21/03/2018 10:00
Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK hoping to make amends for shocking loss in men’s Playoffs 12
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Men
Luxembourg, March 21, 2018. The quest for a spot in the Playoffs 6 of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men will continue on Wednesday with three exciting matches coming up in Russia, Italy and Poland. Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK will be trying to use the home-court advantage to make amends for their shocking 0-3 loss at the hands of Noliko MAASEIK in Belgium last week while Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA and Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE will be hoping to capitalise on their away wins as they take on Halkbank ANKARA and JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel, respectively. The eventual winners of these fixtures will make a step closer towards reaching the Final Four due to take place in Kazan, Russia on May 12-13, 2018.
Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA (ITA) vs. Halkbank ANKARA (TUR)
• Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA are vying for their tenth straight victory in this year’s Champions League.
• After claiming a 3-0 victory last week in Turkey, the hosts need to take at least two sets to secure their progression to the Playoffs 6.
• Nemanja Petric and Velizar Chernokozhev, who now wear the shirt of Halkbank, are returning to Perugia where they spent some time earlier in their careers – and the same applies to ANKARA’s coach Slobodan Kovac.
• It is the third time PERUGIA and ANKARA are playing each other in the Champions League – this time it happens in the Playoffs 12, before it happened in the group stage of the competition.
• The match is going to be an exciting duel between the respective top scorers – Aleksandar Atanasijevic and Fernando Hernandez Ramos.
Simone Anzani, player of Sir Colussi Sicoma PERUGIA: “We will have a difficult match, because Halkbank will certainly come to Perugia with the motivation to overturn the result from the previous game. Their coach and two players played here in the past, so they will certainly be psyched up. We need to try to play at our best, react to Sunday’s defeat in Ravenna and win the game, trying to display the type of performance we have been showing since the beginning of the season, with the only exception being last Sunday.”
Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK (RUS) vs. Noliko MAASEIK (BEL)
• Lokomotiv have reached the Playoffs of the CEV Volleyball Champions League for the third time in their history. Every time they did so, they eventually played the third-placed team with the best score from the League Round – i.e. Tomis CONSTANTA of Romania, Generali UNTERHACHING of Germany and this year Noliko MAASEIK of Belgium.
• Noliko have played Russian teams many times throughout their history in the European Cups, mostly Dinamo MOSCOW. Lokomotiv are the fifth Russian team that Noliko play on the European stage and the second one in the Playoffs of the Champions League.
• Lokomotiv lost 0-3 last week in Belgium but this time around, the Russian team will count on all of their best players for the re-match at home.
• Lokomotiv failed to progress to the semis of the Russian championship after losing to Dinamo MOSCOW and will now contest the matches for places 5 to 8.
Nikolay Pavlov, player of Lokomotiv: “We will fight to win at home and to turn things around. If the result is good, we will play a Golden Set. The team is very motivated for this match, and we must win it. I think the home-court advantage will help us, as it has always been the case. We are still able to reach the next round, despite last week’s loss.”
Iliyas Kurkaev, player of Lokomotiv: “Noliko is a good, tenacious team, especially in defence. We lost last week but we still have all chances to progress to the next round. We must understand that without defeats, there are no victories! We have to take our lessons and move ahead.”
Zaksa KEDZIERZYN-KOZLE (POL) vs. JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel (POL)
• Last week Zaksa claimed a hard-fought 3-1 away victory, so the reigning Polish national champions are preparing very thoroughly for the re-match at home.
• Both Zaksa and JASTRZEBSKI comfortably claimed their last matches in the Polish national league. Zaksa coach Andrea Gardini decided to use some of the substitutes and they did very well on Saturday, so they may get an opportunity to play on Wednesday as well.
• Sam Deroo is coming back from injury and his contribution may be very important as Zaksa fight for progression to the Playoffs 6.
• The organisers expect as many as 2,000 fans in Azoty Hall for the remake of the Polish derby.
Rafal Buszek, opposite hitter of Zaksa: “We have an extremely balanced team, so we have what it takes to secure our spot in the Playoffs 6.”
How to follow the matches...
Watch them live: http://cev.laola1.tv/
Click here for a comprehensive TV schedule.
Live score, statistics, reports and photos: all available on www.cev.lu
Social Media: Follow via the official event hashtag (#CLVolleyM) with the most regular updates coming on our competition Twitter account @CEVolleyballCL
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