Playoffs About To Start in Germany, Another Hard Battle Ahead For Milano

All #CLVolleyW quarterfinalists became clear after the second playoff clashes, and the favorites had no difficulties overpowering their opponents this time to secure their tickets for the next round. Before the first quarterfinals, now they all turn their eyes back to their domestic leagues in order to show their strength in their countries, as well.

After beating SC Potsdam once again, Allianz MTV Stuttgart became the only German participant in the continent's most prestigious tournament. They will hold their first clashes in the playoff stage in German 1. Bundesliga Women, against Suhl.

The regular season was completed in Germany last week, and the top five teams of the first phase had the opportunity to advance to the next round. Since Stuttgart finished the main stage in second place, they will start playoffs with nine points, three behind SSC Palmberg Schwerin, the main phase leader. Potsdam is the team that skips this weekend, and they have already started to get prepared for their next match.

All three Italian CEV Champions League Volley Women participants had already secured their spots in the quarterfinals since they all completed their groups at the first position. While this weekend is expected to be comparably comfortable for A. Carraro Imoco Volley Conegliano and Savino Del Bene Scandicci, this is not the case for the Milano side.

Vero Volley Milano will face Igor Gorgonzola Novara in the 20th week of the Italian Serie A1 Women. Milano took only two defeats, each of them from Imoco, in the league so far, and they are the vice-leaders at the moment. Their closest follower, Novara side also have a good record in the league and CEV Challenge Cup: With three failures and 45 points in total, they are placed third in charts, and they also booked their ticket for CEV Challenge Cup final, after passing VC Wiesbaden. Therefore, this clash is crucial to determining Italy's second-place team.

By winning their second playoff games, Turkish superpowers VakifBank Istanbul and Eczacibasi Dynavit Istanbul also joined the quarterfinalists club. They now will have a relatively easy weekend, just like Fenerbahce Opet Istanbul in the next round of the Turkish Sultanlar League, since they will meet Cukurova Belediyespor, Besiktas, and Muratpasa Belediyespor, respectively. All three teams have the same record so far (17-1 win/loss), therefore any shocking defeat will mean a lot.

We have to wait a little to see how the most elite teams in Europe perform in the #CLVolleyW quarterfinals, but still, it is a good idea to follow what they will bring to the court in their national leagues as well. You might especially pay attention to Germany and Italy for the most anticipated clashes of the weekend.