Group A
16.15 ZF-Eger (HUN) v Jadran Carine Herceg Novi (MNE)
Despite being in a comfortable position as the host of the Final Six, Eger seems to be pretty committed to finish as high as possible in the group, preferably on the top. To reach that a win against Jadran is compulsory, however, the young Montenegrins never give anything for free. At least at home, in the away games they were soundly beaten both in Piraeus and in Barcelona – by the two main rivals of Eger. So the Hungarians have to collect these three points, at home they had two wins and a draw so far, looks promising before Saturday afternoon but they have to stay on ground as earlier this week they surprisingly drew against a mid-team in the domestic league, conceding a strange goal in the last second, from a 15m shot.
Krisztian Bedo, player of ZF-Eger: “We are playing very important matches in series, twice in a week. It demands a lot from the team mentally and physically. We need to adapt to this situation. We have injured players, but we have to solve this problem – winning is our role!”
Balint Lorincz, player of ZF-Eger: “We foresaw that we would have a hard season this year, the expectations are high with the team. We will win on Saturday, because we want to accomplish our goals.”
Norbert Dabrowski, head coach of ZF-Eger: “This time our opponent is a young team, which is playing a very energetic water polo. Based on that, I think it’s not going to be an easy ride for my side!”
19.00 Primorje Erste Banka Rijeka (CRO) v Spandau 04 Berlin (GER)
Exactly three months ago, in mid-December Spandau stunned the Croats by holding them on a draw – in fact the visitors never led in the game and managed to save a point with a late equaliser, 1:23 minutes from time. The Germans were on fire in that period, drew with Olympiacos and Jadran as well – though could not clinch a win. The break for the European Championships seemed to kill their momentum, Eger beat them easily both home and away, forcing Spandau out of the race.
Primorje also fell back as they earned a single point in the two games against Barceloneta – in order to reserve any chance to go though a victory on Saturday is a must for the Croats.
19.30 Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) v CN Barceloneta (ESP)
This is the big game of Day 7, with an awful lot at stake. Since only two F6 spots are available (Eger is qualified as the host), the winner of this match will gain a big advantage in the hunt. If we see any winner: their encounter in December ended in a 7-7 draw amidst dramatic circumstances. The Spaniards led 7-4 with 3:59 to go but Olympiacos scored three unanswered goals, the last one came with 3 seconds remaining on the clock.
The Greeks has remained unbeaten so far – back home they are also superior, winning 16 out of 16 league matches (they scored 296 goals so far, 18.5 per game). However, Barceloneta has also some fine results to look back on, they are fresh from winning the local cup competition. These all promise a phenomenal contest – stay tuned for the outcome!
Theodoros Vlachos, head coach of Olympiacos “It is a very important game for both teams this Saturday. The winner will enjoy a big advantage to qualify for the Final 6. We play at home, we feel good and we are ready. We will try hard to be the victors.”
Vangelis Delakas, player of Olympiacos: “We are eagerly waiting this very important game that will perhaps decide the 1st and 2nd place of the group. The winner will gain advantage en route to the Final 6. We think that we are 100% ready to face Barceloneta, we have made a very good preparation and will give our best to win.”
Chus Martin, head coach of Barceloneta: „The result is very important for both teams. Olympiakos is a stronger team at home and we have to be prepared for this. A victory for any of us will be a very important step for reaching the Final Six. Therefore, we have to put all our energy and concentration in each play of the game.”
Classification: 1. Olympiacos 12, 2. Eger 11, 3. Barceloneta 11, 4. Primorje 8, 5. Spandau 3, 6. Jadran 2
Group B
18.30 Szolnoki Dozsa-Kozgep (HUN) v Galatasaray Istanbul (TUR)
Szolnok downed Galatasaray with ease in Istanbul in December – add that the Hungarians managed to do what no team could in the last two years in the Champions League when they beat Recco in the previous round, so the outcome of this match seems inevitable.
Szolnok had a couple of fine matches recently at home, already secured the top spot in the domestic league and a place in the final so the team is ready to march on. Perhaps not even the visiting team’s players think that they will earn their first points this Saturday.
Sándor Cseh, head coach of Szolnok “Galatasaray has 5 foreigners who played in the European Championships in Belgrade this January. Their other players are not as strong as the starting seven, so our tactic will be to tire them as much as possible. It is questionable if Stefan Mitrovic plays on Saturday but hopefully we can win the game even without him.”
Tamás Mezei, player of Szolnok “The most important for us is to win this encounter. They have very good foreign players, their starting line-up is very strong. We cannot relax for a minute. We are not doing calculations but by winning this game we could take a big step towards the Final Six.”
20.30 Jug Croatia Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO) v Pro Recco (ITA)
After going down in Szolnok, Recco has to be cautious as another defeat might cost them the top spot in the group. And in Dubrovnik not even the title-holder Italian side can take anything for granted. Back in Italy, Recco has no problems, they are unbeaten after 17 rounds while Jug has suffered its first defeat two weeks ago in Rijeka – still, a win would put the Croats to the driving seat in this group.
20.30 A Hid-OSC Budapest (HUN) v Partizan Raiffeisen Belgrade (SRB)
If any of these two sides wish to reserve the slightest chance to catch up on of the three giants, a win here would mean an extended survival of their hopes. Though in reality those are really slim, still, these two teams are well-known for fighting till their very last breaths. OSC seems to have a better chance and of course they are looking for a revenge for their bitter defeat in Belgrade (5-4) in December. This match is a fine conclusion of a great day for the Hungarian water polo fans who can enjoy live coverage from the three home matches (Eger, Szolnok, OSC) in succession – a fine 6 hours entertainment for Saturday.
Balazs Vincze, head coach of OSC “This game has its importance, though I wouldn’t say that the Final Six is at stake here. Other reasons make it count: we are taking part in the Champions League prelims for the first time so we have to grab each occasion to go for the best possible result. We’ve already proved that we are better than Galatasaray, now we can show that our defeat in Belgrade came in a bad period when the team played below the average.
Classification: 1. Recco 15, 2. Jug 15, 3. Szolnok 12, 4. OSC 6, 5. Partizan 6, 6. Galatasaray 0
