PlusLiga “weekend” starts on Thursday; Aluron host Projekt in big match on Saturday

The Polish PlusLiga “weekend” is set to get underway as early as Thursday, with an exciting clash within the relegation zone of the table. The 20^th leg will end on Monday. The big highlight among the eight matches on the programme is Saturday’s duel between third-placed Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie and second-placed PGE Projekt Warsaw.

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Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie are running third in the current standings on 45 points and a 15-4 win-loss record, while their visitors PGE Projekt Warsaw stand second on 46 and 17-2. As the difference between the two teams is only a point, the game, scheduled on Saturday, January 11, at 14:45 local time (13:45 UTC), can potentially bring about a switch in their positions in the table, but only if the home team achieves a three-point victory, i.e. by 3-0 or 3-1.

When they last met in Warsaw in October, Projekt achieved a straight-set victory, while last season Aluron won three of the five encounters with the club from the capital. Historically, the two clubs have met 18 times with Projekt leading the head-to-head series by 11 wins to seven.

In Thursday’s leg opener, starting at 17:30 (16:30), Ukraine’s Barkom Kazhany Lviv will host GKS Katowice. The two teams occupy two of the places in the relegation zone and the clash between them is important in the context of fighting for survival. Barkom are in 14^th place on 13 and 5-14 and GKS are 16^th on 6 and 2-17. The Ukrainian side has a shot at climbing out of the relegation zone as they are only two points below the 13^th place, while the squad from Katowice desperately needs some points to keep a more realistic chance of staying in the PlusLiga.

Friday’s competition day will offer a game between Nowak-Mosty MKS Bedzin and Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski. The hosts are the other team in desperate need of points to be able to crawl above the red line. They are in 15^th place on 12 and 3-16, while their opponents from Gorzow Wielkopolski are 12^th on 22 and 9-10. The match is scheduled at 20:30 (19:30).

After the day’s opener between Aluron and Projekt, Asseco Resovia Rzeszow and BOGDANKA LUK Lublin will also play on Saturday, at 17:30 (16:30). The home team is on the edge of the playoff zone, in eighth place on 29 and 8-11, while Lublin stand comfortably in fourth place on 40 and 14-5.

Sunday will be the busiest day, with three games on the programme, starting at 14:45 (13:45) with defending champions Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj’s home match against Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa. For Jastrzebski Wegiel, who lead the current standings on 48 and 15-4, it’s payback time for October’s five-set upset they suffered in Czestochowa, while Norwid will try to live up to its Robin Hood role this season by “stealing more points from the rich”. They are sixth in the table on 35 and 12-7.

At 17:30 (16:30), PSG Stal Nysa will entertain Indykpol AZS Olsztyn. The hosts are just two points above the relegation zone, in 13^th place on 15 and 4-15, and under a direct threat of falling below the line. Indykpol, on the other hand, are just two points below the playoff zone, in ninth place on 27 and 8-10 (with a game in hand), with a good shot at climbing up above the cut-off.

Slepsk Malow Suwalki will host PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow in Sunday’s closing match at 20:30 (19:30). Slepsk are two spots below the line for the playoffs, in 10^th place on 26 and 10-9, but a three-point win would lift them above SKRA, who are currently two spots above the line, in seventh place on 29 and 10-9.

The PlusLiga “weekend” will end on Monday. ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle will host Trefl Gdansk at 17:30 (16:30). ZAKSA stand fifth on 37 and 12-6, while Trefl are in 11^th place on 23 and 7-12.

PlusLiga 2024-2025 20th leg:
Jan 09, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Barkom Kazhany Lviv v GKS Katowice
Jan 10, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Nowak-Mosty MKS Bedzin v Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski
Jan 11, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie v PGE Projekt Warsaw
Jan 11, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Asseco Resovia Rzeszow v BOGDANKA LUK Lublin
Jan 12, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj v Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa
Jan 12, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): PSG Stal Nysa v Indykpol AZS Olsztyn
Jan 12, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Slepsk Malow Suwalki v PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow
Jan 13, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle v Trefl Gdansk

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