The last day of November marks the kick-off of the Main Round in the Champions League. Before the start of another great season of premium water polo, let’s introduce the twelve participating clubs!
The current field is composed of three clubs from Hungary, two from Italy and Germany respectively and one from Croatia, Serbia, Greece, Spain and France apiece. Compared to last season, sides representing Turkey and Montenegro will be missing from the pools.
Group A
Olympiacos Piraeus – Greece
2015/2016: runner-up
Best result: winner (2002)
Final 4/6 appearances: 2001 (2.), 2002 (1.), 2007 (4.), 2016 (2.)
Domestic league: 30 titles
Greece’s top water polo club beat almost all records last season at least at home: they won all their domestic matches, scored 444 goals in the league (the most ever by a team) and conceded 100 (the fewest ever) and remained unbeaten in the Champions League – up until the very last game. However, they failed to deliver in the final against Jug (CRO) and suffered a painful 6-4 loss to the Croats. But the team is back, and they are determined to have another shot for the title with an even stronger squad. While the team is almost equal with the Greek national side, they contracted new foreign players. Beside the veteran Croatian goalie, Josip Pavic (Olympic champion in 2012), Montenegro’s scoring machine Mladan Janovic, 2014 Final Six MVP Albert Espanol of Spain and the great Croatian defender Andro Buslje joined the club. With a handful of brilliant local players like Ioannis Fountoulis, Konstantinos Mourikis and Christodoulos Kolomvos, Olympiacos is once again the team to beat in this season.
Szolnoki Dozsa-Kozgep – Hungary
2015/16: bronze medallist
Best result: bronze medal (2016)
Final 4/6 appearances: 2015 (6.), 2016 (3.)
Domestic league: 8 titles
This year Szolnok enjoys the advantage of a secured place in the Final Six, as representative of the host country, Hungary – as the event will take place at the breathtaking new complex in Budapest, accommodating some 15,000 spectators, home of next year’s World Championships.
Szolnok might need this kind of insurance as they are rebuilding their team. A couple of fine players left the club after they had another fine season which saw them retaining their domestic title and earning the third place in the Final Six, though they lost a nail-biter against Olympiacos in the semis which was a bit devastating. Hungarian Olympic champions Daniel Varga and Norbert Madaras said good-bye, though the younger Varga, Denes – (Olympic champion in 2008, Best WP Player in 2013 by LEN and FINA) – and a handful of other fine national team players stayed on board, alongside with freshly crowned Serbian Olympic champions Zivko Gocic and Milan Aleksic. Though the third, Stefan Mitrovic also left but Szolnok managed to bring in another Serb giant, Andrija Prlainovic (from Recco). Still, it’s going to be springtime when he could help his new team in full strength as he is recovering from an ugly illness (mononucleosis). Other Hungarian aces include Olympic champion Gabor Kis, world champion goalie Viktor Nagy (Best goalie at the 2013 Worlds and the 2016 Europeans) and world champion leftie Marton Vamos.
Spandau 04 Berlin – Germany
2015/16: 10.
Best result: winner (1983, 1986, 1987, 1989)
Final 4/6 appearances: –
Domestic league: 34 titles
European ruler of 80s, home of a handful of German greats is a regular participant of the preliminary round though they are still looking for a breakthrough performance. Before the middle break (because of the Europeans in January) they offered a couple of great performances in last season, including five draws in the prelims, with Olympiacos (GRE), Primorje (CRO), Barceloneta (ESP) and Jadran (MNE, twice). Still, they were unable to win a match and seemed to have been fading after the Champions League action resumed in February. Lining up the key players of the German national team (which almost stunned Hungary in the crucial Olympic qualifier last spring, losing only 7-8), Spandau usually imposes a real threat on any side, especially in their home pool. Alongside Marko Stamm (son of Spandau’s arguably greatest player Hagen, kaiser of the 4-time European Cup winner side in the 80s) and Moritz Oeler, a couple of Serbians, Mateo Cuk and Nikola Dedovic boost their attacks while Hungarian netminder Laszlo Baksa can give a firm backing in the goal.
Olympic Nice – France
2015/16: not played
Best result: semi-finalist (1993)
Final 4/6 appearances: –
Domestic league: 12 titles
Even though they captured their last title in 2004 and finished runner-up last season in the French league, Olympic Nice was happy to take the wild-card on offer and joined the prelims for the first time. The team can use this inaugural season for gaining experience at the highest level but might not stay in the hunt for the F6 berths too long. Without any bigger international stars they need to rely on team effort. With a handful of national team players who were part of the Olympic adventure in Rio – France was a surprise qualifier – they can cause some headaches for the better sides on its better days.
A Hid-OSC Budapest – Hungary
2015/16: 8.
Best result: winner (1973, 1979)
Final 4/6 appearances: –
Domestic league: 7 titles
Another great side from the ever-powerful Hungarian water polo, OSC Budapest which brought back elite level games to the capital. After the other great sides like Vasas, Ujpest, Ferencvaros and BVSC disappeared from the European stage (though the latter two are making a comeback in the Euro Cup now), OSC started another chapter in the club’s history three years ago. By finding a strong sponsor, the team’s line-up and results began to get similar to the golden period when the club enjoyed its best days winning the European Cup twice and the national titles. In recent years OSC has become one of the top three sides in Hungary, thanks to the quality players joining the club. The team has a handful of really experienced players, both locals and foreigners, as well as great young aces. Their greatest acquisition is Serbia’s Olympic champion centre-forward Slobodan Nikic who played a key part in OSC’s march in the qualification round, including the ousting of Italy’s Verona in the last phase. Montenegrin Drasko Brguljan and Slovakian centre Lukas Seman can be protagonists in any matches, as well as Hungarian national team players like world champion Miklos Gor-Nagy and Bence Batori, or Gergo Zalanki, the leftie who, as a rookie, was a hit at the Rio Olympics.
AN Brescia – Italy
2015/16: winner of Euro Cup (eliminated in CHL QR3)
Best result: 5. (2014)
Final 4/6 appearances: 2014 (5.)
Domestic league: 1 title
Italy’s second best side devoted the last season to regroup the team after a fine run and the first F6 appearance in 2014. They opted to play with a much younger line-up in 2015 and it was a rather successful attempt, even though they bowed out in the last round of the qualifications (losing to Jadran, MNE) but went on winning the Euro Cup. And they are back for more in the current season, they took revenge on Jadran at the same stage some weeks ago and reached the main round for the second time after 2014. Some fine Italian players – the Olympic bronze medallist Presciutti brothers, Valerio Rizzo and the experienced goalie Marco del Luongo – and the mix of quality foreigners like Serbia’s Sava Randelovic and Nemanja Ubovic, Croatia’s Petar Muslim and Montenegro’s Vjekoslav Paskovic, ensure a rock solid base for a great run in the coming months.
Group B
Jug Croatia Osiguranje Dubrovnik – Croatia
2015/16: winner
Best result: winner (1981, 2001, 2006, 2016)
Final 4/6 appearances: 2001 (1.), 2002 (4.), 2005 (4.), 2006 (1.), 2007 (2.), 2008 (2.),
2009 (3.), 2010 (4.), 2013 (2.), 2015 (4.), 2016 (1.)
Domestic league: 12 titles (CRO) + 14 titles (YUG)
It was somewhat stunning but definitely a well-deserved triumph: Jug captured the most prestigious trophy for the fourth time in its history last May but for the first time away from their hell-like home pool. One couldn’t have had any more impressive run than the Croats who beat Eger (HUN), Recco (ITA) and finally Olympiacos (GRE) in three days in the Final Six. It was a fantastic team effort and one cannot wonder that they stick to the winning line-up: there was no major change in the summer, the key players stayed in the beautiful city. And there are a lot of them, including outstanding Croatian players – many of them were silver medallists at the 2016 Olympics – like the best goalie of the 2016 F6 and the Rio Games Marko Bijac, then Luka Loncar, Maro Jokovic, Marko Macan and the Spanish-born leftie Xavier Garcia. With some former national team members, experienced Paolo Obradovic and Pavo Markovic, and above all the MVP of the 2015 and 2016 F6 Felipe Perrone of Brazil, Jug sends a formidable side to the battlefield, as usual.
Pro Recco – Italy
2015/16: 4.
Best result: winner (1965, 1984, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015)
Final 4/6 appearances: 2005 (3.), 2006 (2.), 2007 (1.), 2008 (1.), 2009 (2.), 2010 (1.),
2011 (2.), 2012 (1.), 2014 (6.), 2015 (1.), 2016 (4.)
Domestic league: 30 titles
Again, based on the list of the players, Recco fields the most outstanding side featuring several superstars from all corners of Europe. As usual, the mix of the players coming from the former Yugoslavia’s republics might play leading roles as Recco tries to clinch the 9 th European crown. With eight already under their belt, they are record holders (with 6 more appearances in the finals). In fact, almost all players in the squad were part of the Olympics, most of them playing for the four sides reaching the semis in Rio. From the gold medallist Serbia Recco had Filip Filipovic, Dusan Mandic and Dusko Pijetlovic. The silver medal-winning Croatian team is represented by Sandro Sukno (returning from Rijeka once again), while the key members of the bronze medallist Italian team can also be found in large numbers: Stefano Tempesti, Matteo Aicardi, Niccolo Figari, Francesco di Fulvio, Michael Bodegas and Andrea Fondelli. Aleksandar Ivovic comes from fourth played Montenegro and even Spain is well represented by Guillermo Molina and Gonzalo Echenique (arriving from Primorje). Still, perhaps none of the newcomers might be worth as much as the new head coach, returning from Belgrade: Vladimir Vujasinovic spent eight seasons here as player and was part of three Champions League winning campaigns. Coaches brought from Partizan Belgrade always brings good luck for Recco: Igor Milanovic led the side to the top of Europe two years ago, now it’s Vujasinovic’s turn to do the same.
CNA Barceloneta – Spain
2015/16: 5.
Best result: winner (2014)
Final 4/6 appearances: 2013 (3.), 2014 (1.), 2015 (3.), 2016 (5.)
Domestic league: 16 titles
After three brilliant years, marked by a triumphant Final Six at home waters in the Piscine Picornell in 2014, Barceloneta began to lose some of its most outstanding players. With Felipe Perrone moving to Dubrovnik, a high-scoring forward left the team (and the fine leftie Echenique also went to Croatia, to Primorje) – and now came another blow for the attacks, as 2014 MVP Alberto Espanol decided to start a new chapter with Olympiacos, while Hungarian-born centre-forward Balazs Sziranyi returned to his homeland. Without them Barceloneta might not be the same again, though a couple of fine national players are still on the roaster, like Marc Minguell, Alberto Munarriz, Marc Roca, Blai Mallarach (returning from Rijeka) and the great goalie Dani Lopez Pinedo. The Serbian Rasovic brothers and the Slovakian perpetuum mobile Martin Famera will also offer their best in order to reach the final stage for the fifth time in a row though they might find this challenge tougher than ever.
Partizan Raiffeisen Belgrade – Serbia
2015/16: 7.
Best result: winner (1964, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1976, 2011)
Final 4/6 appearances: 2010 (3.), 2011 (1.), 2013 (4.), 2014 (4.)
Domestic league: 27 titles
Runner-up on the all-time list with seven titles, Partizan Belgrade is no longer the once-feared club at the European stage. Still, teams have to do their utmost to overcome the Serbians. With perhaps the best academy in the world behind the senior side, Partizan has never run out from talent. Again, they field loads of fine youngsters, most of them aged 18-22 years in the current squad. So speed and fighting spirit will never miss from the matches, perhaps experience and the ability to keep up with the classy opponents will cause some problems for them. Nevertheless, the only team without any foreign players (but welcoming a lot back when the visiting teams play in Belgrade, featuring former Partizan pupils) are on a proud mission to produce more and more great players and the Champions League is a perfect competition to gain experience. This year freshly crowned Olympic champion Nikola Jaksic will lead the charge in the water while the head coach is going to be a newcomer in international waters, Zoran Milenkovic who replaced Vladimir Vujasinovic on the bench.
ZF Eger – Hungary
2015/16: 6.
Best result: 5. (2015)
Final 4/6 appearances: 2015 (5.), 2016 (6.)
Domestic league: 3 titles
After three years as a wild card holder, Eger had to come through the qualifying process but their quest was never in danger. Despite being a regular participant in the prelims, it took embarrassingly long to reach the big dream and play in the Final Six. Eger needed eight tries before finally making the cut – though they are yet to win the opening game on the big occasion and reach the semis at least. Eger is pretty strong at home, during the last two seasons when they could achieve their basic goal, they lost only once in their 10 home matches (to eventual champion Recco in 2015). The squad is made up by a handful of national players with 2008 Olympic champion Norbert Hosnyanszky at the helm but the world champion centre-forwards Balazs Harai and Krisztian Bedo and the 2m defender Adam Decker also belong to the spin of team. Winger Balazs Erdelyi was one of the best Hungarians in Rio, though based on the Olympic performances, Serbian gold medallists Branislav Mitrovic and Milos Cuk are the front-runners, together with compatriot Boris Vapenski and Montenegrin Uros Cuckovic. The team will surely lack the tricks of world champion Marton Szivos who left the team but who will be missed the most is surely Peter Biros, the three-time Olympic champion legend who called it a day after last season. Still, behind Jug and Recco, the Magyars will have a fine chance to catch the train in this season, too.
Waspo 98 Hannover – Germany
2015/16: eliminated in the 2 nd qualification round
Best result: first time in the prelims
Final 4/6 appearances: –
Domestic league: 8+1 titles (by the two clubs merging in 2013)
Waspo was unfortunate to bow out last season finishing bottom in a three-way tie while playing at home in the second round of the qualifications. However, they bounced back and thanks to a generous supporter of the club, they could field a pretty good team which can even dream of something better than playing the role of the underdog in this group. They marched through the qualifications to reach the main round for the first time ever. Boosted by quality Montenegrin players like Predrag Jokic, Aleksandar Radovic, Darko Brguljan and Luka Sekulic (the first three were members of the 4 th placed national team at the Olympics), the team is ready for the journey as it also features a couple of experienced Germans like goalie Roger Kong and shooter Erik Bukowski and some more hard-working members. This team can cause real headaches for any rivals in this group.
