SKRA in need of redemption as they host ZAKSA on Sunday

PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow will be looking to redeem themselves for the three consecutive losses in the Polish PlusLiga as they host ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle on Sunday in one of the most interesting fixtures of the 21^st leg set to start on Friday and end on Tuesday.

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After losing three in a row, the last two after tough five-set battles, PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow are desperate to get back on the winning track, as they are hanging on to the edge of playoff zone in the current standings by only a two-point margin, in eighth place on 30 points and a 10-10 win-loss record. However, there is another tough challenge ahead for the squad from Belchatow as they welcome ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle in Sunday’s competition day opener at 14:45 local time (13:45 UTC). ZAKSA, on the other hand, have been on a three-game winning streak and stand fifth on 40 and 13-6, with a game in hand.

When the two teams met in Kedzierzyn-Kozle in October, the home side celebrated a four-set victory. There has been a long-running rivalry between the two clubs in the PlusLiga. They have already met 67 times in the league, with SKRA leading the head-to-head by 35-32 in wins.

At the same starting time, but a day earlier, on Saturday, there will be another interesting clash between two teams from the top half of the table. Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa, standing sixth on 35 and 12-8, will entertain Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie. Riding the wave of a five-game winning streak in the PlusLiga (plus another two wins in the Champions League), Aluron are now up in second place on 48 and 16-4. In the previous three encounters between the two clubs in history, Norwid never managed to win a set.

The PlusLiga weekend will serve off on Friday evening at 20:30 (19:30), when Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski host PSG Stal Nysa. The home team is in 11^th place on 25 and 10-10, while Stal stand right above the red line for relegation, in 13^th place on 17 and 5-15.

Saturday’s programme will continue with GKS Katowice welcoming Asseco Resovia Rzeszow at 17:30 (16:30). GKS are trailing at the bottom of the table, in 16^th place on 9 and 3-17, while Resovia are trying to stay above the cut-off for the playoffs, where they stand seventh on 31 and 9-11.

Another team threatened by relegation, Nowak-Mosty MKS Bedzin, second from the bottom on 12 and 3-17, will visit Trefl Gdansk in Saturday’s late match at 20:30 (19:30). Trefl are in 12^th place on 23 and 7-13.

In Sunday’s closing game, at 17:30 (16:30), Slepsk Malow Suwalki will entertain BOGDANKA LUK Lublin in an effort to find their way to the top eight for the playoffs. They are just two points below the line, in ninth place on 28 and 11-9. However, they are facing a tough task this weekend as their visitors arrive as the fourth-placed team in the standings on 41 and 14-6.

Another team with 28 points, but on 8-11 with a game in hand in 10^th place, Indykpol AZS Olsztyn will play their 21^st-leg match on Tuesday at 17:30 (16:30) at home against mighty Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj. The defending champions are on top of the standings on 51 and 16-4.

The team with the most wins so far this season, PGE Projekt Warsaw, will close the leg with a home game against Barkom Kazhany Lviv on Tuesday at 20:30 (19:30). The squad from the capital is running third on 46 and 17-3, while their Ukrainian visitors are third from the bottom, in 14^th place on 13 and 5-15.

PlusLiga 2024-2025 21st leg:
Jan 17, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Cuprum Stilon Gorzow Wielkopolski v PSG Stal Nysa
Jan 18, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): Steam Hemarpol Norwid Czestochowa v Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie
Jan 18, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): GKS Katowice v Asseco Resovia Rzeszow
Jan 18, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Trefl Gdansk v Nowak-Mosty MKS Bedzin
Jan 19, 14:45 local (13:45 UTC): PGE GiEK SKRA Belchatow v ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle
Jan 19, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Slepsk Malow Suwalki v BOGDANKA LUK Lublin
Jan 21, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Indykpol AZS Olsztyn v Jastrzebski Wegiel Jastrzebie-Zdroj
Jan 21, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): PGE Projekt Warsaw v Barkom Kazhany Lviv

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