by Simon Daish
Winning the Men’s Champions League for a fifth time in the 2018-2019 season, reigning champions TTC Fakel Gazprom Orenburg have been placed in Group A for the 2019-2020 campaign where the Russian outfit will meet Germany’s Post SV Mühlhausen, France’s Angers Valliant TT and Spanish newcomers Leka Enea TDM.
Last season’s silver medallists, another Russian club in the form of TTSC UMMC will face competition from Denmark’s Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61, Austria’s SPG Walter Wels and Czech Republic’s TTC Ostrava 2016 in Group B.
Group C contains Germany’s FC Saarbrücken TT, Poland’s KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki, France’s Ping Pong Club Villeneuvois and Portugal’s GDCS Juncal. The most successful club in the competition’s history, 11-time winners Borussia Düsseldorf have been handed a tough draw with the German team facing 2018-2019 ETTU Cup champions G.V. Hennebont of France, Sporting Clube de Portugal and STK Starr Croatia.
Polish side KTS Enea Siarka Tarnobrzeg will be looking to lift the Women’s Champions League trophy for a second consecutive year but first they must negotiate Group C where Hungary’s Budaörsi 2I SC and France’s Metz TT await. Last season’s runners-up TTC Berlin Eastside will contest Group A alongside CP Lyssois Lille Métropole of France and Spain’s Girbau Vic TT.
The race in Group B will be fought out between French, Spanish and Austrian sides as TT Saint-Quentinois, UCAM Cartagena T.M and TTC CarinthiaWinds Villach do battle while Group D sees Austria’s Linz AG Froschberg tackle opposition from Czech Republic’s SKST Stavoimpex Hodonin and Spain’s Leka Enea Tenis de Mesa.