Top-six contenders in the CEV Champions League Challenge Round – Volleyball news
The 2012 CEV Men’s Champions League has entered the influential Playoffs 12 stage with top twelve European teams.
The first match of the Challenge-Round was played on January 31st, while five more matches were played on February 1st. According to the set formula of the competition, each team is supposed to play one home and one away match in the Playoffs 12. At the
end of this crucial round, half of the teams will be eliminated and half will advance to the quarter-finals. So far, the participants of the Challenge Round have played their opening matches. In the next run, teams will return to action on coming Wednesday
and eventually the top six teams will get the limelight. In the case of a tie, a golden set will be played to determine the winner.
In the previous six matches, following teams clinched success and have fair chances of going into Playoffs 6:
Trentino PlanetWin365 – Italy Arkas Izmir – Turkey Lokomotiv Novosibirsk – Russia Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Italy VfB Friedrichshafen – Germany Zenit Kazan – Russia
Italian club team TRENTINO PlanetWin365 faced off Noliko MAASEIK of Belgium in the first match of Challenge Round on January 31. Italians travelled all the way to the city of Maaseik to meet the opponent.
Trentino defeated the hosts in front of their supporters and bagged the victory in consecutive sets. Next up, the TRENTINO is set to take on Noliko at home on Wednesday. Italy is likely to win the match.
Turkish Arkas Izmir posted 3-1 win over Poland’s Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE in the first match of Playoffs 12. Poles hosted the match but failed to profit the home advantage and dropped the decision. The next encounter between these two teams is set to take
place on Wednesday. Polish team will have to perform extra ordinary, in order to overcome the Turks.
Generali UNTERHACHING of Germany was challenged by Russian Lokomotiv Novosibirsk in the first match of Challenge Round. Like the others hosts of the opening matches, Germans had the same experience. They lost the four-set match with final score of 1-3.
Russia is determined to dig a spot in the next round of 2012 CEV Champions League by defeating Generali in the next match.
One of the Playoffs 12 openers was an all-Italian affair, where Bre Banca Lannutti crossed ways with Team from MACERATA. The formed played under the label of visiting team but still managed to earn success in straight sets.
VfB Friedrichshafen from Germany was the only team, which benefitted the home advantage in the Playoffs 12 openers. They hosted France’s Tours VB and sent them home with 0-3 defeat. German team enjoyed the familiar conditions and easily managed to overpower
the rivals. They need to carry the same momentum into their next match if they want to reserve a berth in the Playoffs 6.
Zenit Kazan of Russia also emerged as the winner of the opening match in the Challenge Round. They went against French team of Stade Poitevin and battled out a 3-2 victory. City of Kazan is scheduled to host the next match between these two teams, which
will decide the qualifier of Playoffs 6.
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