Champions League Men: Pressure growing as second half of Group Stage begins

Heading into the second half of the Champions League group stage, the stakes are higher and the pressure is growing, as the margin for error gets smaller by the minute in the matches scheduled for Day 4.

Group A
(CET times shown)

Tuesday 20.30
HAVK Mladost Zagreb (CRO) v Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE)

Head-to-head: 0-3
Day 1: 9-13. 2018-19: 6-14, 8-13

Last week, both sides claimed hard-fought away wins, which put them in pole position before the start of the second half, the ultimate phase in the race for the top two qualifying spots.

It’s one of the biggest clashes in this round, as the winners will almost surely go through. Olympiacos are fresh from their huge win in Kragujevac – now they face another demanding task, a visit to Zagreb.

On the opening day, they downed Mladost at home by four goals despite missing no fewer than four penalties in the game, so their dominance was clear.

Still, winning in the Mladost pool has always been a tough challenge for the top sides when the Croats belonged to the European elite – and their current team are on their way to entering the highest ranks again.

The Greek champions are led by a Croat, Elvis Fatovic, which adds some extra flavour to this contest, and they seem to be the favourites in this match too.

Wed 20.30
VasasPlaket (HUN) v SPD Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB)

Head-to-head: 0-1
Day 1: 16-17

After losing tight battles to their biggest rivals – Mladost and Olympiacos – in two consecutive weeks, Radnicki need to approach each match as a final in the remaining three rounds.

One thing is sure, they cannot afford to drop any points in Budapest, where the Greeks and the Croats managed to land all three in the previous rounds.

Still, despite three straight losses, Vasas should not be underestimated, as they also put big pressure on Mladost – and the Serbs could also recall their home opener, where they had to dig deep to fend off the Hungarians’ never-ceasing attacking threats.

Bence Batori, captain of Vasas, is committed to coming up with something special in their last home game in this stage. “There is no question that Kragujevac are a world-class team, full of Serbian stars and other internationals.

“But we played a really good match against them in Kragujevac a few weeks ago and now we are preparing for something similar in the Komjadi pool, in front of the Vasas fans.”

Group B
(CET times shown)

Wed 18.30
Jadran Split (CRO) v Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE)

Head-to-head: 4-3 (1d)
Day 1: 11-14. 2023-24: 16-14, 11-10, 2020-21: 11-14, 15-10. 2019-20: 6-12. 2018-19: 11-9, 6-6

The battle of the two Jadrans has a lot more at stake for the Montenegrins. After three straight losses, the Croatians only have a slim chance of reaching the next round – but they can be dangerous too, as a quality team playing with a nothing-to-lose attitude can pose a big threat to any rival, especially at home.

As their player Ivan Zovic put it, “We need to focus entirely on the match against Herceg Novi and give our maximum. There’s no point thinking about reaching the next round – too many things would have to go our way.

“What matters is that we can play much better, and I hope we show that on Wednesday. I believe in this team. We have players with strong character and we need to show that every time we play.”

The Montenegrins managed to win the first leg of the Duel of the Adriatic, and their big away win in Belgrade rocketed them into the top contenders’ position for the runners-up spot behind Recco.

They have to come up with the same – or an even better – performance to prevail in Split, though it will be anything but an easy ride.

Wed 20.30
Pro Recco (ITA) v VK Novi Beograd (SRB)

Head-to-head: 5-0
Day 1: 12-8. 2023-24: 10-10 (pen: 5-4), 15-7. 2022-23: 14-11 (final). 2021-22: 13-13 (pen: 4-3, final)

It’s hard to see any other outcome than a victory for Recco in this fixture. The current team of Novi Beograd is no longer the side that might match the Italians’ strength.

The reshaped team of the 11-time winners showed no mercy at home, thrashing both Jadrans, and their 12-8 win in Belgrade also came after a dominant performance.

Francesco Cassia’s words before the game mirror that confidence, “We’ve only played three games, so there’s a long way to go. So far, things have been positive, but as always, we’ll assess everything at the end.

“Yes, the match against Novi will be crucial. We’re lucky to be playing at home, so I expect a big crowd. It’s very important for us, and we’ll give our best as always. The guys and the team are fantastic, and the staff are incredible too.

“[Sandro] Sukno is an excellent coach, so everything is going great. I’m satisfied. We’re preparing very well for this match against Novi Beograd.”

Group C
(CET times shown)

Tue 18.30
CSM Oradea (ROU) v FTC-Telekom (HUN)

Head-to-head: 0-3
Day 1: 19-11. 2024-25: 7-18, 10-20

In this calendar year, Oradea have met Fradi three times and never had any realistic chance to force a close match. The number of conceded goals tells the story – 18-19-20 – the Romanian champions are the underdogs at home too.

Still, what may be good news for the local fans, at least in advance, is that the title-holders’ appearance guarantees a scoring festival.

They kicked off their campaign against Oradea with a 30-goal game, followed by a 38- and a 41-goal feast, against Brescia and then against Primorac.

The FTC coaching staff are not as happy with that as the fans have been, though, and they would definitely like to see a change in the way the team defends, and this match in Oradea seems to be a good opportunity to advance this plan.

Still, the hosts also wish to have a word or two. “Things didn’t go as we wanted against Brescia last week,” coach Petar Kovacevic said. “Although we scored the first goal, the game didn’t go to plan. It confirmed that at this level it’s not enough to only play well in certain moments, which we did.

“It’s crucial to be able to maintain the same level of play throughout the match, both in defence and attack. Next game, we host the European champions. There can be no better propaganda for what we want in Oradea than to welcome a team like FTC. Of course, we respect them, but at the same time we want a high-level performance. I believe that I have the best players in my team and we go with full confidence into this match.”

Tue 20.30
AN Brescia (ITA) v Primorac Kotor (MNE)

Head-to-head: 2-0
Day 1: 14-13. 2022-23: 11-3 (qualification)

This game might decide the second qualifying spot, as another win for Brescia would leave almost no chance for Oradea to catch them up – not to mention Primorac, who would be eliminated after a fourth straight defeat.

The Italians won a nail-biter in Kotor, and since then they have had a confidence-boosting performance against Ferencvaros (despite the loss), followed by a big win in Oradea.

At home, they are the favourites to claim all three points, and since they play Oradea at home in the last round, a win on Tuesday is likely to secure their berth in the Quarter Final Stage.

“For us, it is not a decisive match, but almost – a victory would put us very close to the top eight,” Brescia coach Sandro Bovo said. “Looking at our first three games, we have played well. Two important wins in the matches we targeted, and a very useful test against Ferencvaros.

“This week, as we have shown recently, our defensive commitment will be crucial. Defence depends on sacrifice and concentration from everyone. In attack, we have talent, even if sometimes we are less clinical or have off days.”

Group D
(CET times shown)

Tue 20.30
Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) v CN Marseille (FRA)

Head-to-head: 2-4
Day 1: 9-20. 2021-2022: 7-14, 10-13, 11-9 (for 7-8th place). 2018-19: 7-8 (qualifications). 2014-15: 10-8 (qualifications)

This group hasn’t lacked stunning results. One was Waspo’s great win against Sabadell in the second round, while Marseille managed to beat CNAB in Barceloneta – another upset – only to fall to Sabadell at home last week.

Somewhat wounded, the French have to bounce back to keep themselves on track to reach the next stage. On the opening day, they outclassed the Germans completely, but Waspo have already demonstrated that they can upset any rival who has a sluggish day.

Marseille cannot afford any more hiccups, as the two Spanish rivals are eager to hunt down the qualifying berths.

Wed 20.30
Zodiac CNAB (ESP) v KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP)

Head-to-head (CL): 1-0
Day 1: 16-12

Barceloneta managed to erase the painful memories of their shocking home defeat against Marseille by producing a flawless performance – and setting a new single-game scoring record by scoring 27 goals – against Hannover.

Now they are up for another fierce battle as they host domestic rivals Sabadell. They had to overcome some scares in Sabadell on Day 1, and Sabadell proved in Marseille that on their better days they can match almost any team in Europe.

The big question is whether they will have that better day or something similar to what sunk them in Hannover in the second round.

CNAB are the favourites to win this match, especially at home, and they are aware that after Sabadell’s stunning win in Marseille, any loss in this balanced group could push a team to the brink of elimination.

“My players were aware of what was at stake in Hannover and played the 32 minutes with great seriousness, commitment, and discipline to achieve a very solid victory,” CNAB coach Fran Fernandez said before this round.

“The beautiful thing about this competition is that one match just ends and then along comes another – a game just as important, or even more so than the previous one.

“After CN Sabadell’s victory, the group is more open than ever. Sabadell, confident and free of pressure, are dangerous opponents.

“I don’t have a crystal ball to know what the game will be like, but what I can say is the players and the team are growing. We are prepared and we are ready for a good test.”

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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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