The draw for the LEN Euro Cup quarterfinals has been made today at LEN headquarters.
There will be no national derbies in this round. Hungary and Italy have two clubs each in the quarterfinals, but these sides “avoided” each other.
Vasas, one of the favorites for the trophy, which eliminated Crvena Zvezda after a thrilling ending of the second leg, will play against a Serbian club again. Vasas’ rival will be Sabac, which achieved great success by reaching the quarterfinals. Vasas and Sabac already played each other this season. Vasas beat Sabac in the Champions League qualifications in Split (13:4). Still the Budapest-based side, with one Serb on the bench – head coach Slobodan Nikic, and two on the toster – Branislav Mitrovic and Sava Randjelovic, probably doesn’t expect another easy win.
Szolnok, the 2021 LEN Euro Cup winner, will have a demanding task against Trieste, which plays better and better. The Italians blew Noisy-le-Sec away in the eight-finals.
That match can be considered one of the derbies in this round.
The other one is Tourcoing – Savona. Tourcoing was one of the contenders for a spot in the Champions League Preliminary Stage. But, the French had a lot of ups and downs. Still, until the quarterfinals in late January and early February, they will have enough time to prepare and reach good shape. Savona, which had already won the LEN Euro Cup, proved that it could have good results this season, especially in the first leg of Round 16 against Ortigia (7:2).
After defeating Partizan,Panionios will play against Oradea, which was better than Steaua in the Romanian derby. Neither of the teams is a strong favorite in this duel.
LEN Euro Cup, quarterfinals, draw
Vasas (HUN) – Sabac (SRB)
Szolnok (HUN) – Trieste (ITA)
Panionios (GRE) – Oradea (ROM)
Tourcoing (FRA) – Savona (ITA)
The first leg is on January 25, and the return matches on February 8.
