Bet on CEV Champions League Powerhouses in 2018-19

The set-up of the CEV Champions League

Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (European Confederation of Volleyball) governs all volleyball games such as beach volleyball and snow volleyball. Founded in 1959, it’s considered to be Europe’s most prestigious volleyball organization.

The 2018-19 CEV Champions League began on 9 October 2018. The champions will be determined on 19 May 2019. The tournament starts of with a total of 34 and 20 will qualify to the main tournament. The main rounds of the tournament are:

• Qualification round (9 Oct 2018 to 13 November 2018)
• Main tournament (20 November 2018 to 19 May 2019)

Competing teams of the 2018-19 CEV Champions League

The Men’s Champions League constitutes for one of the 56 federations under the CEV. This years campaign features 20 teams competing in the main competition. We’ll take a closer look at the campaigns of these four teams:

1. Sir Sicoma Colussi Perugia
2. Cucine Lube Civitanova
3. Azimut Modena
4. Zenit Kazan

1. Zenit Kazan, title defenders looking to repeat history

Volleyball club Zenit Kazan from the Russian Volleyball Super League are clear favorites to win the Champions League. Founded in 2000, the team already has an impressive trophy cabinet. They are dominant in both domestic and international competitions. They have definitely made a name for themselves in the CEV Champions League. Their titles are:

• Winners: 2008, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
• Runners-up: 2011
• Third place: 2013

They have won the champions title 4 times in a row and are hoping to continue the pattern. The team is filled with top talents having three of their players named MVPs in the previous Champions leagues. One player keep an eye on is 2018 CEV Champions League is Maxim Mikhaylov:

• Position: Opposite
• Height: 2.02 metres
• Spike: 360 cm
• Block: 340 cm  

2. Sir Sicoma Colussi Perugia, the underdogs looking to cause upsets

The team playing for the Italian Volleyball League are also favorites to win this years championship. Although not having strong statistics in comparison to Zenit Kazan, they still have the players and determination to cause upsets. The club is currently ranked 13th the Men’s European Ranking but they have the potential to move higher in the ranks.

The clubs current statistics in the CEV Champions League are:

• Runners-up: 2017
• Third place: 2018.

Despite their lack of gold trophies in the league, you shouldn’t rule them out just yet. Overall, the club is known for its consistency having walked away with titles in all the domestic and international competitions since 2014. Perhaps in this campaign their consistency will finally pay of with a big reward.

3. Azimut Modena, Italian club looking to repeat history to become CEV powerhouse

The volleyball club from Serie A1 has an impressive trophy cabinet and is the most successful club in the country. Despite an impressive run, they are not clear contenders for this year’s campaign. But as sportsbook news sites in Norway point out, they have not won any titles in the past decade.

Since their establishment in 1966, they have bagged an impressive 39 titles from both domestic and international leagues. They have marked their place in CEV Champions League history with the titles:

• Winners: 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998
• Runners-up: 1987, 1988, 1989, 2003
• Third place: 1991.

4. Cucine Lube Civitanova seek to end dry spell and add gold to their trophy cabinet

The Italian Volleyball League team is one of the teams that could end Zenit Kazan’s impressive run. Just as their Italian compatriots, they have enjoyed success both home and away. Their current CEV Championship trophy cabinet includes:

• Winners: 2002
• Third place: 2016, 2017.

The Italian club is looking to end their dry spell this campaign but with a long list of determined players, this is doable. Players to keep an eye on are:

• Taylor Sanders: (Height: 1.96 m Spike: 355cm Block: 335 cm)
• Tsvetan Sokolov: (Height: 2.06 m Spike: 380 cm Block: 350 cm)

Pick your favorite at Unibet Sportsbook! If you are not familiar with the site or you don’t have an account yet, check out our latest review about Unibet Sportsbook!