Eight games across the Old Continent will be played in two European water polo cups this week.
The matches of the third round of the Champions League Group Stage will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the series of this week’s European games end on Thursday, with the return matches of the Euro Cup Quarterfinal
2024/25 Champions League, Day 3
Group A (Tuesday, March 18)
Novi Beograd, which maintains a perfect record in the Champions League (six wins in the preliminary stage plus two in the quarterfinals), will host Jadran Split.
Novi Beograd had a tough time defeating Marseille in the first round (15:14), but the Serbs’ performance in Piraeus three weeks ago was outstanding. They showcased excellent defense and defeated Olympiacos 9:6, with the Greeks scoring their first goal only in the 15th minute.
The Croatian champion still hasn’t achieved a win in the Quarterfinal Stage since the current format was introduced (six losses in the 2024 season and two defeats this year). This season, Jadran narrowly lost to Olympiacos at home. In the 2nd round, their coach, Jure Marelja, could field only 11 players against Marseille and lost by two goals.
If the Croatian champions fail to win in Belgrade, their chances of qualifying for the Final Four will be virtually eliminated.
Despite a six-point gap separating the teams and Novi Beograd being the host, neither team is considered the favorite.
The Serbian and Croatian champions have met many times in recent years, and this season, they have faced each other twice. Novi Beograd won both encounters, but both were nail-biters that ended in penalty shootouts. Last week, neither Novi Beograd nor Jadran impressed in their away matches in the Regional League. Jadran lost to Mladost 8:9, while Novi Beograd triumphed over Sabac after a penalty shootout, finishing 16:13.
Novi Beograd has the advantage of playing at home, while Jadran faces the pressure of needing a win. However, any outcome is possible.
The same uncertainty applies to the other match in Group A, Marseille vs. Olympiacos. Both teams are of similar quality, featuring a mix of young and experienced players. Although Olympiacos boasts more superstars on its roster, Marseille has been a more dangerous opponent at home in recent years. There is no clear favorite in this matchup, either.
All matches start at 20.00 CET. Follow the live scores and the statistics on Total Waterpolo Arena
Standings: 1. Novi Beograd 6, 2. Marseille 3, 3. Olympiacos 3, 4. Jadran Split 0.
Group B (Wednesday, March 19)
The only match of Day 3 featuring one heavy favorite is the one in Oradea. The home side already achieved great success by reaching the Top 8 phase. The Romanians will play against Ferencaros. With Ferencvaros having an impressive record of 37 victories in as many games this season, it’s highly unlikely that Oradea will manage to pull off a surprise.
The match in Italy is more intriguing. Savona and Barceloneta will face off. In the previous two rounds, both teams defeated Oradea convincingly and suffered painful 8-goal losses against Ferencvaros.
Last week, Savona reached the final of the Italian Cup for the first time in 12 years. They performed excellently in the semifinal match against Brescia, but Recco left them no chance in the gold-medal game (5:10). However, Savona was without injured left-handed striker Luca Damonte in the final. It’s yet to be seen whether he will be able to play on Wednesday.
Savona aims to recover from the defeat in the Italian Cup final, but overcoming the impressive Barceloneta team, which is favored to reach the Final Four, will be a significant challenge.
All matches start at 20.00 CET. Follow the live scores and the statistics on Total Waterpolo Arena
Standings: 1. Ferencvaros 6, 2. Barceloneta 3, 3. Savona 3, 4. Oradea o.
Euro Cup Quarterfinals, Leg 2 (March 20)
This week, we will find out which teams will advance to the Euro Cup semifinals.
However, some questions were already answered in the first leg of the matches. Sabadell has practically secured its spot in the semifinals after defeating Primorac by eight goals at home. Primorac has a mountain to climb after a 9:17 loss in Spain.
Pro Recco was the only team to record an away win in the first leg, defeating Vasas 11:9 in Budapest. A good team of Vasas performed well in the first leg despite the loss. The Hungarians’ hopes are still alive, but Recco rarely loses at home.
Photo: HAVK Mladost
Mladost played its best game of the season in the first leg, beating Jadran Herceg Novi 12:8 in Zagreb. While a four-goal advantage is significant, the contest between these two strong teams is far from over. Jadran has played excellently since the New Year, and nobody except Mladost has defeated Jadran in 2025. Mladost heads to Herceg Novi, encouraged by a recent 9:8 win over Jadran Split on Friday.
The matchup between Radnicki and Brescia remained widely open after a 9:9 draw in the first match in Italy. Radnicki, which has five reigning Olympic champions on the roster, has improved its shape after the winter break, much like Mladost and Jadran. Radnicki always plays very well in front of the home crowd, making the hosts slightly favorites in the upcoming game.
Schedule
Jadran Herceg Novi – Mladost at 19.00 (first leg 8:12)
Radnicki – Brescia at 20.00 (9:9)
Pro Recco – Vasas at 21.00 (9:7)
Primorac – Sabadell (9:17)
All times are CET
