As the end of the Champions League is approaching, the teams that are contenders for the spots at the Final Eight have less and less room for mistakes—every unplanned lost point spoils plans.
The matches of the 11th round will be played tomorrow and on Wednesday.
All eyes will be on Brescia, on an encounter between the teams that are eyeing 1st place in Group B. Brescia will host Novi Beograd.
Actually, all matches in Group B are crucial, since five teams have more or less realistic chances of finishing 4th in the group.
The outcomes of Wednesday’s duels in Group A are, at first sight, predictable.
Our today’s preview is a little bit further look at the future. We bring the lists of all hurdles that await the clubs that are the main contenders for places 1st and 4th in Group B and 2nd and 4th in Group A.
2022/23 Champions League Day 11, Preview
Group B (Tuesday, April 4)
Brescia or Novi Beograd? The Serbs are currently atop the group with the same number of points as Brescia. But, Novi Beograd beat Brescia in their previous encounter.
Brescia will have a home-field advantage, while Novi Beograd’s significant disadvantage can be a turbulent period the club has passed through. After losing the Regional League title in front of the home crowd, captain Dusan Mandic was removed from the team. Playing without the former captain and one of the team leaders, Novi Beograd comfortably beat Partizan last week. But, the game against Brescia will be a real test to show if the Serbs have recovered from a defeat in the Regional League semifinals and how the team will react after the drastic move and Mandic’s exclusion from the team until further notice.
4 Brescia and Novi Beograd have faced each other four times. Brescia has never beaten the Serbian champion. Last season, the first match in the group stage in Belgrade ended in an 11:11 draw. Novi Beograd beat Brescia in Italy 16:13 thanks to a late comeback. The Serbs recorded a 14:13 victory in the semifinals of the Final Eight in Belgrade, scoring the last-gasp goal. This season, Novi Beograd earned an 11:9 win in Belgrade.
Novi Beograd – Brescia Photo by Slobodan Sandic
Brescia didn’t have big ups and downs throughout the season. But, the last game, against OSC in Budapest, showed some weaknesses in Brescia’s play. Early in the third period, the Italians had a four-goal lead, but it won only a point (14:14).
After tomorrow’s derby, each team will play two away and one home game.
STOPS IN RACE FOR 1st PLACE
Novi Beograd (25 points): Brescia (A), Jug (A), OSC Budapest (A), Spandau 04 (H)
Brescia (25 points): Novi Beograd (H), Sabadell (A), Ferencvaros (A), Jug (H)
After ten rounds, Ferencvaros isn’t close to 1st place, but the teams that are behind Ferencvaros can hardly catch the Hungarians. The Budapest-based side will probably finish in 3rd place .However, depending on Novi Beograd’s and Brescia’s results, Ferencvaros may enter the race for 2nd place.
But, Ferencvaros’ results will impact the battles for 1st and 4th places.
One of these games is tomorrow’s duel between Jug and Ferencvaros in Dubrovnik. Jug is currently 4th, but its Final Eight ticket is still in danger even though the Croats have six points more than 5th-placed Spandau.
Given the schedule, everything in the race for 4th place can change quickly.
Three very high hurdles are ahead of Jug. In the remaining four rounds, it will play against three teams in the first three places and only against one competitor in the race for the last available ticket. It will meet Marseille in France.
All Jug’s chasers (except Sabadell) will play only one game against the teams ranked 1st-3rd.
STOPS IN RACE FOR 4th PLACE
Jug (14 points): Ferencvaros (H); Novi Beograd (H); Marseille (A); Brescia (A)
Spandau 04 (8 points): Marseille (H); OSC Budapest (H); Sabadell (H); Novi Beograd (A)
Sabadell (7 points): OSC Budapest (H); Brescia (H); Spandau 04 (A); Ferencvaros (A)
OSC Budapest (7 points): Sabadell (A), Spandau 04 (A); Novi Beograd (H); Marseille (H)
Marseille (7 points): Spandau 04 (A), Ferencvaros (H); Jug (H); OSC Budapest (A)
So, six or seven points isn’t a significant advantage in this case. Still, on the other side, it won’t be a big surprise if Jug beats one or more teams that have already qualified for the F8. The Dubrovnik-based side has been improving its shape. It overcomes the crisis of the results. Winning the Regional League title is the wind in the Croats’ back. Ferencvaros is a favorite in tomorrow’s encounter, but if Jug keeps the momentum gained in the past few weeks, it can beat the Hungarians.
Jug Photo by Laszlo Balogh
3 Jug and Ferencvaros have played each other three times in the current format of the Champions League. In 2019, Ferencvaros beat Jug 10:9 in the quarterfinals of the Final Eight in Hannover (where it arrived from 4th place in the group) and made the first surprise in its way to the title of the European champion. The next duel was in the last year’s Final Eight quarterfinals in Belgrade. Ferencvaros recorded a 14:13 victory. In December, Ferencvaros beat Jug by two goals in Budapest (9:7).
The remaining two games will be do-or-die matches. Spandau welcomes Marseille. OSC goes to Spain to face Sabadell. The winners will continue chasing Jug, while the losers will be out of the race. Draws in both games would suit Jug.
DAY 11, SCHEDULE
Jug AO – Ferencvaros (19:00)
Spandau 04 – Marseille (19:30)
Sabadell – OSC Budapest (19:30)
Brescia – Novi Beograd (20:30)
Standings: 1. Novi Beograd 25, 2. Brescia 25, 3. Ferencvaros 21, 4. Jug 14, 5. Spandau 8, 6. Marseille 7, 7. OSC Budapest 7, 8. Sabadell 7
Follow the live scores on Total Waterpolo Arena
Group A (Tuesday, April 5)
One team is a heavy favorite in each of the matches of Day 11 in Group A.
The match between Dinamo Tbilisi and Jadran Split will open the round. The Georgians were the only team with no points at the half of the Group Stage. But, in the previous two rounds, they beat Hannover and Radnicki. Still, Dinamo is out of the race for the Final Eight. The game is a must-win match for Jadran which has to win all three points to keep its chances of finishing 4th in the group.
STOPS IN RACE FOR 4th PLACE
Vouliagmeni (14 points): Pro Recco (H), Dinamo T (A), Barceloneta (A), Radnicki (H)
Jadran Split (11 points): Dinamo T (A), Olympiacos (A), Pro Recco (A), Hannover (H)
Head-to-head encounters: Vouliagmeni 4, Jadran 1 point
Two games will be played in Athens’ suburbs at the same time. The contenders for 2nd place will participate in them. It would be a huge surprise if Olympiacos doesn’t beat Hannover or Pro Recco doesn’t earn three points in the game against Vouliagmeni.
STOPS IN RACE FOR 2nd PLACE
Pro Recco (24 points): Vouliagmeni (A), Radnicki (A), Jadran S (H), Olympiacos (H)
Olympiacos (22 points): Hannover (H), Jadran S (H), Dinamo (H), Pro Recco (A)
After two wins over Olympiacos and an away victory over Pro Recco, Barceloneta practically secured 1st place. Until the end of the Preliminary stage, the Spaniards won’t have too demanding tasks. One of them is tomorrow’s duel with Radnicki which can earn an F8 berth only if there are a lot of surprises. Radnicki plays for pride and without any burden, and Barceloneta must be cautious.
DAY 11, SCHEDULE
Dinamo Tbilisi – Jadran Split (19:00 – 16:00 CET)
Olympiacos – Waspo98 Hannover (19:00 – 18:00 CET)
Vouligmeni – Pro Recco (19:00 – 18:00 CET)
Radnicki – Barceloneta (20:30)
Standings:1.Barceloneta 27 points, 2. Pro Recco 24, 3. Olympiacos 22, 4. Vouliagmeni 14, 5. Jadran S 11, 6. Radnicki 9, 7. Dinamo 3, 8. Hannover 3
Follow the live scores on Total Waterpolo Arena
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