Dramatic finish to provide quarter-finalists and play-off sides in the CLVolleyM

50 matches are done in Round 4 of the CEV Champions League 2024 Men, with only 10 still to be played, which will also deliver the final answers, as this phase of the competition concludes on Wednesday.

Three sides have already punched their quarter-finals tickets by securing the first place in their pools, with Ziraat Bank Ankara in Pool A, Trentino Itas in Pool B and Cucine Luba Civitanova in Pool E doing just enough to clinch their places in the knockout phase of the European premium competition.

Other spots are, however, available and the most interesting situation is the one in Pool A, where the champions of the previous three editions of the CEV Champions League Men, Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn-Koźle are on the brink of elimination.

After conceding a 0:3 loss against Olympiacos in the previous match, the reigning champions are tied with the Greek side on six points, but Olympiacos face group leaders Ziraat Bank Ankara in the last match, while Kędzierzyn-Koźle are hosting Knack Roeselare, who also have an outside chance, provided they win.

Only a win which would yield more points for Kędzierzyn-Koźle than Olympiacos manage against Ziraat Bank Ankara would see the Polish side through, as a possible elimination would send shockwaves throughout the European premium competition.

The situation in Pool B is much clearer, with Trentino Itas firmly in the top seat, with five wins out of five matches. ACH Volley Ljubljana are also out, after conceding five losses, with the second place and a play-offs berth due to be decided between Asseco Resovia Rzeszów and Tours VB.

The French side have nine points, three more than the Polish team, with Tours being clearly favourites to progress as they face Ljubljana in the last round, while Resovia travel to Trentino, which hope to make it six out of six.

Another team whose quarter-finals ticket is done and dusted is Cucine Lube Civitanova, which won four of their first five matches in Pool E and hold a six-points advantage over Lvi Praha, with Greenyard Maaseik and Arcada Galați following through, as the three sides all have two wins and three losses.

With Praha and Arcada facing off, the Romanian side faces a must-win situation and even in that moment, they will not be sure of progressing, provided Maaseik take all the three points from Civitanova. 

In Pool D, last season’s runners-up Jastrzębski Węgiel, are on the verge of progressing to the quarter-finals, needing only a point against SVG Lüneburg on their home court, after conceding a loss last round against Guaguas Las Palmas.

The Spanish debutants are, however, in a prime position to make a stunning performance and progress to the play-offs, provided they take at least a point against Czech side Jihostroj České Budějovice, which has won only one from the five matches they played. Lüneburg must deliver a 3:0 win against the Polish powerhouse and hope Las Palmas lose by straight sets in order to progress to the next phase via the second place.

Pool C will bring a crucial tie between Gas Sales Daiko Piacenza and Berlin Recycling Volleys, with a win in three or four sets for the German side helping them leapfrog the Italian powerhouse and seal a quarter-finals berth, as they are only two points behind now.

Halkbank Ankara, who made the semi-finals last season, can still place second, as they are four points behind Piacenza, and will be facing Benfica, which lost all their five matches so far and are on zero points. A win for Ankara would at least see them in the conversation for the second place and a play-offs berth.

The last play-off spot will be reserved for the team which is the best-ranked in the ranking of the third-placed teams in each pool. Currently, Ankara are leading the pack, but Asseco Resovia, Luneburg, the reigning champions Kędzierzyn-Koźle and Greenyard Maaseik are all on six points, lurking.