CEV Champions League 2019

    It's already over: Sliedrecht won the first two sets (to 12 respective 9 :rolll: ) and proceeded to second qualification round, facing now superior VBL team Stuttgart. To CEV: don't admit teams like Graz anymore in future for this top competition...

    These are the champions of the top leagues who will not play in Champions League :


    Azerrail (AZE) - Challenge Cup

    Volero (SUI) - Volero le Cannet (FRA)

    Prostejov (CZE)* - Cev Cup

    Branik (SLO) - Cev Cup

    Haifa (ISR) -

    Asterix (BEL) - Cev Cup

    Khimik (UKR) - Cev Cup

    Olympiakos (GRE) - Challenge Cup

    Logrono (ESP) -



    *replaced by Olomouc

    Olomouc (German Olmütz) is not replacing Prostejov, but using the qualification berth they could get anyway, even if Prostejov would have attended the CL pool phase. Volero was not eligible due to league change anymore and forced to use Le Cannets French Challenge Cup berth. Also AZE didn't get any pool phase berth anymore due to several circumstances. Just to clarify the background...

    Yes, Stuttgart and Alba BLAJ are supposed to win clearly today, the most interesting match of this week will be tomorrow, when Bekescsaba(i) (HUN) hosts Budowlani Lodz, this might be dangerous for the Polish club.

    Surprise, surprise: Alba BLAJ won only in tie-break 13:15 in Olomouc (German Olmütz), but two strong middles were not used by the three times Romanian Champions today (Nneka Onyejekwe and Maja Aleksic) for unknown reason. Therefore Alba Blaj needs to win at home too or two sets and the Golden Set to proceed to next round.


    Not that one-sided as expected, but still rather clear, was the other match today, Stuttgart won expectedly in three sets in Sliedrecht, while they were a little sloppy in second set and allowed than only the underdogs more than 20 points (25:22). So Stuttgart needs in one week just two more sets to win for proceeding into final qualification round (3rd). Sarah Wilhyte is not yet with the team and Jana Franziska Poll was not really used today, obviously she is still integrating in the team after coming late here from the WCh in Japan.


    The winners of those two pairings will meet in that final battle for participation in pool stage, with Stuttgart being more favourite now as before, I think.

    Nneka Onyejekwe didnt play also in the friendly games.Today she was in the court but didnt play. Maybe she is injured...Maja Aleksic i think didnt play because of the wch18 like Bjelica who wasnt in Volero's first match.


    Very bad game from Alba Blaj.

    Now all four pre-setted teams won their away matches in second qualification round, only Alba BLAJ lost a point yesterday in Czech Republic, but has still good chances to get to the third and final round. Despite it was not easy for Lodz in the first three sets, they could avert such a loss in Bekescsaba.

    Today Olomouc defeated defending CL experienced champions Prostejov in Czech extraleague - so together with the performance of yesterday it suggests, that they grew stronger from previous season, especially in attack. It may be not that easy for Alba Blaj, to win the return match at home, especially if they have no reenforcements from players not playing yesterday.

    Prostejov had many problems to win the 6th and 7th team of their league. They lost some important players from last year. Olomouc remain first in Czech and i think they have many chances to finish in this place.


    Linamar had already lost two games in Hungary and i didnt expect to be so good against Lodz.

    Quote from charalampos

    Prostejov had many problems to win the 6th and 7th team of their league. They lost some important players from last year. Olomouc remain first in Czech and i think they have many chances to finish in this place.


    Linamar had already lost two games in Hungary and i didnt expect to be so good against Lodz.

    Seems to me their opponents in the Hungarian league (Vasas, Fatum, UTE,...) also got a bit stronger recently. Curious how these clubs will do in the other European cups. It's nice that the HUN league also offers some stats now.

    Cup 4 is "the weakest" but it is right behind Cup 1 with Scandicci and Fenerbahce in it :S

    It will be be interesting who will they get as opponents from Cup 1.


    Their is huge gap between Turkish and Italian clubs I hope Russian teams can step up.

    To bad that Chemik Police don't have strong budget for better players...


    Only 4days left for pools draws.

    Yes, this prerequistie distribution of teams has a number of interesting consequences:


    1. the strongest pool can be drawn, if Kazan from cup 2 and one of Fenerbahce or Scandicci from cup 4 are in the same pool, because a strong poolhead from cup 1 is always guaranteed. This would be the clear pool of death...


    2. more likely (60%) we will have three of the five pools with two of the strongest teams, Kazan from cup 2 and Fenerbahce and Scandicci from cup 4 in the other two


    3. it is nice for the two qualification winners (intended?), that they face at most two of the strongest teams, if they get from cup 4 together with Kazan from cup 2 - that is, because they can't be together with Fenerbahce nor Scandicci


    Altogether, despite it is better as the previous season, I can't follow the CEV logic completely with this presetting. The pools will be definitely more balanced this time compared to the last time.