Luxembourg, January 12, 2021. As eighth finalists in 2019 and participants in the playoffs four years ago, the Turkish volleyball players are big favourites at the qualifying tournament in Skopje for the CEV EuroVolley 2021. The team of coach Nedim Ozbey does not have major changes in personnel capacity compared to the matches of the last continental event, so the expectation is to be on the big European stage for the 11th time in their history.
Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered a defeat in yesterday's match against the Macedonian team in the arena "Boris Trajkovski", but won a set, and had good moments on the court. Opposite Adi Osmanovic, who wears the Akus BLD jersey in Turkey, is no stranger to Turkish volleyball strategies, but by accepting the role of underdogs, coach Ifet Mahmudovic's players can play without psychological pressure and enjoy a match against a team with a wider recognition.
The Turkish team consists of 11 players from the last CEV EuroVolley, and their leader is Adis Lagumdzija from Italy’s Volley Milano. With his 211 cm, he will be the biggest threat to the defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country of his ancestors. It will be interesting to compare the effect of the opposites on both sides of the net - Lagumdzija in Turkey and Osmanovic in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who won 22 points last night against the Macedonian team.
To challenge the opponent, Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to be exceptional in all elements of the game. To have a great reception, the setter Ivo Ivic to find various solutions in attack, and his teammates to be efficient in the execution. Turkey did not play friendly matches in the preparation period, so it may take time for the machine to start to work in the right rhythm.
On the other hand, today marks the start of Pool B, with tournament hosts Israel taking on Austria, coached by Radovan Gacic, a pool in which these two teams will also have to face Bulgaria in their attempt to grab the ticket for #EuroVolleyM 2021.
*Matches from the EuroVolley Qualifiers are streamed live on CEV's EuroVolley.TV. For live match information, statistics and more visit the designated website HERE.