2017–18 LEN Champions League

The 2017–18 LEN Champions League was the 55th edition of LEN's premier competition for men's water polo clubs.

2017–18 LEN Champions League
LeagueLEN Champions League
SportWater Polo
Number of teams16 (preliminary round)
Season MVPCroatia Josip Pavic (Olympiacos)
Top scorerMontenegro Darko Brguljan 42 goals (Hannover)
Final Eight
ChampionsGreece Olympiacos (2nd title)
  Runners-upItaly Pro Recco
Finals MVPCroatia Josip Pavic (Olympiacos)
Champions League seasons

Overview

Team allocation

12 teams are directly qualified for the preliminary round (TH: Champions League title holders).

Preliminary Round
Jug CO Waspo 98 Hannover Pro Recco Dynamo Moscow
Olympic Nice
ZF Eger
Olympiacos AZC Alphen Partizan
Spandau 04 Szolnoki VSCTH Steaua București CNA Barceloneta
Qualification round II
HAVK Mladost NC Vouliagmeni CSM Digi Oradea Crvena zvezda
CN Marseille AN Brescia Spartak Volgograd CN Sabadell
ASC Duisburg UZSC Utrecht
Qualification round I
Banja Luka Orvosegyetem SC Jadran Carine CN Terrassa
Mornar ASA Tel Aviv CF Portuense Enka SK
Strasbourg CC Napoli Sintez Kazan Galatasaray
ANC Glyfada

Phases and rounds dates

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[1]

PhaseRoundFirst legSecond leg
Qualifying roundsQualification round I14–17 September 2017
Qualification round II28 September–1 October 2017
Qualification round III14 October 201718 October 2017
Preliminary roundMatchday 125 October 2017
Matchday 28 November 2017
Matchday 329 November 2017
Matchday 49 December 2017
Matchday 520 December 2017
Matchday 613 January 2018
Matchday 724 January 2018
Matchday 87 February 2018
Matchday 928 February 2018
Matchday 1014 March 2018
Matchday 1131 March 2018
Matchday 1218 April 2018
Matchday 1328 April 2018
Matchday 149 May 2018
Final EightQuarterfinals7 June 2018
Semifinals8 June 2018
Final9 June 2018

Qualifying rounds

Qualification round I

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification OSC SIN TER POR BAN
1 Orvosegyetem SC44007316+5712Round II10–630–2
2 Sintez Kazan43015821+37921–5
3 CN Terrassa42024627+1965–114–6
4 CF Portuense41032162−4133–223–14
5 Banja Luka (H)40041688−7202–257–235–10
Source: LEN
(H) Hosts

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification JAD NAP STR ESK
1 Jadran Carine33004216+269Round II18–77–617–3
2 CC Napoli32013334−169–817–8
3 Strasbourg (H)31022823+53
4 Enka SK30031848−3007–14
Source: LEN
(H) Hosts

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification MOR GLY GAL ASA
1 Mornar33003116+159Round II7–5
2 ANC Glyfada32013521+1469–108–6
3 Galatasaray31022422+23
4 ASA Tel Aviv (H)30031445−3102–145–187–13
Source: LEN
(H) Hosts

Qualification round II

Group E

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification SPA JAD MLA DUI
1 Spartak Volgograd32102716+117Round III7–514–5
2 Jadran Carine32013619+17619–5
3 HAVK Mladost (H)31113422+1246–67–1221–4
4 ASC Duisburg30031454−400
Source: LEN
(H) Hosts

Group F

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification MAR OSC NAP GLY
1 CN Marseille32102716+117Round III13–10
2 Orvosegyetem SC (H)32013619+1767–819–7
3 CC Napoli31113422+12411–117–11
4 ANC Glyfada30031454−4008–11
Source: LEN
(H) Hosts

Group G

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification BRE SAB MOR UTR
1 AN Brescia33004622+249Round III23–2
2 CN Sabadell (H)32013323+10612–138–313–7
3 Mornar31022225−338–10
4 UZSC Utrecht30031647−3107–11
Source: LEN
(H) Hosts

Group H

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification CZV SIN VOU ORA
1 Crvena zvezda3201191906[a]Round III6–5
2 Sintez Kazan32012725+26[a]8–10
3 NC Vouliagmeni31022021−13[b]7–10
4 CSM Digi Oradea (H)31021920−13[b]6–38–95–8
Source: LEN
(H) Hosts
Notes:

Qualification round III

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
CN Marseille 13–16 Jadran Carine6–77–9
Spartak Volgograd 14–26 Orvosegyetem SC7–147–12
AN Brescia 18–17 Sintez Kazan11–97–8
Crvena zvezda 14–17 CN Sabadell6–68–11

Preliminary round

Location of teams of the 2017–18 LEN Champions League group stage.
Red: Group A; Blue: Group B.

The draw for the group stage was held on 29 August 2017 in Budapest.[2] The 16 teams were drawn into two groups of eight.

In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners, runners-ups, third and fourth placed teams advance to the Final 8. The matchdays are 25 October, 8 and 29 November, 9 and 20 December 2017, 13 and 24 January, 7 and 28 February, 14 and 31 March, 18 and 28 April, 9 May 2018.

A total of 11 national associations are represented in the group stage.

Key to colors
Advance to the Final EightHome team winDrawAway team win

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification OLY JUG BAR BRE DYN HAN OSC PAR
1 Olympiacos141211153102+5137Final Eight8–614–1013–617–911–710–716–8
2 Jug CO14914147113+342810–89–910–715–1014–912–1016–5
3 CNA Barceloneta14833137102+35277–78–65–77–713–1212–616–5
4 AN Brescia14824114106+8266–79–86–59–911–99–513–9
5 Dynamo Moscow14644141133+8229–1312–115–99–99–67–716–4
6 Waspo 98 Hannover144010133150−17127–126–137–138–611–1513–816–6
7 Orvosegyetem SC143110103126−23106–104–76–86–85–108–714–6
8 Partizan14001491187−9604–78–105–153–810–1411–157–11
Source: LEN

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification REC EGE SZO SPA JAD STE SAB ALP
1 Pro Recco14130118680+10639Final Eight14–68–512–410–515–613–519–1
2 ZF Eger14101313487+47314–66–38–48–412–914–515–4
3 Szolnoki VSC14100416999+703010–910–119–813–1015–314–417–4
4 Spandau 0414815133125+8259–1010–910–913–1311–911–814–8
5 Jadran Carine14626128126+2205–154–46–1411–516–107–815–7
6 Steaua București144010109152−43126–133–89–175–64–810–99–8
7 CN Sabadell143011115174−5999–187–155–169–118–1010–1112–10
8 AZC Alphen14001487218−13105–244–146–175–177–144–1514–16
Source: LEN

Final Eight

7–9 June 2018—Genoa, Italy

 
QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
 
          
 
7 June
 
 
Olympiacos6
 
8 June
 
Spandau 045
 
Olympiacos6
 
7 June
 
CNA Barceloneta4
 
ZF Eger4
 
9 June
 
CNA Barceloneta9
 
Olympiacos9
 
7 June
 
Pro Recco7
 
Pro Recco (PSO)12
 
8 June
 
AN Brescia10
 
Pro Recco9
 
7 June
 
Jug CO8Third place game
 
Jug CO9
 
9 June
 
Szolnoki VSC8
 
CNA Barceloneta14
 
 
Jug CO8
 
5th–8th place bracket
 
5th–8th place semifinalsFifth place game
 
      
 
8 June
 
 
Spandau 046
 
9 June
 
ZF Eger10
 
ZF Eger6
 
8 June
 
Szolnoki VSC10
 
AN Brescia7
 
 
Szolnoki VSC8
 
Seventh place game
 
 
9 June
 
 
Spandau 0410
 
 
AN Brescia14


2017–18 LEN Champions League
Champions

Olympiacos
(2nd title)
Josip Pavić, Emmanouil Mylonakis, Evangelos Delakas, Konstantinos Genidounias, Ioannis Fountoulis, Dimitrios Nikolaidis, Georgios Dervisis, Andro Bušlje, Konstantinos Mourikis, Alexandros Gounas, Stylianos Argyropoulos, Paulo Obradović, Stefanos Galanopoulos, Emmanouil Prekas
Head coach
Thodoris Vlachos

Final standings

Team
Olympiacos
Pro Recco
CNA Barceloneta
4 Jug CO
5 Szolnoki VSC
6 ZF Eger
7 AN Brescia
8 Spandau 04

Awards

Player of the SeasonTop ScorerPlayer of the Final EightGoalkeeper of the Final Eight
Josip Pavić (Olympiacos) Darko Brguljan (Waspo'98 Hannover) 42 goals Josip Pavic (Olympiacos) Josip Pavic (Olympiacos)

[3]

Total 7 of the Season
[4]LW Francesco Di Fulvio

(Pro Recco)

CF

Josip Vrlić(Barceloneta)

RW

Maro Joković(Jug)

LD Ioannis Fountoulis (Olympiacos)CB Andro Bušlje (Olympiacos)RD Dušan Mandić (Pro Recco)
GK Josip Pavić (Olympiacos)

See also

References