PlusLiga weekend to serve off on Thursday

Once again, the Polish PlusLiga weekend is set to start early, on Thursday evening, with Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski hosting PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow in the 17^th-leg opener. The remaining seven matches of the leg will be played from Friday to Sunday, with a clash between table neighbours Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa and ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle among the highlights.

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Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa are sixth in the current standings on 29 points and a 10-6 win-loss record. ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle are just above them, in fifth place on 31 and 10-6, which means that a three-point win for the hosts in Czestochowa on Friday, December 20, at 20:30 local time (19:30 UTC), would mean that they would surpass the mighty opponent in the standings. This season Norwid have made headlines with their sensational upsets of big names in the PlusLiga and as part of that trend they beat ZAKSA in Kedzierzyn-Kozle back in October, in five sets, with a 25-point match high from their Iranian star Milad Ebadipour. That result brought Norwid to a 2-1 lead in the all-time head-to-head series against ZAKSA.

Another high-level duel will open Saturday’s PlusLiga programme. Asseco Resovia Rzeszow will welcome Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj at 14:45 (13:45). Since early October, Resovia have won all but five of their matches. Interestingly, all five of these defeats were conceded after five-set battles. They are seventh in the table on 28 and 8-8, and on a four-game winning streak between the PlusLiga and the CEV Cup. Jastrzebski Wegiel, on the other hand, who lead the standings on 41 and 13-3, will be looking to recover from the blow they suffered at home last Saturday, when they were stunned by Ukraine’s Barkom Kazhany Lviv in a five-set battle. It has been well over five years since Resovia last beat Jastrzebski, who are on a 15-game winning streak in the head-to-head series.

Second-placed PGE Projekt Warsaw will entertain Nowak-Mosty MKS Bedzin in one of Sunday’s fixtures, scheduled at 17:30 (16:30). Projekt stand on 38 and 14-2, while Nowak-Mosty are a member of the relegation zone, in 14^th place on 12 and 3-13.

Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie, currently third on 36 and 12-4, will try to stay close to the leaders as they visit Barkom Kazhany Lviv in Saturday’s late match at 20:30 (19:30). Barkom will be keen to drop another sensation after last week’s win in Jastrzebie-Zdroj in their quest to leave the relegation zone, where they currently stand in 15^th place on 11 and 4-12.

BOGDANKA LUK Lublin, standing fourth on 32 and 11-5, will travel to Trefl Gdansk, 11^th on 20 and 6-10, for Sunday’s opener at 14:45 (13:45).

The last team above the cut-off for the playoffs, PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow, will pay a visit to Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski for Thursday’s only match, set to serve off at 17:30 (16:30). SKRA are in eighth place on 25 and 9-7, and Cuprum are 12^th on 19 and 8-8.

Another interesting duel between neighbours in the table will take place on Saturday at 17:30 (16:30), when Indykpol AZS Olsztyn host Slepsk Malow Suwalki. The visitors are ninth on 23 and 9-7, while the home team is in 10^th place, two points below, on 21 and 6-10.

It will be hot in the last match of the weekend, on Sunday at 20:30 (19:30), when two teams under a serious threat of relegation will try to improve their situations. Hosts PSG Stal Nysa are separated from the relegation zone by a tiny difference in the set ratio and stand in 13^th place on 12 and 3-13. Meanwhile, visitors GKS Katowice, who trail bottom in 16^th place on 6 and 2-14, will try to get a breath of air in their struggle for survival.

PlusLiga 2024-2025 17th leg:
Dec 19, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski v PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow
Dec 20, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa v ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle
Dec 21, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): Asseco Resovia Rzeszow v Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj
Dec 21, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Indykpol AZS Olsztyn v Slepsk Malow Suwalki
Dec 21, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Barkom Kazhany Lviv v Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie
Dec 22, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): Trefl Gdansk v BOGDANKA LUK Lublin
Dec 22, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): PGE Projekt Warsaw v Nowak-Mosty MKS Bedzin
Dec 22, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): PSG Stal Nysa v GKS Katowice

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