITA), Zodiac Atletic Barceloneta (ESP), Waspo 98 Hannover (GER), Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB), Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO), Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE), Winner of QG D, Winner of QG B
Group B: Novi Beograd (SRB), FTC-Telekom Budapest (HUN), CN Marseille (FRA), Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO), Astralpool Sabadell (ESP), Spandau 04 Berlin (GER), Winner of QG A, Winner of QG C
Euro Cup, Qualifying Round II
Group A (Sabac, SRB)
- Jadran Herceg Novi (MNE)
- VK Solaris (CRO)
- VK Sabac (SRB)
- Trieste Pallanuoto (ITA)
- Pays D’Aix Natation (FRA)
Group B (Strasbourg, FRA)
- RN Savona (ITA)
- Team Strasbourg (FRA)
- ZV De Zaan (NED)
- VK Partizan (SRB)
Group C (Duisburg, GER)
- CN Turcoing (FRA)
- CN Barcelona (ESP)
- Telimar Palermo (ITA)
- ASC Duisburg (GER)
Group D (Zagreb, CRO)
- HAVK Mladost (CRO)
- VK Primorac Kotor (MNE)
- Budapesti Honved (HUN)
- PAOK Thessaloniki (GRE)
- CN Mediterrani (ESP)
Group E (Szolnok, HUN)
- BVK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
- EVK Zaibas (LTU)
- Montpellier WP (FRA)
- Szolnoki Dozsa (HUN)
Group F (Bucharest, ROU)
- CC Ortigia (ITA)
- Vitoria Guimaraes (POR)
- Steaua Bucharest (ROU)
- BVSC Zuglo (HUN)
- VK Valis (SRB)
Playing dates: Groups A, D, F will be played on 27-30 October. Groups B, C, E will be played on 28-30 October
The top two ranked sides qualify for the Eight-finals, all other teams finish their respective European campaigns.