Euro Cup Men: Players and coaches preview day two’s highly anticipated clashes

As the men’s Euro Cup enters day two on Thursday, European Aquatics previews the action, spotlighting all eight must-watch fixtures and hearing from several key players and coaches.

2025/26 Euro Cup Men

Group Stage, Day 2
Thursday 30 October
(Local times shown)

Group A

19:30: ASC Duisburg (GER) v VK Jug AO (CRO)
20:30: CN Terrassa (ESP) v VK Solaris Sibenik (CRO)

Group B

20:00: CN Barcelona (ESP) v CS Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU)
18:00: Szolnoki Dozsa Praktiker (HUN) v Pallanuoto Trieste (ITA)

Group C

18:30: BVSC Manna ABC (HUN) v Panathinaikos AC (GRE)
18:00: PVK Buducnost Podgorica (MNE) v Vouliagmeni NC (GRE)

Group D

19:00: CSA Steaua Bucharest (ROU) v Spandau 04 Berlin (GER)
19:00: RN Savona (ITA) v VK Sabac Elixir (SRB)

Group A

ASC Duisburg (GER) v VK Jug AO (CRO)

Duisburg and Jug will meet in competitive action for the first time in almost 20 years, and the German side will be hoping for a very different outcome this time – as back in 2008, the Croatian powerhouse swept past them 18-5 in the Champions League qualifiers.

Fast forward to 2025 and Duisburg finally meet Jug again – this time in their first home game of the new Euro Cup season. The visitors edged Terrassa 16-12 in Dubrovnik on the opening day and will fancy their chances of making it back-to-back wins on Thursday.

Duisburg, meanwhile, come into the tie on the back of a 15-10 defeat away to Solaris two weeks ago – a reminder of how punishing Croatian opposition can be. To avoid a repeat, the hosts will need to produce a near-flawless display if they are to secure their first three points.

‘Jug have a very strong team and a great history,’ said Duisburg coach Vuk Vuksanovic. ‘They have a good mix of young and experienced players. We will give everything to show our best in front of our home crowd. If we manage to break through their strong press, the game might be much closer.’

Domestically, both teams have been flawless so far this season, with Duisburg winning both of their two Pro A games so far (against White Sharks Hannover 30-2 and Neukolln Berlin 18-9), while Jug have won all four of their opening Prva Liga games, scoring 20 or more in each of them, and sit at the top of the standings alongside Mladost and Jadran Split.

Group A

CN Terrassa (ESP) v VK Solaris Sibenik (CRO)

After easing past Duisburg 15-10 on day one, Solaris will be eyeing back-to-back victories when they travel to Spain to face Terrassa this week.

The Spaniards are still searching for their first win of the campaign after falling 16-12 to Jug in Dubrovnik two weeks ago, and home advantage could prove crucial.

For Solaris, confidence should be high, yet the Croatians know their trip to Terrassa won’t be easy – particularly against a side that impressed during the qualifiers and are eager to respond.

Both teams also stumbled in their domestic away fixtures last weekend – Terrassa were edged out 16-14 by local rivals Mediterrani, while Solaris slipped to a 15-13 loss to Primorje.

‘After our first Euro Cup match in front of our home crowd, where we secured three important points, we now face a demanding away game in Terrassa,’ said Solaris coach Bruno Sabioni. ‘Their match against Jug confirmed they are a very strong and high-quality team.

‘Our focus now is to stay on our path, prepare well and play a serious and disciplined game against Terrassa, making the most of every opportunity that comes our way.’

‘The atmosphere within the team is excellent – everyone is healthy and we are improving with every game.’ added Solaris’ Niko Čubranić. ‘We are working hard in training and I’m confident we will prepare in the best possible way. We believe in ourselves and we hope to achieve a positive result.’

‘After our first game against Jug, it helped us get into the right mindset and realise we’re not here just to take part – we’ve come to fight against everyone,’ said Terrassa’s Ricard Alarcón.

‘Against Šibenik at home, we have a golden opportunity to earn our first points. We’re a young but prepared team, and if we do things the way we should against this opponent, we’re ready to win those first points.’

Group B

CN Barcelona (ESP) v CS Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU)

Barcelona and Dinamo renew acquaintances this week – a little over a year after their last meeting in the Champions League qualifiers, when the Spaniards ran out comfortable 18-12 winners.

The hosts will be hoping for a similar outcome this time, with both sides in need of a lift after opening-day defeats in the Euro Cup.

Barcelona fell 20-16 away to Trieste, while Dinamo suffered a narrow 16-15 loss at home to Szolnok – results that leave each team chasing their first points of the new campaign.

Since that setback in Italy, Barcelona have responded in style on the domestic front – hitting 20 goals in successive league wins over Caballa (20-8) and Catalunya (20-9). Dinamo, meanwhile, will arrive with plenty to prove and the knowledge that another defeat could leave them with a mountain to climb.

‘The game against Barcelona is going to be a tough one for us,’ said Dinamo’s Cosmin Radu. ‘They arrive at this game after a defeat in Trieste, and I know they are going to prepare well to not repeat the result they had on day one.

‘I think they have a very good coach, and a young team willing to give their best. But at the same time we are going to try to do the same thing, and we will try to maximise our abilities and try to have a great game there.’

Group B

Szolnoki Dozsa Praktiker (HUN) v Pallanuoto Trieste (ITA)

After both sides opened their Euro Cup campaigns with victories, something has to give in this eagerly awaited clash – a meeting that promises plenty of goals and drama.

‘Trieste are the strongest opponents in our group,’ said Szolnok coach Zoltán Hangay. ‘They have very good foreign players and experienced Italian players. We’re preparing the best we can. We want to win, but in order to do that we need to play smart, focused, and composed throughout the entire match. At home, our only goal is to win.’

Trieste carry the psychological edge heading into Thursday’s game, having beaten Szolnok in all three of their previous European encounters.

Each of those contests, though, were fiercely contested. In 2023, the sides met three times – first in the quarter-finals of the 2022/23 season, where Trieste edged a 13-12 win in Hungary before clinching an 11-10 victory at home.

They crossed paths again in the following season’s Euro Cup qualifiers, with the Italians prevailing 15-11 to complete the hat-trick.

‘We’re facing a team like Szolnok, who are used to playing at the highest European level,’ said Trieste coach Maurizio Mirarchi. ‘We’ve grown and we’re improving, so we’re ready for this challenge and, as always, we’ll give our best in the water. It’s an important match for our path in this Group Stage.’

Both teams come into this latest meeting buoyed by domestic wins at the weekend, but Trieste’s form appears the stronger. The Italians dispatched Telimar 22-13 at home in a commanding display, while Szolnok needed penalties to scrape past Kaposvari 20-19 after the match finished 11-11 in regular time.

Group C

BVSC Manna ABC (HUN) v Panathinaikos AC (GRE)

Panathinaikos travel to Hungary riding a wave of confidence – five wins from five in all competitions have marked a perfect start to their season.

The Greeks began their Euro Cup campaign in style two weeks ago with a commanding 16-8 home victory over Buducnost and they will be hopeful of securing another three points on Thursday night.

‘We have trained for this game a lot and I think it will be a very big clash against Panathinaikos,’ said BVSC’s Mátyás Mészáros. ‘It will a big test for us, because we need to show a lot more than in the previous game against Vouliagmeni. I think we can do it and we will see who will win in the end.’

“We are expecting a difficult match at a difficult venue,’ commented Panathinaikos’ Dimitris Skoumpakis. ‘However, our team has the quality and ability to go there and get the desired result.’

Since day one’s triumph, Panathinaikos have continued to impress, edging domestic and Euro Cup rivals Vouliagmeni 12-11 away in the A1 league before downing Chania 19-8 at home last weekend.

BVSC, meanwhile, will be keen to make amends for their agonising shootout defeat to Vouliagmeni a fortnight ago – a game they led from start to finish before conceding an equaliser with just 24 seconds left on the clock.

The Hungarians have responded well since, recording back-to-back OB1 wins, with a 14-9 victory away to Miskolci and a comfortable 19-11 home success against Szentesi.

Group C

PVK Buducnost Podgorica (MNE) v Vouliagmeni NC (GRE)

Vouliagmeni, led expertly by Paris 2024 Olympic champion Nemanja Ubovic, showed remarkable resolve in their opening Euro Cup outing against BVSC two weeks ago.

The young Greek side trailed throughout, but fought back superbly to level late on (11-11) and eventually claimed two points by winning on penalties (9-8).

Interestingly, it was Vouliagmeni’s third successive shootout in as many Euro Cup games, following their win over Trieste on day three of the qualifiers and defeat to Crvena Zvezda on day two.

A narrow 12-11 domestic defeat to Panathinaikos followed the win against BVSC, but Vouliagmeni have since rediscovered their rhythm, recording consecutive A1 league victories – a commanding 19-10 away win over Palaio Faliro and a solid 14-10 triumph at home to Chios last weekend.

Buducnost, by contrast, are still searching for their first points of the season. The Montenegrins have endured a torrid start, losing four consecutive games in the Premier VRL League and suffering a heavy 16-8 defeat to Panathinaikos in the opening round of the Euro Cup.

Each of their five losses has also come by at least five goals – a statistic that won’t inspire much confidence – though their 14-9 reverse to Crvena Zvezda last Saturday offers faint signs of progress for the newcomers.

‘This is the debut home match for our club on the European stage,’ said Buducnost coach Aleksandar Aleksic. ‘We will try to show ourselves first of all as good hosts, and make everyone in Podgorica feel at home. As for the match, Vouliagmeni are the favourites, as we have a very young team. This is a great experience for us as we look to keep building over the next few seasons, but we will be sure to give the maximum in front of our fans.’

‘We are ready to play on a difficult field in Podgorica against a team that will want to win its first three points in European competitions,’ commented Vouliagmeni coach Vladimir Vujasinovic. ‘We have gone through a lot of very difficult games in the last month, and I hope that this has prepared us for another victory in this stage of the competition.’

Group D

CSA Steaua Bucharest (ROU) v Spandau 04 Berlin (GER)

Steaua Bucharest head into Thursday’s clash determined to end a miserable run against Spandau in European competition – the Romanians have faced the German side four times since 2018 and lost on every occasion.

Their most recent meeting came in February 2022, when Spandau cruised to a resounding 16-5 victory in the Champions League.

Both teams began their Euro Cup campaigns with defeats and will be eager to get off the mark this week. Steaua fell 11-9 away to Sabac, while Spandau suffered a narrow 16-15 home loss to Savona.

Spandau responded emphatically on the domestic stage, however, rediscovering their scoring touch in the German Pro A league with back-to-back wins – a 25-9 demolition of Potsdam at home followed by a 27-9 rout of Cannstatt on the road last weekend.

Steaua know they face a formidable task in halting that momentum, but with both sides under pressure to kick-start their European campaigns, this contest should produce plenty of drama and action.

Group D

RN Savona (ITA) v VK Sabac Elixir (SRB)

Savona and Sabac both made winning starts to their Euro Cup campaigns two weeks ago – now they meet in what promises to be one of the standout fixtures of round two, with both sides aiming to secure a second successive victory.

Savona’s opening triumph was arguably the more eye-catching, as they edged out Spandau 16-15 in Berlin. Sabac, meanwhile, claimed a hard-fought 11-9 success over Steaua Bucharest, taking control early and holding off the Romanians’ late push to secure all three points.

These two sides last met in 2022, when Savona prevailed 10-8 in a Champions League qualifier – another tight affair that possibly hints at what could be in store for Thursday night.

The Italians have been near unstoppable so far this season, winning all six of their matches across all competitions and sit joint-top of the Italian A1 league alongside Pro Recco and Brescia.

Savona’s most recent outing – a dominant 20-11 win away to Olympic Roma last weekend – further demonstrated their attacking power.

Sabac, though, have also impressed domestically, winning four of their five matches so far this season.
Their only slip came last Friday in an 18-10 defeat away to strong domestic rivals Radnicki, which is unlikely to have dented their confidence.

Watch all the Euro Cup action live on European Aquatics TV

For full Euro Cup fixtures, results, stats and tables, click here or download the European Aqautics app

Stay tuned to the European Aquatics Water Polo social media accounts for more news and live updates on Facebook and Instagram

Andy Rollé for European Aquatics

 

The post Euro Cup Men: Players and coaches preview day two’s highly anticipated clashes first appeared on European Aquatics®.