The fifth round of the Men's Champions League group stage clarified a large part of the picture, but the round is not yet fully closed. Ziraat Bank Ankara, as well as the "Bulgarian" Bogdanka LUK Lublin and Cucine Lube Civitanova, are already mathematically certain winners in their groups and directly qualify for the quarterfinals.
In groupsC and Dhowever, first place remains open and will be decided in the final 6th round, while in several groups the intrigue is concentrated around the second positions.
Matches scheduled for today from the 5th round
The remaining schedule of the penultimate round includes four key matches:
ACH Ljubljana \u2013 Trentino (Group A)
Halkbank Ankara \u2013 Lublin (Group B)
Guaguas Las Palmas \u2013 Berlin (Group C)
Lvi Prague \u2013 Perugia (Group C)
These matches will determine to what extent the intrigue will carry over into the final sixth round.
GROUP A Ziraat is unreachable, Trentino defends second place
Match played (5th round)
Tours Ziraat Bank Ankara 1:3(23:25,25:21,20:25,21:25)
| Position | Team | Matches | Wins | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ziraat Bank | 5 | 5 | 15 |
| 2 | Trentino | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | ACH Ljubljana | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Tours | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Today (Round 5):ACH Ljubljana
– Trentino
Analysis:Ziraat is a sure winner. The intrigue is only for second place, and Trentino must secure it tonight in Ljubljana.
Group A (6th round) - February 18th
Trentino – Ziraat Bank Ankara
Tours – ACH Ljubljana
GROUP B – Lublin is a sure #1, Knack and Galatasaray dispute second place
Match played (5th round)
Knack Roeselare – Galatasaray 3:2(25:22,21:25,26:24,23:25,15:10)
| Position | Team | Matches | Wins | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bogdanka LUK Lublin | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | Knack Roeselare | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | Galatasaray | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 | Halkbank | 4 | 1 | 3 |
Today (Round 5):Halkbank – Lublin
Analysis:Lublin is already sure to be first, but the match in Ankara could influence the battle for second place and the set ratios.
Group B (Round 6) - February 18th
Bogdanka LUK Lublin – Galatasaray
Knack Roeselare – Halkbank Ankara
GROUP C – Perugia leads, Berlin awaits a chance for a direct clash
| Position | Team | Matches | Wins | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perugia | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| 2 | Berlin | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | Guaguas | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Lvi Prague | 4 | 0 | 2 |
Today (Round 5):
Guaguas – Berlin
Lvi Prague – Perugia
Analysis:These are the two matches that will determine whether Berlin – Perugia in Round 6 will be a direct final for first place.
Group C (Round 6) – February 18th
Berlin – Perugia
Lvi Prague – Guaguas Las Palmas
GROUP D – Warta is the leader, but Resovia brought back the pressure
Matches played (5th round)
Resovia – Warta 3:0 (25:21, 25:23, 25:22)
Sporting – Lüneburg 3:1 (25:21, 25:19, 16:25, 31:29)
| Position | Team | Matches | Wins | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warta Zawiercie | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| 2 | Resovia | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| 3 | Lüneburg | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Sporting | 5 | 1 | 3 |
Analysis:Warta remains the leader, but the last round will be crucial because Resovia still has a chance to push if the leader makes a mistake.
Group D (6th round) - February 18
Warta Zawiercie – Lüneburg
Sporting Lisbon – Resovia Rzeszów
GROUP E – Lube is a sure leader, Warsaw and Montpellier decide second place.
Matches played (5th round)
Montpellier – Lube 3:2(29:27,25:22,14:25,18:25,16:14)
Hassrode – Warsaw 2:3(18:25,25:22,25:23,19:25,7:15)
| Position | Team | Matches | Wins | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lube | 5 | 4 | 13 |
| 2 | Warsaw | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| 3 | Montpellier | 5 | 3 | 7 |
| 4 | Hassrode | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Analysis:Lube is unreachable at the top. In the 6th round, Warsaw and Montpellier will decide who finishes second.
Group E (6th round) - February 18th
Cucine Lube Civitanova – Projekt Warszawa
Haasrode Leuven – Montpellier
Conclusion
After the matches played so far in the fifth round:
Ziraat, Lublin, and Lubehave already secured top spots in their groups.
Today's remaining matches from the 5th round will definitively shape the stakes before the final round.
In groupsC and Dfirst place is still open, and the second positions will be decided down to the last set.
The sixth round on February 18th is shaping up as a series of de facto finals – not only for qualification but also for a better position in the knockout stage.
