Just a week after Round 3, the Group Stage of the Champions League is entering its second half. The matches for the fourth round will take place tomorrow and Wednesday.
Some teams are already close to being eliminated from this elite competition, while three clubs have the chance to secure their spots in the Quarterfinal Stage two rounds before the end of the group phase.
Three unbeaten teams—reigning champion Ferencvaros, Pro Recco, and Olympiacos—will qualify for the Top 8 round if they win their respective matches this week. While Ferencvaros and Pro Recco are the favorites in their upcoming games, Olympiacos faces a much tougher challenge than the Italians and the Hungarians. The Piraeus-based team will have its first “match point” to reach the Quarterfinal phase in an away match against Mladost.
2026 Champions League, Round 4, Preview
GROUP A
Tuesday, November 18: Mladost – Olympiacos at 20:30; Wednesday, November 19: Vasas – Radnicki at 20:30.
Mladost opened its 2026 Champions League campaign in excellent fashion. It took a 3:0 lead in its first CHL match after five years, against Olympiacos in Piraeus. However, four goals separated the rivals at the end of the game, but in favor of Olympiacos (13:9). Both teams are composed of exceptional players, many of whom are members of their national teams. Both Mladost and Olympiacos are in good shape, making it quite challenging to predict the match’s outcome.
While both teams are physically well-prepared, factors such as fatigue and a busy schedule could come into play. Olympiacos will be playing its third consecutive away game in the Champions League. The Greek team has traveled extensively in the past few weeks and recently played a tough match against Apollon in Greece (15:14). In contrast, Mladost has had a more relaxed schedule with less travel. Therefore, the hosts may have an advantage in terms of freshness, in addition to the benefits of playing on home ground.
Josip Vrlic (Mladost) Photo by Laszlo Balogh
After losing to Mladost and Olympiacos, the game against Vasas is a must-win match for Radnicki. The Serbian champions struggled to beat Vasas in Round 1, but their quality came to the fore in the final quarter of the game (17:16). Since then, Radnicki has improved its shape, while Vasas has experienced ups and downs. Vasas’ chances of reaching 2nd place in the group are really slim, but the Hungarians won’t hand Radnicki points on a silver platter in their last game in the group in front of the home fans.
Standings: 1. Olympiacos 9, 2. Mladost 6, 3. Radnicki 3, 4. Vasas 0.
GROUP B
Wednesday, November 19: Jadran S – Jadran HN at 18:30, Pro Recco – Novi Beograd at 20:30.
Based on last season’s results, a matchup between Pro Recco, the Euro Cup winner, and Novi Beograd, the Champions League runner-up, should be considered a major derby. However, the home side is a heavy favorite. It’s well known that Recco has significantly strengthened its squad since last season, while Novi Beograd has rejuvenated its team for the second consecutive year. In their first round match, Recco achieved a 12:8 victory in Belgrade, with a strong first quarter (4:0) making a crucial difference. Novi Beograd enters the game in Genova without any pressure, and a solid performance could help the Serbian team regain confidence after two narrow home losses to Jadran HN and Sabac within just a few days.
Two Jadrans, the Croatian and the Montenegrin champions, face off in Split. The visitors earned a significant win over Novi Beograd in Belgrade last week, and the hosts have no points. The Croats’ hopes of advancing to the Quarter Final Stage are still alive. Two Jadrans and Novi Beograd are teams of similar quality, so there is a possibility that they will all finish the group stage with the same number of points, and that a goal difference will decide the three-way tie.
Dusan Matkovic (Jadran S) and Fran Valera (Jadran HN) Photo by Vuk Ilic
However, Jadran Split still has a mountain to climb, as it lost by three goals to both Jadran Herceg Novi and Novi Beograd. Therefore, the Croats need wins with big margins against the Montenegrins in Split and against the Serbs in Belgrade.
Standings: 1. Pro Recco 9, 2. Jadran HN 6, 3. Novi Beograd 3, 4. Jadran S 0.
I Visit Total Waterpolo Arena for live results and the statistics of the 2025/26 Champions League
GROUP C
Tuesday, November 18: Oradea – Ferencvaros at 18:30, Brescia – Primorac at 20:30
The top two places in Group C will practically be decided if there are no surprises in tomorrow’s games.
Ferencvaros travels to Oradea with the intention of picking up three points and mathematically qualifying for the Top 8 round. In Budapest, Ferencvaros, playing without several key players, easily beat the Romanians, 19:11. Oradea will do its best, but it doesn’t seem very likely that it can stop Ferencvaros’ winning streak.
It’s almost sure that Brescia will secure 2nd place if it defeats Primorac at home. The Montenegrins’ series of bad results started with a narrow 13:14 home loss to Brescia. Primorac has begun to overcome the crisis. It comes to Italy, encouraged by a victory over its local rival, Jadran Herceg Novi, in the Premier League.
Brescia is a favorite, primarily because of the home field. Primorac’s victory wouldn’t be a significant upset, but Brescia will still have a realistic chance of advancing even if it loses, as it will host Oradea in Round 6.
Standings: 1. Ferencvaros 9, 2. Brescia 6, 3. Oradea 3, 4. Primorac 0.
GROUP D
Tuesday, November 18: Waspo 98 Hannover – Marseille at 20:30, Wednesday, November 19: Barceloneta – Sabadell at 20:30.
Sabadell’s surprising victory over Marseille last week has made the race for the Quarter Final Stage in Group D quite interesting. However, the favorites, Marseille and Barceloneta, are still in strong positions. If they win their upcoming games, each team will need only one point in the remaining two rounds to advance.
Photo by Victor Castillo
Barceloneta and Sabadell will meet for the fourth time this season, with Barceloneta winning all of the previous three matches. The games in the Copa Catalunya and the Spanish Super Cup were one-sided contests. The Spanish derby in the Champions League Round 1 saw a fierce battle for more than two quarters. Early in the third period, Sabadell led 9:7, but Barceloneta scored nine, conceding only three goals in the rest of the match for a 16:12 victory. However, Sabadell, which hasn’t beaten Barceloneta for almost three years, gained momentum with the victory in Marseille.
Marseille mustn’t allow a new surprise after losing to Sabadell. The outcome of this season’s first matchup between the French and the German champions doesn’t bode well for Hannover ahead of their next encounter, as Marseille defeated the Germans by a margin of 11 goals (20:9). Although Hannover managed to beat Sabadell afterward, it suffered a 16-goal defeat to Barceloneta at home last week. Nevertheless, Hannover will strive to cause a surprise
Standings: 1. Marseille 6, 2. Barceloneta 6, 3. Waspo Hannover 3, 4. Sabadell 3.
I Visit Total Waterpolo Arena for live results and the statistics of the 2025/26 Champions League
More articles about the Champions League
Euro Cup, Group Stage, Round 4 (November 20)
Group A: ASC Duisburg – Solaris, Terrassa – Jug at 20:30
Standings: 1. Jug 9, 2. Terrassa 6, 3. Solaris 3, 4. ASC Duisburg 0.
Group B: Szolnok – Dinamo Bucharest at 18:30, Barcelona – Trieste
Standings: 1. Trieste 6, 2. Barcelona 6, 3. Szolnok 6, 4. Dinamo 0.
Group C: BVSC – Vouliagmeni, Buducnost – Panathinaikos
Standings: 1. Vouliagmeni 7, 2. BVSC 7, 3. Panathinaikos 4, 4. Buducnost 0.
Group D: Steaua – Sabac, Savona – Spandau 04.
Standings: 1. Savona 9, 2. Sabac 6, 3. Spandau 3, 4. Steaua 0.
