Champions League Men: Race for top eight set to conclude on thrilling final day of Group Stage
Officially, only Pro Recco’s first place in their group has already been confirmed, while everyone else has something to play for on the last day of the Group Stage as Champions League action resumes on Wednesday after the European Championships break. The Serbian sides, with freshly crowned continental champions on board, face tough away games, with Radnicki needing a win in regular time in Piraeus against Olympiacos, while Novi Beograd play a do-or-die match in Herceg Novi against Jadran m:tel.
2025/26 Champions League Men
Group Stage, Day 6
Wednesday 11 February
(All games start 20:00 CET)
Group A
Olympiacos SFP (GRE) v SPD Radnicki (SRB)
HAVK Mladost (CRO) v Vasas Plaket (HUN)
Standings: 1. Olympiacos 12pts, 2. Radnicki 9pts, 2. Mladost 9pts, 4. Vasas 0pts
Group B
Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) v VK Novi Beograd Tehnomanija (SRB)
VK Jadran Split (CRO) v Pro Recco (ITA)
Standings: 1. Recco 15pts, 2. Jadran m:tel 6pts, 2. Novi Beograd 6pts, 4. Jadran Split 3pts
Group C
VPK Primorac Kotor (MNE) v FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN)
AN Brescia (ITA) v CSM Oradea (ROU)
Standings: 1. FTC 13pts, 2. Brescia 11pts, 3. Primorac 3pts, 4. Oradea 3pts
Group D
KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP) v CN Marseille (FRA)
Zodiac CNAB (ESP) v Waspo 98 Hannover (GER)
Standings: 1. CNAB 12pts, 2. Hannover 9pts, 3. Marseille 6pts, 4. Sabadell 3pts
Group A
Standings: 1. Olympiacos 12, 2. Radnicki 9, 3. Mladost 9, 4. Vasas 0
Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) v SPD Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB)
Head-to-head: 5-1 (1d)
Day 3: 13-12. 2022-23: 13-7, 10-10. 2021-22: 11-7, 8-10. 2014-15: 13-7, 8-7
This is one of the big matches in the last round. The Greeks have almost reached safe waters, as only an eight-goal loss would prevent them from making the top eight – it’s a hard to imagine scenario.
At the same time, the Serbs need a regular time win to force a three-way tie, which would favour them in any case and would relegate Mladost to the Euro Cup. With several of their stars fresh from their European Championships triumph, an away win may not be out of reach for the Serbs, though Olympiacos, filled with happy bronze medal winners from Belgrade, will go all-out to avoid a home defeat.
The Greeks are also aware a two-goal loss would drop them to the second place and that would possibly send them to a lot tougher road to Malta, where they may face at least two of the other three group winners, Recco, Barceloneta and most probably FTC.
(A possible three-way tie, to be achieved if Radnicki claim a regular-time win, would only consider the results the three sides had among each other; as of now, Olympiacos’ goal difference stands at +4, Radnicki’s at 0, Mladost’s at –4 – this latter one is final)
Mladost Zagreb (CRO) v Vasas Plaket (HUN)
Head-to-head: 5-0
Day 3: 13-10. 2011-12: 10-6 (qualifications), 11-7 (bronze medal). 2010-11: 9-8, 8-7
It’s a must-win game for Mladost and it still might not be enough to make the top eight. The Croatians’ faith is in the hands of Olympiacos – provided the Croats beat Vasas, which should not be a problem based on what happened in this group so far, all they need is at least a single point gained by Olympiacos against Radnicki in the other match. A regular-time win for the Serbs – provided it’s not by 8+ goals, would end Mladost’s CL campaign for this season.
Group B
Standings: 1. Recco 15pts, 2. Jadran m:tel 6pts, 2. Novi Beograd 6pts, 4. Jadran Split 3pts
Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) v Novi Beograd Tehnomanija (SRB)
Head-to-head: 1-0
Day 3: 12-11
The winners of this match will reach the top eight, while the losers would continue in the Euro Cup. The Montenegrins may have stunned their Serbian arch-rivals in Belgrade, but it’s yet to be seen what level the two sides could reach after such a long break and less than two weeks in practice with the full rosters. Amid these circumstances, there is no way to call this match in advance, it can really go either way.
Jadran Split (CRO) v Pro Recco (ITA)
Head-to-head: 0-5
Day 3: 9-15. 2023-24: 10-13, 9-18. 2022-23: 8-13, 7-14
Whatever would be the outcome of this clash, it won’t affect the ranks of these two. Even a surprise win for Jadran would not move them from the fourth place, while Recco have already secured the top spot.
Indeed, the Italians are the only unbeaten side in the League, and they are ready to maintain their perfect record in Split too.
Group C
Standings: 1. FTC 13pts, 2. Brescia 11pts, 3. Primorac 3pts, 4. Oradea 3pts
Primorac Kotor (MNE) v FTC-Telekom (HUN)
Head-to-head: 0-1
Day 3: 15-26
Title-holders FTC are looking to bounce back from their somewhat shocking end to 2025, when Brescia managed to hand them a shootout defeat in Budapest in December, before the club season break commenced.
Still, Fradi are all set to finish on top of the group, they just need a single point to cement their first position in the group and based on their first encounter with Kotor, even a close tie would be surprising.
Still, the young Montenegrins may have a shot at forcing an exciting match – though the Hungarians have been on a roll, as the core team members were the engine behind the Magyars’ silver medal run in Belgrade, together with their foreign aces.
Dusan Mandic, MVP in the final, and Stylianos Argyropoulos both made the MVP Team of the championships, just like Krisztian Manhercz and Akos Nagy, the wingers of Fradi. All in all, four of the Belgrade Best Seven may be in the pool to secure another win for the Hungarians, creating a huge challenge for Primorac.
AN Brescia (ITA) v CSM Oradea (ROU)
Head-to-head: 6-1
Day 3: 16-11. 2024-25: 7-7, pen: 6-7. 2019-20: 18-1 (qualification). 2018-19: 16-4 (qual.). 2017-18: 15-8 (qual). 2013-14: 10-6, 18-7
Back in December, Brescia achieved what other teams had been unable to do since May 2023 – beat FTC in Budapest. Though it came after a shootout, it’s still a win, and it also kept the Italians in the race for the top spot – even if they would be the most surprised perhaps if they end up in the first position, as that would require a miraculous win from Primorac in the other match.
Of course, Brescia also need to beat Oradea, but that looks a lot easier task, as they already did that on Day 3, when they won by five in Romania.
Group D
Standings: 1. CNAB 12pts, 2. Hannover 9pts, 3. Marseille 6pts, 4. Sabadell 3pts
Zodiac CNAB (ESP) v Waspo 98 Hannover (GER)
Head-to-head: 9-0 (1d)
Day 3: 27-11. 2022-23: 20-5, 16-7. 2021-22: 12-8, 12-10. 2019-20: 16-8. 2018-19: 13-12, 13-7. 2016-17: 9-9, 12-10
After all the surprises in this group, at the end, Barceloneta had already booked the top spot. At least theoretically, but the only way to lose their first rank would be a 17-goal defeat to Hannover, which is not even in the category of fairy-tales.
At the same time, the Germans would need a single point to secure their Quarter-final Round berth on their own. They could still lose in Barceloneta in regular time, which on paper is the likeliest outcome, but then they need to wait for the news coming from some 50km away in Sabadell where they’ll be hoping for anything other than a Marseille victory.
KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP) v CN Marseille (FRA)
Head-to-head: 2-1
Day 3: 12-11. 2022-23: 13-11, 6-9
It’s an all-in match for the French, who must beat Sabadell in regular time to have a chance to go through. They may count on Barceloneta that the Spaniards would beat Hannover in 32 minutes, then three points would send Marseille to the top eight as the head-to-head results favour them above the Germans (20-7, 14-16).
However, Sabadell are not famous for offering free gifts for any rivals, not even in their position when they have little to fight for – a win would lift them to the third place and drop the French to the bottom.
Apart from pride and prestige, that may offer them a bit of an easier match-up for the Euro Cup eight-finals (to be paired against a runner-up, not a group winner), that’s all they can achieve as they have no chance to make the next round in the Champions League.
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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
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