European Cups 2013-2014
Champions League and Cev Cup begin
Challenge Cup to start in November
It’s that time of year again in which the Italian teams will defend the flag in European competitions. The Champions League as well as the Cev Cup will kick off this Tuesday. Trentino, Macerata, Piacenza and Cuneo (Cev Cup) are all ready to jump out of the starting blocks.
The Challenge round has already begun but Latina will enter the competition from the second round on November 6 against the Slovakians of Chemes Humenne.
2014 CEV DenizBank Champions League
FORMULA
28 teams divided in 7 groups of 4. The group winners as well as the top five seconds will go through. This is when the Cev selects the host of the Final Four among the 12 qualified teams. The team picked will go directly through to the semis. The sixth second will substitute this team, while the seventh second and best third will go to the Cev Cup at the Challenge round stage. The playoffs 12 and playoffs 6 follow. The three qualified teams will join the host in the Final Four.
ITALIAN TEAMS
Copra Elior Piacenza (Pool A)
Trentino Diatec (Pool D)
Lube Banca Marche Macerata (Pool E)
Macerata will be first on court against Kazan, new club of Nikola grbic who signed there just a few days ago. Giuliani’s team is ambitious and will want to show that from day one against one of the toughest possible opponents. Incredibly difficult group for Macerata as there are also the competition holders, Novosibirsk, and the Austrian champions, Aich/Dob.
On Wednesday. Piacenza will make its come-back in the top European tournament four years after its last participation. De Cecco and co will take on the Slovenian champs of Ljubljana at home on the back of their defeat in their opening league game.
Finally, on Thursday, Trento will entertain the Germans of Berlin following their Super Cup triumph and their third place in the World Club Championships.
THE 7 GROUPS
Pool A
Copra Elior Piacenza (ITA)
Ach Volley Ljubljana (SLO)
Marek Union-Ivkoni Dupnitsa (BUL)
Tours VB (FRA)
Pool B
Belogorie Belgorod (RUS)
Noliko Maaseik (BEL)
Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE)
VK Ostrava (CZE)
Pool C
Asseco Resovia Rzeszow (POL)
Budvanska Rivijera Budva (MNE)
Jihostroj Ceske Budejovice (CZE)
Paris Volley (FRA)
Pool D
Trentino Diatec (ITA)
Arkas Izmir (TUR)
Berlin Recycling Volley (GER)
Energy Investments Lugano (SUI)
Pool E
Lube Banca Marche Macerata (ITA)
Lokomotiv Novosibirsk (RUS)
Posojilnica Aich/Dob (AUT)
Zenit Kazan (RUS)
Pool F
Halkbank Ankara (TUR)
Hypo Tirol Innsbruck (AUT)
Jastrzebski Wegiel (POL)
Tomis Constanta (ROU)
Pool G
Galatasaray Istanbul (TUR)
Knack Roeselare (BEL)
VfB Friedrichshafen (GER)
Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle (POL)
CEV Champions League – Round 1
Tuesday October 22 at 8.30pm
POOL E
Lube Banca Marche Macerata (ITA) – Zenit Kazan (RUS)
(Loderus-Micevski)
Wednesday October 23 at 8.30pm
POOL A
Copra Elior Piacenza (ITA) – Ach Volley Ljubljana (SLO)
(Godoy-Groenewegen)
Thursday October 24 at 8.30pm
POOL D
Trentino Diatec (ITA) – Berlin Recycling Volley (GER)
(Mateizer-Kriescher)
2014 CEV Cup
FORMULA. The competition is made of knock-out stages (home and away games) starting in the 16th of finals. However, between quarters and semis, there will be the Challenge Round in which 4 teams from the Champions League join in. The losers of the 16th of finals will go and play the 16th of the Challenge Cup. There will be no Final Four.
ITALIAN TEAM
Bre Lannutti Cuneo
Cuneo’s goal will be to repeat the success they had in 2009-10. They were just two points away from qualifying for this edition of the Champions League as they lost 16-14 in last year’s final against Novosibirsk. Despite the loss in the first league game, Piazza’s team want to start off brightly in this competition as they will meet the French side of Nantes.
16th of final first leg
Wednesday October 23 at 8pm
Nantes Rezé Métropole (FRA) – Bre Lannutti Cuneo (ITA)
(Globacnik-Zuidberg)
16th of final return leg
Tuesday October 29 at 8.30pm
Bre Lannutti Cuneo (ITA) – Nantes Rezé Métropole (FRA)
(Popovic-Voudouris)
