Group A (Tuesday)
19.00 (18.00 CET) NC Vouliagmeni (GRE) v Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)
Vladimir Vujasinovic, coach, Vouliagmeni
“We played two good games at the beginning of the Champions League, no matter of the result we achieved, and we want to continue in the same way, no matter who our opponent is.”
Efstathios Kalogeropoulos, player, Vouliagmeni
“I think it’s a must-win game for us. We play in our home and it’s the kind of game where we will show what we want to achieve this year as a team. We’ve prepared well and we are ready to get the first three points of the season.”
Zurab Rurua, assistant coach, Dinamo
“Little by little, our team is getting into playing form and I think that Vouliagmeni will put up a lot of resistance in this game. The main thing will be to reduce their man-ups as much as possible with our tactics.”
Giorgi Magrakvelidze, player, Dinamo
“Our next opponent is a good and experienced team, but we prepared well for this game. I believe in my teammates that we will do our best and show a great game.”
19.00 Jadran Split (CRO) v Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE)
Mladen Drnasin, President, Jadran
“I must say a few words ahead of this game. We had to make a change, Mile Smodlaka is no longer our first team coach. It happened after we lost the Croatian Cup final against Jug Adriatic Osiguranje. We spoke and we agreed to make this move. He will still be a part of the club, Mile will work with our youngsters. We will soon have the name of a new coach, and in a game against Olympiacos our sports director Dean Savicevic will lead the team.”
Dean Savicevic, interim coach, Jadran
“Olympiacos is the favourite not only in this game, but to become European Champion. They have Greek, Serbian and Hungarian national team members, Olympic gold medal winners… But we will do our best and try to surprise them.”
Igor Milanovic, coach, Olympiacos
“In Tbilisi we played very well, and I was satisfied. Then, we rested a bit and then continued the hard work, in terms of fitness and some technical things. We want to keep improving in defence and attack. My players have the quality to score, to play as a team. They give their 100% for the team. Jadran is a very good team, they play in Split, it will be a difficult game, but I believe in my team, and we will go there to win.”
Marton Vamos, player, Olympiacos
“I think, Jadran is one of the best teams in our group. We have to go there with maximum concentration, we have to give 101% in attack and in defence, because they are very dangerous. If we give our best, I think we can win this game! This is a very important game, away from our home.”
19.00 Zodiac CNA Barceloneta (ESP) v Waspo 98 Hannover (GER)
Elvis Fatovic, coach, Barceloneta
“Hannover is an exceptional team. Last year at the Final 8 they made us suffer. We must prepare well. Let’s hope for a good game.”
Dusan Matkovic, player, Barceloneta
“We are excited to be able to finally host a team at our pool. I believe the atmosphere is going to be extraordinary, although the game itself will be far from easy. Hannover is a highly respected team with a lot of experienced foreign players. But despite that, I am convinced that we’ll succeed in imposing our style of fast playing to our opponents and eventually keep our winning streak.”
Fran Fernandez, player, Barceloneta
“After two important away victories, the Champions League finally returns to Barcelona. Our people are impatient and eager to see good water polo. We want to offer them a good game and another victory. Little by little the team is adjusting, we hope to come up with the best version. Hannover has a renewed team, with good-level additions and the always dangerous Radovic. Our games against each other have always been interesting. I’m sure it will be a great game.”
Karsten Seehafer, coach, Hannover
“Barceloneta is one of the favourites for a place in Belgrade. It’s their first game at home, we want to play a good game, for the entire duration.”
Luka Lozina, player, Hannover
“Every game in Champions League is important to us, because we are a newly formed team and we need time to grow. The game against Barceloneta is just another test to see how good we are in training and improving. Barceloneta is a great team and we are going to give our best to show that we can play with any team in Europe.”
Andrija Basic, player, Hannover
“I think it will be a really hard game, especially after our Super Cup final. But we are going there to play the best we can and for sure it will be a great game for us to gain experience as a team. And it will also serve us to prepare our next game with Spandau.”
21.00 Pro Recco (ITA) v VK Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB)
Sandro Sukno, coach, Pro Recco
“Radnicki is a very organised team that let few chances defensively to their opponents. But we play at home, and we want to win these next two games at the Piscine di Albaro: we aspire to end 2022 with six more points.”
Marco Del Lungo, goalkeeper, Pro Recco
“We are facing a young team that has been playing in the Champions League for years and wants to prove its worth by qualifying for the Final Eight. We have prepared in joint training with Ortigia, we want to impose our game and win – we know that to do this we will have to limit their counter-attacks and their centre-forwards. These two matches at the Piscine di Albaro before Christmas are important in terms of the ranking and can give us a lot of confidence also in view of the three consecutive away games that await us at the beginning of 2023. I expect a good crowd, not only from Recco but also from Genoa: it will be a great challenge.”
Uros Stevanovic, coach, Radnicki
“We are expecting a tough away game against the European champions and one of the main contenders for the title. We are currently on an upswing and will try to play our best in the remaining two away games that await us at the end of the year.”
Milos Cuk, player, Radnicki
“We are playing against the best European team in the last two years, so we are somewhat relieved. However, we did not come here to give up anything and we will try to play the best of our ability. Until the end of the year, we have two away games left, against favourites, and it would be nice to get some more points.”
Group B (Wednesday)
19.00 FTC-Telekom Budapest (HUN) v CN Marseille (FRA)
Zsolt Varga, coach, FTC
“Against Brescia in the previous round, we got feedback about where we are now with the new team. Since then, we have worked hard to correct our mistakes. The Hungarian Cup victory is a good confirmation of this process. Against Marseille, we also need to play water polo at a high level and concentrate for four quarters, then we can win.”
Soma Vogel, goalkeeper, FTC
“We feel that our match against Marseille is a must-win, especially because we are playing at home. I am confident that the victory in the Hungarian Cup will give the team enough momentum and confidence to win our two Champions League games this year. We also need these victories because we want to leave our loss to Brescia behind.”
Milos Scepanovic, coach, Marseille
“After our defeat against Dubrovnik, the team recovered well in confidence as we saw this weekend in the French Championship. We are working hard to face the champions of Hungary. I trust my players, they are motivated. The end of the year is busy, but we are here, and we will seek the best results.”
Arshak Hovannisyan, player, Marseille
“It will be a difficult match like all the Champions League matches we will have to play this seasos. Ferencvaros is a well-organised team with individuals who can make the difference. We will have to enter the match with a lot of aggressivity and intensity, in order not to be surprised and develop our game.”
19.30 Genesys OSC Budapest (HUN) v Spandau 04 Berlin (GER)
Daniel Varga, coach, OSC
Last weekend we had a great chance to make a big success against Ferencváros in the Hungarian Cup final. We were so close, but we missed the chance. Life is going on and we have a new challenge in Champions League in our pool against Spandau. The Berliner team has new coach and as I can see their players became even more motivated. My players have very good goal sensitivity, but last games I cannot be satisfied with our defense. We need to improve in defense while keeping our efficiency in attack. This will be a very tough game but we want to keep the three points in Budapest.”
Dániel Angyal, player, OSC
„We are looking ahead to a very important game! For the first time this year, we are playing in the home pool, so we are excited to give our fans a good time and get those 3 points with a game where our skills can make the difference.”
Athanasios Kechagias, coach, Spandau
“I worked hard with my team in preparation for the game against OSC Budapest. The Hungarians have a strong team that we will definitely not underestimate. They have excellent players with a lot of international experience. We will try to build on our good performance from the last game in Sabadell. It will be a difficult task, the better team should win in the end.”
Laszlo Baksa, goalkeeper, Spandau
My team has been able to set up well in the last three weeks and we have achieved good results during this time. Winning the German Super Cup last weekend has given us extra confidence. We are ready to play against OSC Budapest. I can’t wait to play this game on Wednesday.”
19.45 VK Novi Beograd (SRB) v Jug Adriatic Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO)
Zivko Gocic, coach, NBG
“The game against Jug will probably be the most difficult match for us so far in this season. Jug had some great performances, and we have a huge respect for them. But also, we are aware of our own qualities, and we know that we have the chance to win the game and we hope that it will be like that. We are preparing for this match in the best possible way, with the knowledge that Jug play very modern water polo. We will try once again to do our best and I know if we do our job on the highest level, every opponent will have many problems to beat us. Honestly, I hope that it will be like that on Wednesday.”
Viktor Rasovic, player, NBG
“First of all, I would like to congratulate Jug for winning the National Cup of Croatia. They have a great team, and the level of their performance from the beginning of the season is very high. Also, let me add that they played an extraordinary game against Marseille in the Champions League, and won that game by five goals. That shows us one more time that the team of Jug is a fantastic combination of young and very talented guys with very experienced players. I am pretty sure that we will be absolutely ready for this match, and I know that the game will be very tough. But I firmly believe that we are a better team and that we will win in the end, but we need to show our strength in the pool”.
Vjekoslav Kobescak, coach, Jug
“We are waiting for a match against one of the main contenders for the title, which comes at the wrong time. Regardless of the fact that our form is on the rise, we are coming to Belgrade after winning the Croatian Cup, so we are mentally drained. Still, we will do everything to play a good game.”
Konstantinos Kakaris, player, Jug
“It’s going to be difficult, but also the easiest match for us, considering that we are playing away from one of the strongest teams in Europe and we have nothing to lose. We are a little empty after winning the Cup last week, but in any case, I believe that we will be a worthy opponent of the Novi Beograd.”
20.30 AN Brescia (ITA) v Astralpool Sabadell (ESP)
Alessandro Bovo, coach, Brescia
“An important challenge comes at a complicated time, not because of the good results but because of the difficulties associated with the injuries or sickness which don’t allow us to train with the full team. They are a complete team with an excellent goalkeeper and several Spanish and Montenegrin internationals. These are points that we have to go for and get. The main round is long and difficult.”
Quim Colet, coach, Sabadell
“After getting the first point of the competition in the previous round against Spandau, the team faces the match against Brescia with the desire to continue growing in the competition. We know that we are facing one of the best teams in Europe and that they are also playing at home, so the level of difficulty is the maximum for our team.”
Javi Bustos, player, Sabadell
“Although it may seem strange, the point we got in the last round at home against Spandau has helped us grow as a team. The Champions League is a very tough competition, and we are experiencing that match by match, so we face the challenge against Brescia as one more lesson on our way to becoming a more competitive team by each day.”
