April 2024

Here are five takeaways from the fourth day of the Quarter Final Stage in the men’s water polo Champions League. 1. Two Final Four spots taken, and a three-horse race in full swing Before the start of the Quarter Final Stage – which might be considered as an ‘expanded’ Final Eight, staged across six thrilling rounds – it was clear the four winners in the Group Stage would be the top contenders for the Final Four spots. Plus, Olympiacos among the runners-up, as the Greeks had to settle for second place in Group B behind title-holders Recco. Now, after four rounds, the finalists of the last two editions, Recco and Novi Beograd fulfilled those expectations by already booking their respective spots in the Final Four from Group A. At the same time, Ferencvaros, Barceloneta – the other two group stage winners – and Olympiacos are entangled in a three-horse race in Group B, where the outcome is unpredictable with two rounds remaining. Olympiacos just overtook Fradi in the race and sits on top, however, it’s still a likely scenario that all three sides will finish with 12 points. In that case, the rule for a three-way tie shall apply, where only the results obtained against each other shall be considered, but once the first ranked team is picked, only the two results between the remaining sides will count to decide second place. Just to show how tight the race is, Olympiacos is ranked first by virtue of scoring more goals in total than Ferencvaros (42 to 40) as the results between the two won’t decide anything (both won by two at home) and the goal-difference is the same, as of now. So, stay tuned for the last two rounds! 2. Late surges put Olympiacos and Fradi on even When dicussing Olympiacos and Ferencvaros being locked on nine points in Group B, it’s worth noting that in both their head-to-head matches in the Quarter Final Stage, the winning side held a four-goal lead approaching the finish, but it was halved by late surges. Fradi, on Day 1, led 11-7 with 1:25 remaining, but the Greeks could pull back two, thanks to back-to-back goals in a span of 47 seconds. Just two days ago, Olympiacos were in full command in the fourth, leading 10-6 with 2:26 on the clock, but the Hungarians hit two in 29 seconds to get back to level at least on ‘aggregate’. So, if these two teams finish on equal points, then the total goals scored shall decide the rankings. Note, that Fradi, losing for the first time after 33 matches in the season, have two home matches remaining (v Brescia, then Barceloneta), while Olympiacos are away to Barceloneta next – in a do-or-die game – before hosting Brescia on the final day. 3. Ben Hallock, The Winning Man What insiders have been talking about for a while, that Ben Hallock has become arguably the best centre-forward on the planet, was highlighted once more this week, as Recco managed to take down Marseille in an extremely hard-fought contest. Scoring from the centre, against defenders with equal or more strength, is always special in today’s game. Hallock did that not once, not twice, but three times in Marseille, and each of his goals was a tremendous boost for Recco, as they otherwise struggled in attack. His first gave the title-holders the lead four seconds from time in the first period. The second, while it was somewhat lucky as the American hit it from a rebound, came in a crucial phase when Marseille led 5-4 and had a man-up to double their lead – Recco killed that and Hallock was on target in the next possession to level the score. Then came the third, a mighty backhander, in the most heated moment of the fourth quarter, when the hosts had just come back from two goals down and equalised by scoring two in 32 seconds. After levelling at 10-10, the crowd erupted, the French smelled blood – but then came Hallock, and within 13 seconds he hit that magnificent goal which silenced the stands and put Recco back on track, and ultimately sent the team to the Final Four. 4. Bouncing back, a Novi Beograd habit Though among the four Group Stage winners, Novi Beograd were perhaps the least convincing, as even their progression to the Quarter Final Stage was in question at times, especially after they suffered a shock home defeat against Sabadell. But the Serbs – fuelled by extremely talented foreign aces, like Alvaro Granados and Angelos Vlachopoulos – have an amazing ability to bounce back and deliver wins in crucial moments. That landed them on top of their group in December and this secured their ticket to Malta in the current stage. Downing Marseille in a nail-biter was the key as they were trailing by two early in the fourth, but scored two in the last four minutes while conceding none to win 13-14. Also, overcoming a six-goal deficit against Recco and gaining at least a point at home was the other big result which opened the gate for them to book their ticket to Malta in June. Handling Jadran Split seems to be a routine job for the Serbs – they hit 15 against the Croats both at home and now in Split as well. 5. Big rush, big win When a team can gain some steam and stage a big rush, it can prove to be decisive at this level. Not every time, but on Day 4, three matches were decided by great surges of the eventual winners. Barceloneta had a mighty 0-7 rush in Brescia, as they completely outplayed the Italians while galloping to a 3-12 lead after 3-5 and shutting out the hosts for 14:29 minutes. Novi Beograd smashed Jadran with a 0-5 blast in the third period. It took only 3:31 minutes to decide the match in Split – here the Croats even went for a goalie change, but it didn’t

Two fine away wins sent the finalists of the last two editions to the Final Four on Wednesday night. Marseille forced Recco into a thriller, but the title-holders scored the last two goals to maintain their unbeaten run (in the Champions League). Novi Beograd had a less nervous finish, thanks to a 0-5 rush in the third period against Jadran in Split. Champions League Men Quarter Final StageGroup A Results/Day 4 – Wednesday 24th April 2024Jadran Split (CRO) 10-15 VK Novi Beograd (SRB)CN Marseille (FRA) 10-12 Pro Recco (ITA)Standings: 1. Recco 11, 2. Novi Beograd 10, 3. Marseille 3, 4. Jadran 0 The first half of the clash between Jadran Split and Novi Beograd was a typical Croatian v Serbian duel with 16 goals and 19 exclusions. Jadran jumped to a 2-0 lead, but NBG’s response was swift and professional, four goals in a row and two killed man-downs. Nikola Jaksic led the charge, netting three, though Jerko Marinic Kragic pulled one back 17 seconds before the break. After a quick exchange of goals early on in the second, Marko Radulovic put another one away from close – both sides pushed for the 2m line finishes in 6 on 5s and it worked in most cases – then Jaksic hit his fourth from action to make it 4-7. NBG then missed a 6 on 4 which would have given them a four-goal lead, instead, the ensuing counter ended in a penalty and Marinic Kragic was on target as always. Two goals apiece followed, Jadran managed to stay close, again with a late extra-man goal, 22 seconds from time, so it stood 7-9 at half-time. When Angelos Vlachopoulos went for a finish from the perimeter in a man-up one minute into the third period, it might have been seen as part of the usual pattern. But Jadran missed the following 6 on 5, and in the next 47 seconds Vlachopoulos added two more from distance, which led to the substitution of goalie Ivan Marcelic (he came out of the pool with 3 saves from 15 shots) – but as a more dire consequence, Jadran were being pushed down a cliff as NBG led 7-12. Incoming goalie Mate Anic couldn’t help either, as within 54 seconds he conceded two more. Indeed, in a span of 3:31 minutes, Novi Beograd produced a 0-5 run which put the game to bed. The Serbs added only one goal in the remaining time, but their win was never in danger. As a bit of contrast, the first half of the big match in Marseille saw only three goals apiece in the first half, before the artillery started ‘working’ at both ends. Defences and goalies did a splendid job and the offences also lacked some precision – Marseille missed their first four man-ups and while Recco netted their first, they also struggled in the following ones. Andrija Prlainovic broke the ice for the home side from the fifth man-up, with 0:25 to go, still, there was enough time for Ben Hallock to hit one from the centre for 1-2. Ugo Crousillat found the back of the net from a 6 on 5 to make it even, then Daniel Angyal’s blast put Marseille ahead, but fellow Hungarian leftie Gergo Zalanki equalised also from action. The French went on wasting their man-ups, so it stood 3-3 at half-time. Two buried penalties kicked off the third, and only 50 seconds had clicked down on the clock. Offences geared up, Marseille took the lead three more times, but Recco levelled the scores on each occasion. At 5-4, Marseille had a man-up to double the gap, but missed it, and Hallock sent the ball back to the net after a rebound fell in front of him somewhat luckily. Manhercz hit a blistering one from action, but this time Konstantin Kakaris replied from the centre for 6-6, and then one goal apiece inside the last minute saw the scores set at 7-7 going into the final eight minutes. Giacomo Cannella’s rocket gave back the lead to Recco right from the first possession, then Ugo Crousillat fired in a 6 on 5 for 8-8. Recco’s first attempt in the following man-up was well saved by Dejan Lazovic, however, the Italians got the rebound, then a bit unusually, a time-out was called by Sandro Sukno but it helped. Even though Marseille got back to full strength, a patient play and a pinpoint shot by Francesco Condemi gave back the lead to Recco. And after they killed a man-down and Giacomo Cannella beat his defender and the goalie for 8-10, the title-holders seemed to have it. The hosts had other ideas, Manhercz netted his third from the perimeter and 32 seconds later he set up Crousillat in a quick counter who scored his fourth of the evening to make it 10-10 with 3:17 remaining. However, just 13 seconds later and for the third time in the match, Hallock pushed Recco forward, this time a magnificent backhander from the centre killed Marseille’s momentum. With 1:50 to go, the French had another 6 on 5, but they couldn’t convert it and Francesco di Fulvio closed down the contest with a blast in the dying seconds of a possession, 0:58 from time. It sealed Recco’s victory, which also sent the Italians to the Final Four – together with Novi Beograd. You can follow all the Champions League Men’s Water Polo Quarter Final Stage action and results – which resumes on Day 5 (Friday/Saturday 3rd/4th May) – live on the dedicated European Aquatics Champions League website.

Olympiacos Piraeus halted Ferencvaros’ incredible unbeaten run and even took the top spot from the Hungarians in Group B. Elsewhere, Barceloneta were unstoppable in Brescia, with the Spaniards grabbing their last chance to stay in contention for the Final Four, while the Italians are eliminated. Champions League Men Quarter Final StageGroup B Results – Tuesday 23rd April 2024Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) 10-8 FTC-Telekom (HUN)AN Brescia (ITA) 5-12 Zodiac CNA Barceloneta (ESP)Standings: 1. Olympiacos 9, 2. FTC 9, 3. Barceloneta 6, 4. Brescia 0 Fixtures for WednesdayGroup A (local times shown)19.00 Jadran Split (CRO) v VK Novi Beograd (SRB)20.00 CN Marseille (FRA) v Pro Recco (ITA)Standings: 1. Recco 8, 2. Novi Beograd 7, 3. Marseille 3, 4. Jadran 0 Ferencvaros’ remarkable winning streak this season came to an end in Greece on Tuesday night, as finally – after 33 matches – they left the pool defeated. Their slayers were Olympiacos, who showed some tremendous defending to win a tight contest, and the result also sees them leapfrog the Hungarians at the top of the table. For four minutes, shots were rare, as both defences worked really well. The opening goal from FTC also came after an attack was halted, but a backpass after a steal landed in Szilard Jansik’s grateful hand – as he was yet to swim back – and he took full advantage of the opportunity. The Hungarians killed three man-downs in a row, but failed to put away theirs and Konstantinos Genidounias put Olympiacos on the scoreboard after seven long minutes. For a while, it was a balanced match, Fradi managed to deny another Greek extra, and even though Marton Vamos buried a penalty, Dusan Mandic quickly equalised from a 6 on 5. What came next was not on the cards – however, it proved to be decisive in the long run… Nikolaos Gkillas hit two from action, and Vamos put away a man-up between those goals, so the hosts had opened up a 5-2 lead at half-time. Denes Varga started the third with a brilliant action shot, Genidounias hit the post from a 6 on 5, then Mandic sent the ball home from the next man-up for 5-4, so the visitors only needed 58 seconds to get back close. However, Dimitrios Dimou’s wristshot from the perimeter killed the group leaders’ momentum, and after three minutes of extreme battling, it was the Greeks again who added another goal. Alexandros Papanastasiou showed up in a new position in a 6 on 5, on the 2m line, and his push shot from among the defenders sailed over the goal line to reset the three-goal gap at 7-4. Zoltan Pohl pulled one back from a counter-like attack, but the luck was with Papantasiou’s side once more, as his shot just crept over the line – and Olympiacos looked to have some comfort at 8-5 with eight minutes remaining. Stylianos Argyropoulos finished off a 6 on 5 early on, but this time FTC were unable to produce a similar surge as in the third. A rebound in a 6 on 5 found Dimitrios Nikolaidis, who put the ball away for 9-6. Ferencvaros’ offence wasn’t clicking like in previous games, and they were outshot by the Greeks significantly – after three periods the total was 25-15 and 17-10 on goal – so it was no surprise that Olympiacos’ win was not really in danger. Add that the Greek defence worked really well, they could neutralise two more man-downs in the fourth and Gkillas netted his third for 10-6 with 2:26 to go. Then the finish recalled the two sides’ first match in Budapest, where the Magyars outplayed their rivals, but the Greeks halved the distance late on after falling back by four. Here, again somewhat surprisingly, Ferencvaros did the very same as Edoardo di Somma’s shot from distance just beat the buzzer, and Marko Bijac, and just 29 seconds later, Gergo Fekete scored another from a counter for 10-8. This result puts the two teams level on points in the group, but Olympiacos are ranked first as they’ve scored two goals more in total, which makes the remaining two rounds even more thrilling. Later on Tuesday, in Brescia, three action goals kicked off the hosts’ encounter with Barceloneta. Alberto Munarriz’s nice lob gave the lead to Barceloneta, but the Italians responded with a fine double, in a span of 47 seconds – Tommasso Gianazza netted one from the centre and a small space was enough for Max Irving to make it 2-1. Soon the first man-ups were called, but both sides wasted two apiece. Brescia’s second miss had worse consequences, as Bernat Sanahuja rushed away to net the equaliser from a counter. Alejandro Bustos converted a second attempt from close in a 6 on 5, so the Spaniards led 2-3 after the first quarter. The hosts couldn’t capitalise on their third man-up, but at the other end, Miguel de Toro put one away quickly to double Barceloneta’s lead. The Spanish defence denied another man-down (Brescia stood 0 for 4 here), and after a fine centre action, Felipe Perrone buried a penalty shortly afterwards for 2-5. Alessandro Balzarini halted Brescia’s bad run by putting away a 6 on 4 – it was a nine-minute long silence, but Alberto Munarriz’s distant blast was a perfect response. A big block in a man-down prevented CNAB from expanding the gap to four goals, but only temporarily. Again, as a sharp contrast, Unai Aguirre dealt with three perimeter shots within a single possession, while Sanahuja needed only one attempt from 7m to give a 3-7 lead to Barceloneta at half-time. And the Spaniards never let the home side back in the game. Roger Tahull added another one from an extra, their defence went on killing man-downs and Luke Pavillard hit one from action for 3-9. Indeed, Brescia were lacking everything this evening what made this side a constant threat even to the big fishes in recent years (they may also were feeling the post-effects of their gruelling shootout win

As the Quarter Final Stage enters its second phase, the continent’s elite club competition is heating up nicely as a couple of teams may secure their respective Final Four berth, while others want to grab their very last chance to stay in the hunt. Champions League Water Polo Men Quarter Final StageFixtures, Day 4 (all times CET) Group A (Wednesday)19.00 Jadran Split (CRO) v VK Novi Beograd (SRB)20.00 CN Marseille (FRA) v Pro Recco (ITA)Standings: 1. Recco 8, 2. Novi Beograd 7, 3. Marseille 3, 4. Jadran 0 Group B (Tuesday)17.00 Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) v FTC-Telekom (HUN)20.00 AN Brescia (ITA) v Zodiac CNA Barceloneta (ESP)Standings: 1. FTC 9, 2. Olympiacos 6, 3. Barceloneta 3, 4. Brescia 0 Ferencvaros, still yet to lose a match this season across all competitions, will play their third straight away game in Piraeus. They’ve already come up big – in Brescia and Barcelona – in the previous two rounds, and that was even more special for them as they had never managed to claim wins in those two pools. On Day 1 they beat Olympiacos 11-9, but the Greek giants have bounced back since, beating Barceloneta with a superb performance and then they took Brescia down in what was a hard-fought battle. A win against Fradi would put Olympiacos into a really great position to reach the Final Four – but if the Hungarians maintain their unbeaten run, they would secure their place in the finals and would probably finish top in the group. In the other Group B encounter, Barceloneta have a must-win match in Brescia. The Spaniards opened their campaign with a fine win over the Italians (12-8) in the quarters, however, next came back-to-back losses (to Olympiacos and FTC), something that’s rarely happened to them in the past. They need all three points to stay alive, but Brescia, fresh from upsetting Recco in the Italian Cup final, have never given anything for free to any rivals, and the hosts will definitely put up a big fight, despite three straight losses so far. Fellow Italian side, Recco, have had to deal with the unexpected blow of being unable to retain their cup title in Italy. Against Brescia in the final, they lost the shootout – whereas two weeks ago in the Champions League they converted all their penalties to come away with two points from Novi Beograd. Still, in Serbia they threw away a six-goal lead, so they should feel some pressure at this stage of the season, and visiting Marseille is anything but a pleasant trip in their current situation. The French just tasted victory in Split in the quarter-finals – though, just like Recco, lost unexpectedly at home, in the domestic league, for the first time after more than a year. While Recco leads 6-0 head-to-head, Marseille may have a chance to break that bad run. Bagging at least a point against Recco was definitely a morale booster for Novi Beograd and they may keep on marching towards the Final Four, providing they add another win away at Jadran. The Croats are heading for the exit after three losses, still, they would never let any game go, especially not a showdown with a Serbian arch-rival in Split. You can follow all the Champions League Men’s Water Polo Quarter Final Stage action and results live on the dedicated European Aquatics Champions League website. Pre-game stats Group A CN Marseille (FRA) v Pro Recco (ITA)MAR: 8-15 Recco (a), 13-14 NBG (h), 14-12 Jadran (a)REC: 15-8 Marseille (h), 13-10 Jadran (a), 15-14 (pen) NBG (a)Head-to-head: 0-6Day 1: 8-15. 2021-22: 8-11, 7-13. 2020-21: 8-10, 9-11. 2019-20: 9-13 Jadran Split (CRO) v Novi Beograd (SRB)JAD: 11-15 NBG (a), 10-13 Recco (h), 12-14 Marseille (h)NBG: 15-11 Jadran (h), 14-13 Marseille (a), 14-15 (pen) Recco (h)Head-to-head: 0-3Day 1: 11-15. 2021-22: 7-14, 12-17. Group B AN Brescia (ITA) v Zodiac CNA Barceloneta (ESP)BRE: 8-12 Barceloneta (a), 9-11 FTC (h), 12-13 Olympiacos (h)BAR: 12-8 Brescia (h), Olympiacos 7-10 (a), 8-10 FTC (h)Head-to-head: 6-3 (3d)Day 1: 8-12. 2021-22: 12-12, 14-12. 2020-21: 9-10, 6-8, 13-7 (bronze). 2018-19: 8-8, 14-8. 2017-18: 7-5, 6-5. 2015-16: 12-4, 7-7. Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) v FTC-Telekom Budapest (HUN)OLY: 9-11 FTC (a), 10-7 Barceloneta (h), 13-12 Brescia (a)FTC: 11-9 Olympiacos (h), 11-9 Brescia (a), 10-8 Barceloneta (a)Head-to-head: 1-3 (1d)Day 1: 9-11. 2022-23: 9-4 (5-8th), 2021-22: 9-9, 8-10. 2018-19: 10-10, pen: 3-4 (final)

Here are five takeaways from the third day of the Quarter Final Stage in the men’s water polo Champions League. 1. Beating Recco and/or Ferencvaros, anyone? Pro Recco, winners of the last three editions of the Champions League, and Ferencvaros, the 2019 champions, are yet to lose a match this season – across all competitions. Recco were on the edge in Belgrade on Tuesday, but their classy players kept their calm, despite blowing a six-goal lead, and beat Novi Beograd in the shootout. That’s still a win, though the first match in 26 encounters where Recco didn’t finish off their rivals in regular time. Ferencvaros’ victory count stands at 30 in as many matches (both sides amassed 17 wins in the respective domestic leagues and nine apiece in the Champions League – the Hungarians already ticked the domestic cup victory where they had the upper hand in four matches; Recco will go for that title in the coming weeks). Just like Recco, Fradi also had a shootout win, back in the Group Stage, when they defeated Jadran on the last day in Split. In the Quarter Final Stage, they clinched three clean victories in a row, beating their rivals by two goals in each encounter. Their two away wins are kind of historical too as they could never beat Brescia and Barceloneta in previous years as the visitors. This spring they managed to stage really strong fourth periods in both matches – scoring five goals in Brescia and four in Barcelona in the last eight minutes and thanks to that they are edging ever closer to Malta, where the Final Four will take place in June. 2. Comeback of the season? Novi Beograd perhaps staged the biggest comeback of the season so far. Saving a match to a draw after being six goals down is a great feat in any water polo match – to do it in the Champions League, it’s sensational. To achieve it against Recco, the 11-time champions, is like completing a mission impossible. NBG somehow did just that – they fell 2-8 behind early in the third, but produced an astonishing 8-2 run in the remaining 14:25 minutes, including a 5-1 rush in the fourth period. They needed some extraordinary moments, like two penalty saves from Francesco de Michelis, who stunned his fellow Italians with a couple of more crucial stops. Remember, De Michelis was relatively unkown when NBG brought him from Roma (9th in the Italian Championship) for the role of reserve goalie, but he did a splendid job this time when he was picked as a starter for this mammoth match. 3. Golden oldies If anyone thinks their heyday is long gone, they should take a look at the brilliant vintage performances of Andrija Prlainovic, Denes Varga and Felipe Perrone. Prlainovic will turn 37 in a few weeks, Varga recently celebrated his 37th and Perrone had to blow out 38 candles on his birthday cake on 27 February. Still, these three are capable of delivering something extraordinary in any key match, and have a decisive impact on the outcome. On Day 3, Prlainovic was instrumental to Marseille’s first win, which keeps the French side in the hunt for a Final Four spot. The Serbian Olympic champion hit five goals, including two of his side’s last three, which helped secure three points for Marseille and some hope to make it to Malta. Denes Varga, returning to the CL after a long injury break, added a couple more out-of-this-world hits to his infinity list of majestic goals. And he scored those two sublime action goals from the perimeter when Ferencvaros needed them the most, in a crucial phase of the match as Barceloneta were on the comeback trail. He then made a perfect assist in a man-up which ultimately secured the Hungarians’ win. In Barceloneta, King Felipe scored another sensational goal from a counter, freeing himself from Dusan Mandic’s ‘marking’, which alone is a great feat, knowing the Serb’s physical abilities. Though this time the Brazilian-born genius wasn’t as outstanding as on Day 1, when he hit three against Brescia, he is still the main lethal weapon for the Spanish champions. 4. Lethal left Brescia and Olympiacos played a toe-to-toe match up until the last minute in the third period, then Marton Vamos graced the scene and stole the show – and ultimately won the match for the Greeks. The giant Hungarian leftie – who has a towering presence of 2m – hit a classic hat-trick after 10-10 and that gave Olympiacos a 10-13 lead in a match where the gap between the two sides was never larger than a single goal until that point. Vamos’ third from 8m was a sensational and powerful strike, with the ball smashing in off the crossbar. In the post-game interviews, even Brescia’s legendary head coach Sandro Bovo had to say this: ‘It was a great game, a close game, but the quality of Vamos made the difference at the end.’ 5. Stunning penalty misses Sometimes even the best penalty-takers can miss their respective shots – however, it’s a rarity that five of them are unable to bury their attempts in a single round. Three came from Recco’s master-shooters, which almost cost the title-holders the game. Gergo Zalanki dropped the ball, Andrea Fondelli and Giacomo Cannella couldn’t beat NBG’s Italian goalie de Michelis (as described and pictured above) – though credit should go to these three aces as they all lined up for the shootout and sent the ball home when it mattered the most. There was also a rare scenario in Barcelona where Alberto Munarriz blasted the ball wide. Barceloneta’s magnificent shooter was not even on target from the 5m line, though when you’re facing the best penalty killer goalie in the world, Soma Vogel, you may wish to be too precise with your shot. The Spaniard left those bad memories behind and scored his third a bit later, though in the end he couldn’t save his side from defeat.

The third day of the Champions League Men Quarter Final Stage brings two big matches between the respective group winners of the Group Stage. Novi Beograd and Pro Recco contested the last two finals, now the two giants face-off in a crucial clash where the winner will gain pole position in the race for the Final Four. Elsewhere, Ferencvaros already hold a three-point advantage in Group B, and a win away in Barcelona would almost surely send them to the F4, while the hosts want to bounce back after their loss in Piraeus on day two. Champions League Men Quarter Final StageFixtures, Day Three (CET times shown) Group A (Tuesday)19.00 VK Jadran Split (CRO) v CN Marseille (FRA)19.45 VK Novi Beograd (SRB) v Pro Recco (ITA)Standings: 1. Recco 6, 2. Novi Beograd 6, 3. Jadran 0, 4. Marseille 0 Group B (Wednesday)19.30 Zodiac CNA Barceloneta (ESP) v FTC Telekom Budapest (HUN)20.00 AN Brescia (ITA) v Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE)Standings: 1. FTC 6, 2. Olympiacos 3, 3. Barceloneta 3, 4. Brescia 0 The common history of Novi Beograd and Pro Recco is brief – two title-bouts at the end of the last two seasons. Both were played in Belgrade, with Recco coming out on top in 2022 and 2023. The first was a thriller, decided by a shootout, the last one was a lopsided contest – and the performances so far favour Recco for this upcoming clash, though this will also take place in the good old 11 April pool, the home of NBG. Since both sides opened their respective Quarter Final Stage campaigns with back-to-back victories, the winner of this contest may start checking the flights to Malta where the Final Four shall take place in June. At the same time, the loser of the other match in Group B would see their hopes of making the F4 almost end as Jadran and Marseille left the pools empty-handed after the first two days. The picture is more complicated in Group B where Olympiacos managed to beat Barceloneta two weeks ago, and another victory for the Greeks, this time in Brescia, would be a big boost to their Road to Malta project. Also, this looks like the very last chance for Brescia to stay in the hunt. History is not on the Italians’ side, though, as they have only beaten the Greeks once in eight encounters in recent years. In the big match this week, Barceloneta are looking to bounce back after their first Champions League defeat this season. However, it won’t be easy, even at home, as they face Ferencvaros, the only other team besides Recco which are yet to lose a match in any competition since August. And an away win would offer the Hungarian champions an unmissable chance to reach the Final Four, for sure. Pre-game stats Group A VK Jadran Split (CRO) v CN Marseille (FRA)Quarter Final Stage results:JAD: 11-15 NBG (a), 10-13 Recco (h)MAR: 8-15 Recco (a), 13-14 NBG (h)Head-to-head:Never met in CL VK Novi Beograd (SRB) v Pro Recco (ITA)Quarter Final Stage results:NBG: 15-11 Jadran (h), 14-13 Marseille (a)REC: 15-8 Marseille (h), 13-10 Jadran (a)Head-to-head: 0-22021-22: 13-13, pen: 3-4 (final), 2022-23: 11-14 (final) Group B Zodiac CNA Barceloneta (ESP) v FTC Telekom Budapest (HUN)Quarter Final Stage results:BAR: 12-8 Brescia (h), Olympiacos 7-10 (a)FTC: 11-9 Olympiacos (h), 11-9 Brescia (a)Head-to-head: 3-3 (1d)2021-22: 17-7, 12-12. 2020-21: 7-8, 10-11. 2018-19: 8-5, 9-8 (prelims), 7-9 (SF). AN Brescia (ITA) v Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE)Quarter Final Stage results:BRE: 8-12 Barceloneta (a), 9-11 FTC (h)OLY: 9-11 FTC (a), 10-7 v Barceloneta (h)Head-to-head: 1-6 (1d)2018-19: 7-8 (QF). 2017-18: 6-7, 6-13. 2016-17: 13-10, 4-8 (prelims), 5-8 (5-6th). 2014-15: 9-9, 6-8 Follow all the Champions League Men’s Water Polo Quarter Final Stage action and results live on the dedicated European Aquatics Champions League website.