Lublin take on Projekt in attempt to stay close to top three

High-calibre clash between BOGDANKA LUK Lublin and PGE Projekt Warsaw is coming up on Friday evening as the 24^th leg of the PlusLiga regular season unfolds from Thursday, February 6, to Monday, February 10.

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BOGDANKA LUK Lublin and PGE Projekt Warsaw are neighbours in the current standings, but there is a five-point gap between them, which the hosts from Lublin will be keen to narrow in order to stay close to the top three in the table. Projekt are in third place on 52 points and a 19-4 win-loss record, while BOGDANKA stand fourth on 47 and 16-7. The game on Friday is set to start at 20:30 local time (19:30 UTC).

In October, Projekt beat BOGDANKA at home in four sets, handing the team from Lublin their first defeat of the season and widening their lead in the overall head-to-head record to 6-4, plus a golden set win in last April’s quarterfinal playoffs.

For Lublin, losing to Projekt again would mean not only falling further behind from the top three in the table, but an imminent risk of even giving up the fourth place to ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle, who are now fifth on the same points, but with a game in hand, and have a trip to second-from-the-bottom Nowak-Mosty MKS Bedzin in the leg’s closing match on Monday at 20:30 (19:30). Nowak-Mosty stand in 15^th place on 12 and 3-20.

The PlusLiga “weekend” actually starts on Thursday with Barkom Kazhany Lviv hosting Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski in the leg opener at 17:30 (16:30). The Ukrainian team is three points below the red line for relegation, in 14^th place on 16 and 6-17, while their visitors from Gorzow Wielkopolski stand a comfortable 11 points higher, in 12^th place on 27 and 11-12.

Far from comfortable, PSG Stal Nysa are running in 13^th place, the last spot above the relegation zone, three points above Barkom, on 19 and 5-18. On Sunday at 17:30 (16:30), they have a home game against Slepsk Malow Suwalki, who stand ninth, just below the playoff spots, but five points away, on 32 and 12-11.

The team that currently stands right on the edge of the playoff zone, PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow, have a difficult trip on Sunday. At 14:45 (13:45), they will take on Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj. SKRA are running eight on 37 and 12-11, while their hosts lead the standings on 60 and 19-4. When they met in the fall in Belchatow, the defending champions celebrated a four-set win.

Second-placed Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, however, will be looking to get back at Trefl Gdansk for the five-set loss on the road in the ninth leg. Aluron stand on 55 and 18-5, ready for their revenge as they welcome 11^th-placed Trefl (28, 9-14) on Saturday at 14:45 (13:45).

Also on Saturday, but at 17:30 (16:30), Asseco Resovia Rzeszow will try to consolidate their place in the upcoming playoffs as they entertain Indykpol AZS Olsztyn, who still have a reasonable shot at joining the quarterfinalists. Resovia are in sixth place on 40 and 12-11, while Indykpol stand 10^th on 31 and 9-13 with a game in hand.

Saturday’s competition day will close with a game between GKS Katowice and Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa starting at 20:30 (19:30). The hosts from Katowice are running out of time to find salvation, as they currently trail bottom, in 16^th place on 9 and 3-20. Norwid, on the other hand, are far from being safe for their spot in the playoffs, as they are in seventh place on 37 and 13-10.

PlusLiga 2024-2025 24rd leg:
Feb 06, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Barkom Kazhany Lviv v Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski
Feb 07, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): BOGDANKA LUK Lublin v PGE Projekt Warsaw
Feb 08, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie v Trefl Gdansk
Feb 08, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Asseco Resovia Rzeszow v Indykpol AZS Olsztyn
Feb 08, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): GKS Katowice v Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa
Feb 09, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj v PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow
Feb 09, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): PSG Stal Nysa v Slepsk Malow Suwalki
Feb 10, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Nowak-Mosty MKS Bedzin v ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle

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