14/06/2019 22:00
Ukraine and Belarus to battle for last ticket to Golden #EuroLeagueM Finals
CEV Volleyball European Golden League 2019
Luxembourg, June 14, 2019. Ukraine and Belarus will fight on Saturday for the last spot at stake to contest the Final Four of the CEV Men’s Volleyball European Golden League 2019. Belarus need to take at least one point from this fixture to secure their journey to Tallinn where the Finals will be taking place on June 21-22. Hosts Estonia as well as Pool A and B winners, Turkey and the Netherlands, have already booked their tickets to the final stage of the competition. Make sure you follow all of the action through the CEV’s very own OTT platform EuroVolleyTV!
Pool A
Slovakia vs. Belgium
• The two teams have the same win-loss record (1-4), but Slovakia sit in third place, one point clear of Belgium.
• Slovakia claimed a 2-0 lead in Brussels after a great start three weeks ago, but the Belgians came from behind and won the tiebreak 15-13 to secure a 3-2 victory.
• Belgium have to take a victory if they want to stay in the Golden League next year. As for Slovakia, they are already sure of their spot in the next edition of the competition.
Andrej Kravarik, head coach of Slovakia: “We have to play in a different style; we delivered a very poor performance against Latvia. We have to believe in ourselves a lot more and transfer all the good things from the training sessions to the match.”
Juraj Zatko, player of Slovakia: “The match against Belgium is important because of the final standing. We will fight for another victory.”
Latvia vs. Turkey
Coming soon…
Pool B
Estonia vs. Spain
• Estonia had some injury troubles in the last game against The Netherlands, plus opposite Hindrek Pulk became ill and did not travel to The Netherlands at all. Now the team is more or less together and ready to fight in front of the home crowd.
• Earlier this season, Spain claimed a 3-1 victory over Estonia on home soil.
• The game is a dress rehearsal for Team Estonia before the Golden League Final Four tournament, which will be taking place next weekend in Tallinn.
Gheorghe Crețu, head coach of Estonia: “I am expecting my team to play really focused as this is the last match before the Final Four next week. I hope we can show good Volleyball in front of our fans.”
Croatia vs. The Netherlands
• The Netherlands qualified for the Finals last Wednesday after securing a 3-0 home victory against Estonia.
• Croatia return to play at home after celebrating a 3-1 away win at Alicante against Spain.
• Croatia could still finish second in the pool if they beat the Netherlands and depending on the result of the fixture between Estonia and Spain. Earlier this season, the Netherlands beat Croatia 3-2 in Apeldoorn. Croatia will be trying to make amends for that setback.
Pool C
Finland vs. Czech Republic
• Finland have lost all of their five previous matches and need a win against Czech Republic to avoid the last place in the Men’s Golden League. However, this could not be enough as much depends on the latest results from the matches in Pool A.
• The Czechs won the first match against Finland 3-1 in Brno.
• Finland have played against Czech Republic 23 times, winning 11 of these matches.
Joel Banks, head coach of Finland: “This is our last chance to get a win in this year’s Golden League and that’s what we aim to do. The Czech team has two good opposite players and an intelligent setter. We must be prepared for a hard fight.”
Sauli Sinkkonen, captain of Finland: “We have lost five matches, but we should not panic. Now we want to take the first win and I hope that there will be many spectators to give an extra boost to our game. We have often played well in difficult situations.”
Ukraine vs. Belarus
• This is a make-or-break match for the two teams with a spot in the Final Four at stake.
• Belarus, even if they lose 2-3, would secure top spot in the group and a ticket to the Finals in Tallinn.
• Ukraine need a 3-0 or 3-1 victory to edge past Belarus and finish first in the pool.
• Ukraine are the gold medal winners from the 2017 edition of the European League.
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