14/12/2017 14:19
Turkish derby to cap first week of play in #CLVolleyW League Round
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Women
Luxembourg, December 14, 2017. A Turkish derby featuring 2017 gold medal winners VakifBank and Galatasaray ISTANBUL will bring the curtain down to the first week of action in the group stage of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Women. Galatasaray are back in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since the 2012-2013 season when they hosted the Final Four tournament at Burhan Felek Volleyball Hall in Istanbul. Interestingly enough, VakifBank won gold on that occasion – while Galatasaray had to be content with fourth place.
• VakıfBank can boast a winning streak in the CEV Champions League encompassing as many as 14 matches.
• Their last loss in the competition dates back to December 11, 2014 – when they lost to France’s RC CANNES (1-3).
• VakifBank and Galatasaray crossed swords on October 28 this year in a match scheduled for the Turkish national league, where VakifBank claimed a 3-0 victory.
• Lonneke Slöetjes and Zhu Ting top scored for VakifBank in their third-round fixtures with Minchanka MINSK of Belarus with 28 and 24 points, respectively.
Gözde Kirdar, team captain of VakifBank: “We will play against strong and good teams in our group. I think it will be a hard pool for us because just one team will qualify to the Playoffs 6. As always, we have been working extremely hard, especially because in the first match we will play against Galatasaray. They have incredibly strong attackers and great players. They also serve very well, so we need receive well in order to develop our game.”
Giovanni Guidetti, head coach of VakifBank ISTANBUL: “This is a very tough group. We will play against teams playing good Volleyball. Our first match is against Galatasaray. Our opponent will play differently in the Champions League than they did in the Turkish league, because they will play with different players, as there is no restriction to the number of foreigners. They have built a great team with much effort from a financial standpoint. They want to make a great job in Europe. It is clear we need to be the leader in the group to move to the next stage of the competition. It will be a great match and I am sure that we will show good Volleyball.”
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 (#CLVolleyW) with the most regular updates coming on our competition Twitter account @CEVolleyballCL
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