12/12/2011 00:00
Key match for BUDVA as TOURS VB travels to Montenegro
2012 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Men
Budva, Montenegro, December 12, 2011. After a break of almost six weeks due to the Olympic pre-qualifiers and the FIVB World Cup in Japan, Budvanska Rivijera BUDVA will be back in action this coming Thursday by playing host to TOURS VB of France for the prelims of the 2012 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Men.
After taking home one point from their away match with ACH Volley LJUBLJANA, the guys from Budva have to score a win to keep alive their chances to eventually make it to the Playoffs 12. BUDVA has to finish first or second in the group that includes also PGE Skra BELCHATOW of Poland; by finishing third the team from Montenegro would be moved to the Challenge Round of the 2012 CEV Volleyball Cup while an eventual fourth place would put an end to their European campaign.
BUDVA is trying to get back the right chemistry after many players left the club being busy with their respective national teams. “TOURS VB is France’s most successful club and they have always maintained very good standards also in the Champions League. They come from a national league which is pretty balanced, last year they lost the finals but this time they have strengthened their roster to win the championship” says the coach of Budvanska Rivijera, Veselin Vukovic. “They have very good players like for instance Terzic, Konecny, Cala and Gonzales. However, we are optimistic and hope to go for a good result. We certainly would like to qualify for the Playoffs but even if we finally move to the CEV Cup, this would remain a success for us because of the tremendous quality and depth of our group” he adds.
One of the most experienced players included in the roster, Milan Markovic, invites as many fans as possible to make it to the sports hall. “We did not have much time to work together as half of the players were gone with their national teams and half stayed here in Budva; however, this shall not prevent us from delivering a good performance. I invite all of our fans to come and cheer on us; if we win, we will remain in contention for a spot to make it to the next stage of the competition” he stresses.
Nemanja Dukic spent the past season in France and therefore knows TOURS VB pretty well. “They have the largest budget among all clubs participating in their national league and they always set very high goals, also for the Champions League. I know they always play aggressive but we have to be brave, put much pressure with our serving and keep them away from the net” he concludes.
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