European Cups 2014-2015
A new European campaign is about to get under way and for the five Italian participants, there’s only one goal: get back on top of Europe. The last success goes back to 2013 when Piacenza won the Challenge Cup, while we need to go as gat back as 2011 for the last Italian “hat trick” with Trento winning the Champ0ions League, Treviso the CEV Cup and Macerata the Challenge Cup.
2014 CEV DenizBank Champions League
FORMULA
28 teams in the starting blocks, 7 groups of 4 teams. The top team of each group plus the five best seconds go through. At this stage the CEV will choose the Final Four host among the 12 qualified teams. The club elected will qualify directly to the semi-finals (the sixth second takes its place in the next phase). The seventh second and the three best thirds will play in the CEV Cup at the Challenge Round stage.
The Playoffs 12 and Playoffs 6 follow, out of which 3 teams will qualify for the semi-finals. All rounds are made of home and away games except for the Final Four.
Champions League on TV
All the Champions League rounds will be on streaming on www.laola1.tv
Fox International Channels Italy, who secured the rights of the competition, will broadcast all the games on Fox Sports 2HD, channel 213 of SKY.
The ITALIANS
Copra Ardelia Piacenza (Pool A)
Cucine Lube Treia (Pool E)
Sir Safety Perugia (Pool G)
Treia will be the first in action in Istanbul against Fenerbahce, winners of the Challenge Cup 2014. The Turkish counts two former Macerata players: Ivan Miljkovic, on his fifth season in Fenerbahce and Wout Wiksmans, back in Europe after a spell in China. Treia is still unbeaten in the league but might still be without Marko Podrascanin, who missed the last two encounters because of an injury on his right thumb. In could come Shumov or Alessandro Fei, lined-up in position 3 against Ravenna and named MVP.
Beaten in the first league round by Ravenna, Piacenza has since gone on a run as it prepares for its Champions League debut, which will also be a first for coach Radici in this competition. Piacenza has collected three consecutive wins over Monza, Verona and Città di Castello. This will be their sixth participation in the Champions League. Zlatanov and co will take on Costanta, in which there are two former Piacenza players: outside hitter Ventceslav Simeonov (from 2005 to 2008) who helped the club win a Top Teams Cup in 2006, and Bulgarian setter Andrey Zhekov (211-12). Other players had spells in Italy like middle blocker Sergiu Stancu (Forlì and Martina Franca) and spiker Bojan Janic, who wore the shirts of Verona Santa Croce, Vibo Valentia and Ferrara.
On Thursday, historical moment in Perugia, as the club will make its full debut in Europe. Grbic and co will start off with the toughest opponent of their group: Halkbank Anakara. Coached by Lorenza Bernardi, the Turkish can boast a roster composed of top class players like former Trento star Tsvetan Sokolov, middle blocker Batur, setter Mikko Esko, and the World Champions Kubiak and Mozdzonek. This will be the first official meeting between the two teams although they met in the Vasto tournament at the beginning of October. Perugia had won 3-0.
The 7 POOL
Pool A
Copra Ardelia Piacenza (ITA)
Knack Roeselare (BEL)
Tomis Constanta (ROU)
Dragons Lugano (SUI)
Pool B
Jastrzebski Wegiel (POL)
Lokomotiv Novosibirsk (RUS)
Cai Teruel (SPA)
Marek Union-Ivkoni Dupnitsa (BUL)
Pool C
Asseco Resovia Rzeszow (POL)
Berlin Recycling Volleys (GER)
ACH Volley Ljubljana (SLO)
Budvanska Rivijera Budva (MNE)
Pool D
Zenit Kazan (RUS)
VfB Friedrichshafen (GER)
Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE)
Posojilnica Aich/Dob (AUT)
Pool E
Cucine Lube Treia (ITA)
Fenerbahce SK. Istanbul (TUR)
Paris Volley (FRA)
Belogorie Belgorod (RUS)
Pool F
PGE Skra Belchatow (POL)
Precura Antwerp (BEL)
Hypo Tirol Innsbruck (AUT)
Jihostroj Ceske Budejovice (CZE)
Pool G
Sir Satefy Perugia (ITA)
Halkbank Ankara (TUR)
Tours VB (FRA)
Noliko Maaseik (BEL)
Schedule:
CEV Champions League – Round 1
Wednesday November 5 at 6pm (Italian time)
POOL E
Fenerbahce SK. Istanbul (TUR) – Cucine Lube Treia (ITA) Live on Fox Sports 2 HD
(Melnyk-Markelj)
Wednesday November 5 at 8.30pm
POOL A
Copra Ardelia Piacenza (ITA) – Tomis Constanta (ROU) Differed on Fox Sports 2 HD
Thursday November 6 at 8.30pm
POOL G
Sir Satefy Perugia (ITA) – Halkbank Ankara (TUR) Live on Fox Sports 2 HD
(Simonovic-Azevedo)
2015 CEV Cup
FORMULA
The CEV Cup starts at the 16th of finals, the 8th of finals, quarter-finals, challenge Round, semi-finals and final follow. The losers of the 16th of finals go into the Challenge Cup. The four winners of the quarter-finals take on the 4 teams coming down from the Champions League in the Challenge Round. All the rounds are made of home and away games, included the semis and final (there is no final four).
ITALIANS
Energy T.I. Diatec Trentino
Trentino’s CEV Cup campaign begins in Serbia, where the team of coach Radostin Stoytchev will take on Novi Sad, who was runner-up of the Serbian League last season. Coach Strahinja Kozic guides a young team, who will try to make it hard for Birarelli and co, who are coming their first league defeat in Verona (3-0).
16th of finals first leg
Wednesday November 4 at 7.30pm
Vojvodina NS Seme Novi Sad (SRB)- Energy T.I. Diatec Trentino (ITA)
(Vinaliev–Pop)
Return leg
Wednesday November 19 at 8.25
Energy T.I. Diatec Trentino (ITA) – Vojvodina NS Seme Novi Sad (SRB)
(Lecourt-Van Zanten)
