Luxembourg, 2 March 2021. Last week, the home matches of
the CEV Champions League Volley quarter-finals offered fans everywhere one of
the most exciting few days of volleyball of the season so far. Across the
board, the top eight European teams still in competition performed at the
highest level which in turn meant that perceived surprise results were not at all
uncommon.
Going into the return leg of these matches, tensions are high with
highly desired semifinal spots up for grabs, and one of the most interesting
matches is the one between Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA and Leo Shoes MODENA, our
Match of the Week.
All matches will be streamed live
on CEV’s EuroVolley.TV.
*Geo-restrictions may apply.
Head to Head
The return leg of these quarter-finals
was the first time these two teams have met each other in Europe’s premiere
club competition, and Modena’s win in straight sets gives them an obvious
advantage going into this match. Matchups between Italian clubs are not unusual
in the CEV Champions League Volley, and the two teams involved in our Match of
the Week have had their share.
For Perugia, last week’s defeat
means they have now lost two of their last three Champions League matches
against fellow Italian sides, after winning each of their first three, while
for Modena a win today would be only their second in six matches, after losing
the first four against Cucine Lube Civitanova.
Will Perugia reach their fourth
semi-final?
Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA could
reach the Champions League semi-finals for the fourth time, after 2016/17,
2017/18 and 2018/19. Last season, they had won their first leg of the
quarter-finals before the season was ended prematurely due to the coronavirus.
Their best result in the competition was a second place finish in 2016/17,
while also managing to get the 3rd place on the podium twice.
Once again, the Italians from
Perugia will have to rely heavily on their superstar player Wilfredo Leon who
has been exceptional so far. Wilfredo is Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA's leading
points scorer this CL season with 86 points, out of which he collected 13 from
serves and 12 from stuff blocks. His 13 aces this season are more than twice
the amount of any of his teammates, with Oleh Plotnytskyi following on six
aces.
Modena faced with a huge
opportunity
After their impressive win last
week, Leo Shoes Modena now have a chance to reach the semi-finals of the
competition for the second time, after a break of almost two decades (2002/03
season) when they were known as Casa Modena.
If they are to make it into the
next round, the team from Modena will hope that Micah Christenson, the setter
with the most points this season (28) will continue his fine form, while
Daniele Lavia, the team’s top scorer (87) and one of the top performers of the
previous round should bring his own contribution as well.
All eyes on MOTW in the CEV
Champions League Volley 2021 Men tonight and for detailed statistics and
analysis make sure to tune in to the competition’s dedicated website.
