Although he already plays in the French domestic league, Nikolay Kartev continues to be absent from Montpellier's roster for the Champions League. The reason is purely administrative and related to his status in the CEV system, as earlier in the season he participated in the Challenge Cup with PAOK, which delays/restricts the possibility of a new European registration.

Meanwhile, Montpellier suffered a defeat during their visit to Poland, losing to PGE Project Warsaw 0:3 (26:28, 23:25, 20:25) in 83 minutes. The hosts took the key moments in the first set, and then controlled the development, led by Bartosz Bednorz (19 points), who was also chosen as MVP.

The match was officiated by Bulgarian referee Atanas Varbanov.

The French team's next Champions League match is on February 10, when Montpellier hosts group leader Lube with Alex Nikolov.
In the group, Lube is the leader with 4 wins from 4 matches and 12 points, ahead of Project Warsaw (7 pts.) and Montpellier (5 pts.), and given the upcoming matches Montpellier – Lube and Leuven – Warsaw, it seems more likely that the standings will remain the same after the fifth matches.

photos: cev.eu