Barkom aim at upsetting ZAKSA in struggle for survival

Barkom Kazhany Lviv and ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle will open the 28^th leg of the Polish PlusLiga regular season on Thursday evening with a game that might prove key in the Ukrainian team’s struggle for survival in the league for next season, if they manage to upset the mighty opponent, who will visit them at the Arena Jaskolk in Tarnow at 17:30 local time (16:30 UTC). The other seven games of the 28^th leg will be played from Thursday to Monday.

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Barkom Kazhany Lviv take 14^th place in the current standings and are the only team within the relegation zone that still has a shot at getting out of it by the end of the regular season. Running on 20 points and a 7-20 win-loss record, they are five points behind PSG Stal Nysa, who have a more challenging schedule ahead, including a visit to Barkom in the last leg. The Ukrainian team’s next opponent is, however, none other than European powerhouse ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle, who currently stand fifth on 55 and 19-8. When Barkom visited ZAKSA in November, they managed to take a set, but ended up with a 3-1 loss.

PSG Stal Nysa, on the other hand, have the toughest challenge possible lined up for this weekend. On Sunday, March 9, at 14:45 (13:45), they will pay a visit to defending champions Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj, who stand on top of the table on 69 and 22-5. Stal are currently in 13^th place on 25 and 7-20. In November, at home, they suffered a shutout at the hands of the champions.

Thursday’s programme offers one more match. At 20:30 (19:30), second-placed Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie will host bottom-placed Nowak-Mosty MKS Bedzin. Aluron stand on 64 and 21-6, while Nowak-Mosty, with their 16^th place on 12 and 3-24, are already doomed to relegation.

Friday will be a day off for the PlusLiga. Action resumes on Saturday at 14:45 (13:45) with PGE Projekt Warsaw’s home game against Trefl Gdansk. Projekt are running third in the table on 63 and 23-4, just a point below Aluron. Trefl are in 10^th place on 34 and 11-16, still with a shot at the playoff spots. They lost November’s home match with the squad from the capital in four sets.

The next game on Saturday may have bearing on the race for the last remaining vacancies in the quarterfinal lineup. At 17:30 (16:30), Asseco Resovia Rzeszow will entertain Slepsk Malow Suwalki. Standing sixth on 51 and 16-11, Resovia already have a secure spot in the playoffs. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, Slepsk Malow played their 29^th-leg home match against GKS Katowice and mastered a 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 29-27) sweep, with outside hitter Pawel Halaba and opposite Bartosz Filipiak leading the way with 15 points each. The team from Suwalki improved to 39 and 14-14 in ninth place and are now just a point below the cut-off line for the quarterfinals. November’s match between Slepsk Malow and Resovia produced a five-set battle with the hosts from Suwalki celebrating the victory. Now, however, the squad from Rzeszow is riding the wave of a 12-match winning streak between the PlusLiga and the CEV Cup.

BOGDANKA LUK Lublin will be looking to get back at Indykpol AZS Olsztyn for the shutout they suffered in Olsztyn in the fall, as the two teams close Saturday’s competition day with their fixture at 20:30 (19:30). Lublin are fourth in the table on 57 and 19-8, while Indykpol are in 11^th place on 34 and 10-17, still with a distant shot at the playoffs.

In Sunday’s second game, Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa wиll play host to Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski at 17:30 (16:30), hoping to consolidate their place in the playoff zone. They stand eighth on 40 and 14-13. While not completely safe from relegation yet, their visitors occupy a “comfortable” 12^th place on 28 and 11-16, a point away from securing salvation. A five-set rollercoaster duel between the two teams at Arena Gorzow in November was finally resolved in favour of Cuprum Stilon.

The leg will be completed on Monday evening, when GKS Katowice entertain PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow at 20:30 (19:30). Second-division-bound GKS stand second from the bottom, in 15^th place on 15 and 5-23, while SKRA, seventh on 45 and 15-12, have yet to stamp their ticket to the quarterfinals.

PlusLiga 2024-2025 28th leg:
Mar 06, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Barkom Kazhany Lviv v ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle
Mar 06, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie v Nowak-Mosty MKS Bedzin
Mar 08, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): PGE Projekt Warsaw v Trefl Gdansk
Mar 08, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Asseco Resovia Rzeszow v Slepsk Malow Suwalki
Mar 08, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): BOGDANKA LUK Lublin v Indykpol AZS Olsztyn
Mar 09, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj v PSG Stal Nysa
Mar 09, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa v Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski
Mar 10, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): GKS Katowice v PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow

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