Luxembourg, January 25, 2021. The first of five direct tickets to the quarterfinals of the CEV Champions League comes up for grabs this week, as Nantes VB host reigning world and Italian champions A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano, alongside Turkey's Fenerbahce Opet Istanbul and Slovenia's Calcit Volley Kamnik in the second leg of Pool B.
It will undoubtably all come down to the Conegliano v Fenerbahce clash on the last day of the pool, in the ongoing rivalry between Italy and Turkey.
But both clubs will need to keep an impeccable record in their previous matches of the Nantes 'bubble'.
In the case of table leaders Conegliano, who come into the second leg on a 3-0 record and full points, it will mean they may actually secure their ticket before they even go head-to-head with the Turkish side; in the case of Fenerbahce it could ensure that they remain with a fighting chance, should Conegliano stumble on the way.
That set that Fenerbahce dropped to Calcit in the first leg may well come back to haunt them.
Of course there's the case of the three runners-up joining the pool leaders in the quarterfinals, but waiting to go down this path would only prolong the agony - and it doesn't guarantee a place in the last eight until all the results are actually in.
Paola Egonu and setter and captain Joanna Wolosz were both instrumental in Conegliano's sweep of the first leg. The former emerged best server of the first leg (across all pools) and the latter maginificently distributed the play.
Both were rested by coach Daniele Santarelli over the weekend in the Italian League, as Conegliano destroyed Trentino on the road to go 19-0 in that competition, in anticipation of the three Champions League matches and the next domestic clash on Saturday against up-and-coming Saugella Monza.
"Our goal in Nantes is to try to win all three games and finish the job we started in the first leg at the Palaverde," says head coach Daniele Santarelli. "We are in a great period and we want to continue our winning streak."
Conegliano historically have the upper hand against Fenerbahce, having won all five of their previous matches, including their latest encounter in the first leg of the pool last month, when the Italians prevailed in straight sets.
Domestically, with five rounds to play in the Turkish League, Fenerbahce trail (by five points) only crosstown rivals VakifBank at the top of the table. Fenerbahce are coming off a decisive and solid straight-set win at the Burhan Felek over Galatasaray HDI Sigorta Istanbul, powered by an impressive top-scoring performance of 26 points by Melissa Vargas.
Moreover, Fenerbahce will have Kelsey Robinson at their disposal, after the 28-year-old American returned to Istanbul at the end of the year following a stint in China.
Calcit, meanwhile, were the first to arrive in Nantes after a long trip involving connections in Venice and Amsterdam, but are without outisde hitter Polona Marusic who tested positive for the coronavirus before departure.
Well aware of the strength of their opponents on the first two days of the tournament, their focus is on the closing match against the hosts when they hope their first ever win in the Champions League may come.
"It's no secret that Nantes are a team that can be beaten, even though they played a game in Treviso that we couldn't follow," said captain Eva Pogacar.
And there's Nantes themselves who will be riding on their home advantage. They are currently third in the French League on a 10-4 record, but need to rebound after losing in straight sets at home to Volero Le Cannet.
The question remains: Can the hosts actually challenge the pool favourites and play a determining role in who goes through to the quarterfinals?
