The replay of the bronze-medal match from the 2024 Champions League will be in the spotlight on Day 2 of the 2025 Quarterfinal Stage – Olympiacos welcomes Novi Beograd. However, there will be several interesting games in two European cups this week.
Champions League 2024/25, Quarterfinal Stage, Day 2
Group A (Tuesday)
The first round in Group A confirmed the predictions that all four teams were equally competitive in their quest for the Final Four berths. Both matches were thrilling. Novi Beograd narrowly defeated Marseille 15:14, while Olympiacos earned a close 13:12 victory over Jadran in Split.
The winners of these matches will play in Piraeus on Tuesday.
Olympiacos and Novi Beograd have faced each other four times, with Olympiacos winning two matches, Novi Beograd winning one, and one ending in a draw. Last year, Olympiacos triumphed over Novi Beograd 9:6 in the bronze-medal match at the Final Four. However, neither team was particularly motivated in that game since both had come to Malta aiming for the trophy but lost in the semifinals after penalty shootouts. Tomorrow’s encounter carries higher stakes.
Both teams have made changes since their last match in Malta. Novi Beograd has brought in younger players, who replaced big stars, but the team still has experienced players such as Olympic champion Milos Cuk and Greeks Angelos Vlachopoulos and Dimitrios Skoumpakis. Olympiacos also lost a few key players but added strong reinforcements in Gergo Zalanki and Konstantinos Kakaris. The hosts of tomorrow’s match are currently dominant in Greek competitions, recently winning the Greek Cup, beating Apollon Smyrnis in the semifinals (12:9) and Panathinaikos in the final (22:9). After a strong start to the season, Novi Beograd has recently suffered its first losses (to Jadran HN and Radnicki).
Considering the latest results, rosters, and home field, Olympiacos is a slight favorite for their next matchup. But, as Novi Beograd head coach Zivko Gocic said today, the Serbian champions go to Greece with the highest ambition, aware of the difficulty of the upcoming task.
Similar to the match in Piraeus, the upcoming encounter between Marseille and Jadran Split features teams with comparable chances of winning three points. Jadran is the only team that has significantly challenged Ferencvaros this season. It happened in a match in Split. Ferencvaros won 12:10, scoring two goals in the final 52 seconds. Although the Croatian champions have experienced ups and downs recently, they have demonstrated a remarkable ability to recover from substantial deficits. They produced several comebacks. Last Saturday, they were down by four goals against Radnicki but managed to tie the game and win in a penalty shootout.
Marseille currently dominates the French League. However, results from the French championships may not accurately reflect Marseille’s form, as the league’s quality has declined since the Paris Olympics. Nonetheless, the French champions have an excellent team that has performed well in European competitions this season.
The two teams know each other well; last season, Marseille defeated Jadran twice in the quarterfinal stage (17:10 and 14:12), but neither team advanced to the Final Four. Jadran is seeking revenge.
All matches start at 20.00 CET. Follow the live scores and the statistics on Total Waterpolo Arena
Standings: 1. Olympiacos 3, 2. Novi Beograd 3, 3. Marseille 0, 4. Jadran S 0.
Group B (Wednesday)
Given the current situation and the rosters of all four teams, predicting the outcomes of the matches scheduled for Wednesday in Group B is not difficult.
Ferencvaros, with 32 wins in as many games so far this season, is the strongest favorite to claim the title of European champion. The Budapest-based team has been improving match after match. Ferencvaros is highly determined to retain the Champions League trophy, as demonstrated three weeks ago in an 18:10 victory over Barceloneta. On Wednesday, Ferencvaros will face Savona in Italy. Savona has a solid team that has shown good performances this season. However, it will be a surprise if the Italians halt the powerful Hungarian squad.
Barceloneta, which was unbeaten until the earlier defeat to Ferencvaros, welcomes Oradea with nice chances of getting back on the winning track. Barceloneta continues to dominate in domestic competitions and recently won the Spanish Cup. Oradea has already achieved a historic milestone by reaching the Top 8 phase of the Champions League. The Romanians arrive in Spain without pressure but with slim chances of taking points.
All matches start at 20.00 CET. Follow the live scores and the statistics on Total Waterpolo Arena
Standings: 1. Ferencvaros 3, 2. Savona 3, 3. Oradea 0, 4. Barceloneta 0.
More articles about the Champions League
Euro Cup, Quarterfinals, 1st leg (Thurdsay)
An exciting season in the Euro Cup continues this Thursday with the first leg of the quarterfinals. Each of the four matches promises to deliver thrilling action.
Brescia, the record-holder of the Euro Cup, with four trophies (the last one in 2016), will play against Radnicki, the winner in 2013. Radnicki was very active during the transfer window, signing several Olympic champions. Still, a newly shaped team needed a lot of time to reach a desirable form. The Kragujevac-based team displayed several poor performances in the first half of the season. However, after the New Year, Radnicki started a winning streak, which ended after eight victories in the above-mentioned match against Jadran Split on Saturday. Brescia hasn’t shone in the past few weeks. It had to fight hard to keep a 3-goal advantage earned in the first match of the EC eight-finals against Waspo Hannover (the return match ended in an 11:11 draw). Last week, Brescia overcame troubles to beat Trieste.
The Regional League derby in the Euro Cup Round of 8 will feature Mladost and Jadran Herceg Novi. The first duel will be played in Zagreb. Both teams have outstanding players, but Jadran has performed significantly better this season, currently sitting atop the Regional League standings. Mladost is practically out of the race for the Final Four. They have met twice in the season, with Jadran winning both games (11:9 in Herceg Novi and 13:9 in Zagreb).
Luka Bukic (Mladost) in front of Jadran’s defense Photo by V.Ilic/PVK Jadran m:tel HN
The other Montenegrin club in the eighth-finals, the current national champion, Primorac, travels to Spain to play against Sabadell. The two clubs were in the same group of the Champions League Main Stage. Both duels were big battles. Primorac has positive memories of its previous visit to Spain, as it beat Sabadell 16:14, but it lost at home after a penalty shootout.
Finally, this week’s series of games in the European cups concludes with a clash between former European champions Pro Recco and Vasas. Pro Recco, seeking its first LEN Euro Cup title, is considered the favorite based on this season’s results, but Vasas, the 2023 Euro Cup winner, has the potential to be a tough opponent for anyone.
Brescia – Radnicki at 19.00
Mladost – Jadran HN at 19.30
Sabadell – Primorac at 19.30
Vasas – Pro Recco at 20.00
