CEV Champions League 2018

  • It seems all team want to beat vakfibank in champions league.However, I think the real threat to vakifbank is eczvitra this season in turkish league. When it matters, only zhuting and boscovic can sore with above 80% successful rate continounsly!


    It decides everything. :teach:

    It only takes one bad match. Even Zhu, as great as she is, can have a bad match. She is more likely to score at 30% than 80% that is for sure, most likely she will be 40-50%. I still think VB are big favourites to win, but anything can happen in just one match and Conegliano have a lot of players who can play at a high level.

  • i think Galatasaray and Conegliano may beat Vakıfbank
    we dont know what Conegliano can do against Vakıf bcz we havent watched these two teams play each other so far but Galatasaray was always close to beating Vakıf .they lost at the last moments most of the time when they faced Vakıf this season
    if Vakıf plays its best then they are the fav but it depends on daily performance of the players.

  • Maybe it is vakifbank that plays so successfully this year in CL that makes many other club fans want vakifbank to be beaten by Galatasaray and Conegliano. they are champion last season and have a big chance to win this year again. many fans want to see vakifbank to lose.because vakif has stars like zhu,rasic,slot. many fans feel unconfident for their favourite clubs.i hope everybody here want to watch a great match .things always come as time. lets wait and enjoy.dont think of too much about who will be champion

  • Due to current European cups ranking list and the playoffs are now in final phase for the top four ranked European leagues already, eight of the 12 teams eligilbe to take part in CL pool stage 2019 are already known now (the four other leagues have to determine their champions, because only those are allowed):


    Turkey: Eczacibasi and VakifBank Istanbul
    Russia: Dynamo Kazan and Moscow
    Italy: Novara and Conegliano
    Germany: Stuttgart and Schwerin


    The tragedy is, that both teams from Germany are highly unlikely to take part, they will downgrade to CEV cup or even Challenge cup (like this season). Stuttgart couldn't increase the budget of the soley pure private sponsors and lacks about 200.000 Euro to do it, and there is effectively no support by public money at all, even much less as in Schwerin or Dresden for example. And the Palmberg hall in Schwerin, which is not very big, is obviously now too small (about five years old!), due to current CEV regulations, despite it was used some years ago for CL. That would mean, they had to change for example to a hall in Hamburg for participating in CL, what is no great idea of course. In Germany the third of championship is already determined, and because Dresden has both a suitable hall (Margon arena, really not new, but sufficient) as the required budget (was always calculated in to play CL), they are supposed to apply for qualification rounds of CL - it seems impossible to get a fixed pool stage berth. Those are dispended to other leagues than, for example I expect successfully defending Serbian champions (where they get a lot of public money for this purpose like in Romania too) Vizura RUMA (located in Belgrade) to take one of those berths. Volero Zürich will not be eligible IMHO because of change of the league too (Switzerland -> France). I think, CEV is in serious trouble with this competition, because of too expensive regulations...

  • Now the champions of Serbia, Vizura RUMA, and Finland, HPK HÄMEENLINNA are known. Assuming the very same regulations as last season are in order by CEV and knowing for the trouble im Germany, where both finalists are highly unlikely to take part in CL (pool stage) as Volero leaving Switzerland and Pfeffingen not being able to cope with CL demands, there are likely three empty berths and Azerrail BAKU is also unlikely to apply for a CL berth of any kind, the champions of Czech republic (highly likely Prostejov again), Vizura RUMA and HPK HÄMEENLINNA will be able to go straight to the CL pool stage as the champions of the next best leagues in European Cups ranking. Therefore we are waiting essentially for the champions of Poland, France and Romania (CSM BUKAREST will highly likely get the title from Alba BLAJ this time) to complete the pool stage members (12 teams).

  • one can forget that some great players came to top teams from Istanbul
    i just happened by chance 2011 Fenerbahçe-RC Cannes CL final ..Fener's line-up : Naz,KYK,Sokolova,Logan,Fabiana/Eda ,Nihan


    I wanted to watch a little bit of this match after you put this here, but ended up watching all of it xD and pieces of the previous match vs Kazan. All I can say is WOW! I know we keep talking about dream teams and which ones were the all time bests to me that was this starting line-up of Fenerbahçe. I mean cmon, there was only world class players on that court. Logan Tom,KYK, Sokolova :obey: and then Eda and Fabiana as MBs :obey: Naz as setter and Nihan as Libero :obey: it reallly doesn't get any better then that if you ask me.


    All players on that court were world class and legends in their own position. But I have to say I realize once again why I adore KYK so much and why she is the absolute all time best to me. Passing, receiving, blocking, attacking she does it all! A real legend, she will always be my fave player I just hope she comes back to FB now! :win:

  • I wanted to watch a little bit of this match after you put this here, but ended up watching all of it xD and pieces of the previous match vs Kazan. All I can say is WOW! I know we keep talking about dream teams and which ones were the all time bests to me that was this starting line-up of Fenerbahçe. I mean cmon, there was only world class players on that court. Logan Tom,KYK, Sokolova :obey: and then Eda and Fabiana as MBs :obey: Naz as setter and Nihan as Libero :obey: it reallly doesn't get any better then that if you ask me.


    All players on that court were world class and legends in their own position. But I have to say I realize once again why I adore KYK so much and why she is the absolute all time best to me. Passing, receiving, blocking, attacking she does it all! A real legend, she will always be my fave player I just hope she comes back to FB now! :win:


    Eczacıbaşı's roster last season was also not "bad" :D : Ognjenovic,Boşkoviç,Adams,Kosheleva,Larson,Neslihan,Thaisa,Hande

  • Yesterday CSM Bukarest secured Romanian championship and qualified this way for pool stage of the next season CL. Final Four hosts Alba Blaj are for sure vice champions, so they are eliglible to take part in qualification rounds. The last two pool stage members missing now for the season coming are Polish and French champions...

  • Galatasaray will have huge adventeg in Final CL. Both Vakif and Conegliano will have so little time to rest and to prepare for CL.


    I see Gala as huge favorite as winner.

  • GS won't be favourite against Vakifbank when VB have beaten them 4 times out of 4 matches this season.


    But I do think it's silly that Alba Blaj get to host the F4 because it gives Gala a super easy draw. Semi-finals of the Champions League should be a tough match and the participants should be based on merit, not awarded.

  • GS won't be favourite against Vakifbank when VB have beaten them 4 times out of 4 matches this season.


    But I do think it's silly that Alba Blaj get to host the F4 because it gives Gala a super easy draw. Semi-finals of the Champions League should be a tough match and the participants should be based on merit, not awarded.


    Vakıf has beaten Gala 4 times so far but this could turn out to be a disadvantage for Vakıf too.those matches werent easy..
    they will first have to beat Conegliano then Galatasaray ( supposing they beat Alba Blaj)to win the trophy ..it wont be easy!!

  • Of course, yeah it won't be easy. Galatasaray and Conegliano are clearly 2 of the best teams in the world. But I still think Vakifbank have to be the favourites.

  • Vakıf will go to the Final4 as really tired..then they will have to play two more high level matches...not easy really!
    same for Conegliano!
    problem for Gala : they will go there not having played some high level matches for a while which may harm their rhythm

  • Conegliano's situation is actually even worse. If the Turkish final goes to 5 games Vakif will at least have a week to rest. If the Italian final goes to 5 games then it will finish on 2 May, which gives Imoco only 3 days before the F4 starts!

  • Conegliano's situation is actually even worse. If the Turkish final goes to 5 games Vakif will at least have a week to rest. If the Italian final goes to 5 games then it will finish on 2 May, which gives Imoco only 3 days before the F4 starts!

    vakifbank will get advantage at physical condition vs imoco volley. However, GS will have the biggest advantage. They have already rested for a month! :lol:

  • After Prostejov won again the Czech championship, they can be nearly sure to go directly to pool stage of coming CL again, because there are some free berths not used by better ranked leagues...

  • CEV should really consider letting a 4th team from the same country with a wildcard option. Right now when some good teams reject to join the CL, they are replaced by much easier options and I would rather watch a 4th team from Turkey and Russia or a third team from Italy.