2016 CEV DenizBank Champions League

  • Skra Bełchatów ended Polish League's season on 3rd place.

    Poland has two spots, but it's almost clear that they'll get a Wild Card :wavy: Jastrzębski Węgiel this time only in CEV Cup :whistle:

    Gold medal - World League 2013 Prediction Game
    Bronze medal - World League 2012 Prediction Game

  • Tours VB in the 2016 Champions League. I don't know what other team is going to represent France. Perhaps either Cannes as a regular season winner or Paris Volley as a finalist.

  • Official:


    *Państwo *Zespoły, które zagrają w LM 2015/16
    Rosja Zenit Kazań, Biełogorie Biełgorod, Dynamo Moskwa
    Włochy Trentino Volley, Parmareggio Modena, Cucine Lube Treia
    Polska Asseco Resovia Rzeszów, Lotos Trefl Gdańsk
    Turcja Arkas Izmir, Halkbank Ankara
    Belgia Knack Roeselare, Volley behappy2 Asse-Lennik
    Francja Tours VB, Paris Volley
    Niemcy VfB Friedrichshafen, Berlin Recycling Volleys
    Rumunia Tomis Constanta, Remat Zalau
    Grecja PAOK Saloniki
    Czechy Dukla Liberec
    Austria Hypo Tirol Innsbruck
    Słowenia ACH Volley Lublana
    Serbia Crvena Zvezda Belgrad
    Bułgaria Marek Union-Ivkoni Dupnica
    Szwajcaria Dragons Lugano
    Czarnogóra Budvanska Rivijera Budva
    "2 Wild Cards" X Y

  • 1st Wild Card should go to PGE SKRA, but 2nd?



    Is it a certain list already? These teams have probably gained the right to participate thanks to their final positions in the respective championships, but I don't know if all will take advantage of it. Here I refer to Remat Zalau and Tomis Constanta, for example, who had serious financial problems this year. Marek from Bulgaria will participate, but their roster is expected to be weakened.


    My picks for the 2 WCs. Yes, Skra and Poland totally deserve the first one. I expect Noliko or the Spanish champions Unicaja Almeria to get the second one.

  • I read here that decisions are made on 28 may for CL. it is now 29 does any one now wene we now witch's team accept a wildcard

  • From here: http://www.cev.lu/News.aspx?NewsID=20420&ID=5


    As per the latest European Ranking List, the teams participating in the 2016 CEV
    DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Men are:


    Hypo Tirol INNSBRUCK (AUT)
    Knack ROESELARE (BEL)
    Volley behappy2 ASSE-LENNIK (BEL)
    Marek Union-Ivkoni DUPNITSA (BUL)
    Dukla LIBEREC (CZE)
    TOURS VB (FRA)
    PARIS Volley (FRA)
    VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER)
    BERLIN Recycling Volleys (GER)
    PAOK THESSALONIKI (GRE)
    TRENTINO Diatec (ITA)
    MODENA Volley (ITA)
    Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (formerly known as TREIA) (ITA)
    Budvanska Rivijera BUDVA (MNE)
    Asseco Resovia RZESZOW (POL)
    Lotos Trefl GDANSK (POL)
    Tomis CONSTANTA (ROU)
    Zenit KAZAN (RUS)
    Belogorie BELGOROD (RUS)
    Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS)
    ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO)
    #Dragons LUGANO (SUI)
    Arkas IZMIR (TUR)
    Halkbank ANKARA (TUR)


    To complete the 28-team field, four wild-cards were granted to the following teams:


    Noliko MAASEIK (BEL)
    PGE Skra BELCHATOW (POL)
    Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD (SRB)
    Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA (TUR)

  • As expected, one of the Romanian teams declined participation. Good that at least Tomis will find money, we'll see about their team, though. After Crvena Zvezda's refusal, we have 4 WCs, just like last year. I would've liked to see Unicaja Almeria return to the Champions League, Spain remains without a team this way. Three newcomers - Lotos Trefl Gdansk, PAOK Thessaloniki and Ziraatbank Ankara.

  • and here we go....


    Pool A: Belogorie BELGOROD (RUS), Arkas IZMIR (TUR), BERLIN Recycling Volleys (GER), Marek Union-Ivkoni DUPNITSA (BUL)


    Pool B: Dinamo MOSCOW (RUS), PARIS Volley (FRA), VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (GER), Ziraat Bankasi ANKARA (TUR)


    Pool C: TRENTINO Diatec (ITA), TOURS VB (FRA), PAOK THESSALONIKI (GRE), Noliko MAASEIK (BEL)


    Pool D: Zenit KAZAN (RUS), Halkbank ANKARA (TUR), Hypo Tirol INNSBRUCK (AUT), Budvanska Rivijera BUDVA (MNE)


    Pool E: Cucine Lube CIVITANOVA (ITA), Knack ROESELARE (BEL), Dukla LIBEREC (CZE), PGE Skra BELCHATOW (POL)


    Pool F: MODENA Volley (ITA), Lotos Trefl GDANSK (POL), ACH Volley LJUBLJANA (SLO), Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD (SRB)


    Pool G: Asseco Resovia RZESZOW (POL), Volley behappy2 ASSE-LENNIK (BEL), Tomis CONSTANTA (ROU), #Dragons LUGANO (SUI)

  • Resovia very lucky

    Per un pir, un pam un persec per na brogna e na rumleina, nuetr'a sam d'la Ghirlandeina nuetr'a sam da rispeter




  • Friedrichshafen was drawn in the Group of Death again. It is really unbelievable how unlucky this team is with the Champions League draws :D There is no weak team in Pool C either, but Trentino is there as a favourite. At least one of Belogorie, Arkas, or Berlin will have to go in Pool A. Lube were the poor souls to draw Skra in the "WC + weak teams" pot, but they luckily got Dukla, so they both need to handle only Roeselare.

  • Poll: on which team would you bet for the final victory? Personally, I'm pretty sure that the final winner will be one among Zenit and Macerata (Zenit has the best line-up, Macerata the best roster) , but this year in my opinion there is not a very really strongest team which can we consider as the main favorite since the beginning as it was last year with Zenit. I think that Belchatow, Resovia and Modena has some chances, and let's not understimate Trento, Moscow and Hankara.

    Per un pir, un pam un persec per na brogna e na rumleina, nuetr'a sam d'la Ghirlandeina nuetr'a sam da rispeter




  • There is prediction game if someone's interested :wavy:
    2016 CEV DenizBank Champions League - Prediction Game

    Gold medal - World League 2013 Prediction Game
    Bronze medal - World League 2012 Prediction Game

  • Both games today ended 3-0... quite soon :)


    Cannot wait to watch Arkas Izmir vs Berlin Recycle!

  • The game in Russia was way too early and I missed it. I watched the debut win of Trefl Gdansk and I should say it was a very enjoyable encounter regardless of what the score says. I am delighted that a new (or rather rapidly developing among good teams) team like Trefl managed to keep its roster and thus they stand a good chance both in the Champions League and in the domestic league. They would surely make both more interesting to watch. Trefl were the better team, no question about it, they look in shape even if they couldn't, like teams globally and mostly in Europe, use all their players during the "summer preparation". Mika, Falaschi, and Gacek, to me, made the difference last night. I liked Falaschi's choices and sets and I was surely surprised to see Gacek in such a good shape. On the other side, we should say Vojvodina is an almost brand new team, with many new signings in comparison to last year when they won the Challenge Cup. They would need more time for the chemistry to work and I am sure they would win sets in their group. The problem is, of course, that Trefl Gdansk and Modena are way too strong and Vojvodina should be realistically aiming at finishing third and eventually advancing to the CEV Cup Challenge Round. In my opinion, among all ex-Yugoslavian European Cup participants this season, including not only the Serbian teams but also ACH and Budvanska Rivijera, Vojvodina have the best squad. Theoretically, they should be able to finish higher than ACH in the pool.

  • What do You think about No 15 from Vojvodina?


    I had to check who No. 15 was, I don't know them by their numbers on the jerseys :D It's Aleksandar Minic, right? He should not be a new name to those who follow the Champions League. Two years ago he was part of Budvanska Rivijera, they beat Resovia twice in the group stage, including a 3-2 win in Poland in a spectacular match, and later in the Playoffs 12 became the only team in the tournament to challenge the future champions of Belogorie more seriously. As far as the player goes, the Montenegrin has an interesting technique. He is a very powerful opposite, I have rarely seen him play with his head instead of using raw power only. On the rare occasions when he does, it is mainly because the ball is higher and he has well-organized or triple block against him. He usually makes his attack steps very quickly and then focuses solely on hitting the ball as hard as possible. This is, of course, not a world-class approach but often gets the job done when he is playing against a late block. Overall, he has good reasons to be in the Champions League, he is not a bad player.