CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PIPE

Battle for Turin: Eight greats in the hunt for the European crown

Photo: CEV

The eight best teams in Europe are entering the decisive phase of the CEV Champions League – the quarterfinals are next, bringing clashes between the greats and big volleyball stories.

The circle is closing – who is going to Turin, for the final tournament?

A Polish derby for history

The clash is attracting the most attention Warsaw – Lublin, a duel that guarantees that Poland will have at least one participant in the Final Four.

Lublin is having a dream season – the first debutant in history to achieve a 100% performance in the Champions League group stage, and has already won domestic trophies. Led by a phenomenal Wilfredo Leon  four-time European champion.

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On the other hand, Warsaw is coming off an epic comeback against Trentino and is aiming for their first top-four finish.

"We gave everything – our heart, our health, our emotions – and we managed to turn it around. If we want something big, we have to beat everyone," he said. The jury is cool. from Warsaw, MVP of the decisive match against Trentino.

Interestingly, Lublin has won all three head-to-head matches this season.

Does the champion fall?

Spanish Las Palmas chasing history against the current European champion Perugia – a team that has 82 victories in the elite European competition and a streak of 10 consecutive triumphs.

The Spaniards have never beaten an Italian team in the Champions League (0-24), but the Canary Islands side are in great form and believe they can make a splash – at least on home soil. Their trump card is unstoppable. Reply (194 points this season in the Champions League), while experience brings the legendary Osmani Huantorena.

Perugia, led by Gianelli i Ben Tarom, defends the title and comes to the Canary Islands as the world club champion.

"We have to be patient - they don't give anything away, not a single point, they make you work hard," warned libero Perugđe. Masimo Kolaći.

Lube against the "Polish curse"

Lube Civitanova wants to end a bad streak against Polish clubs, who have eliminated the team from Macerata in the last five seasons.

The opponent is last year's Champions League finalist. Conspiracy, and the Italians enter the match full of confidence after eliminating Trentino in the domestic championship.

"I expect an extremely close duel. They run one of the strongest leagues in Europe, which is Poland," he said. Worth D'Hir, a Belgian in the ranks of Lubé.

Replay of the final and the fight for a breakthrough

Rešovia i Zirat Bank They are meeting for the first time in the Champions League, but they already have a history of mutual duels, and what a history – the Turks celebrated in the final of the CEV Cup in 2025.

Zirat comes in as the most dominant team of the group stage (6/6 wins), led by the unstoppable Nimir Abdel-Aziz (138 points total).

Rešovija seeks return to European elite, and form will be key Karola Butrina, who is on the verge of 100 points for the season.

Couples

Tuesday

Warsaw – Lublin Project (6 p.m.)

Las Palmas – Perugia (8 p.m.)

Wednesday

Rešovija – Zirat Bank (6 p.m.)

Lube Ćivitanova – Zavjerće (8 p.m.)

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