The European champion visits Jadran

This week marks the last round of the Champions League for this calendar year, concluding the first part of the competition within the 4 groups. Out of the 8 teams advancing to the further stages of the competition or the quarterfinal groups, 7 are already known – Novi Beograd, Ferencvaros, Jadran Split, Barceloneta, Marseille, Savona, and Olympiacos.
The only remaining spot is the 2nd position in Group A, which will be contested on Wednesday by two Romanian clubs, Oradea and Steaua.

For us in Croatia, it is far more important that our champion, Jadran from Split, secured a spot in the Top 8 or the quarterfinal group after only 4 rounds and confirmed it after the 5th round. Therefore, the match between Jadran and Ferencvaros on Wednesday (18:30 – Arena Sport 2) is somewhat of a showcase. Regardless of the result, it is already known that the Hungarians are first in Group B, while Jadran is second.

We are complete, but I will decide the lineup shortly before the match. However, we still have three more matches in the Premier League until the end of this calendar year. On one hand, I am aware that the match against Ferencvaros does not carry too much of a result burden, but on the other hand, I would like us to return to that path, to the style of play that characterized us for most of the season, which we may have diverted from perhaps due to focusing on the finish of our Cup - ahead of hosting the European champion in the Poljud pool," said Jadran's coach, Jure Marelja.

Regardless of the result on Wednesday evening, Jadran is safely placed second in Group B. This further means that in the draw for the two quarterfinal groups of the Champions League, the Split team will face two teams that will top their respective groups and one second-placed team.
In the second part of the competition, there will be two quarterfinal groups with 4 teams each playing a double round (home and away). The top two teams from these groups will earn the right to participate in the final tournament of the Champions League in late spring 2025 in Malta.