12/07/2013 21:00
Four teams embark on quest for 2013 European League title
2013 CEV Volleyball European League – Men
Marmaris, Turkey, July, 12, 2013. The crown of 2013 CEV Volleyball European League – Men is at stake this weekend in Turkey. Four teams will clash at Amiral Orhan Aydin Sports Hall in Marmaris, Turkey with only one goal: to become the new tournament champions. The national teams of the Czech Republic, Belgium, Croatia and hosts Turkey live with anticipation and excitement the hours before the semi-final matches.
The curtain-raiser of this last stage of the competition will see the Czech Republic clashing with Belgium, in a match scheduled for Saturday, at 15.00 hours (GMT +2). The Belgian squad will try to continue its impressive winning streak, certified after 12 victories in 12 matches during the preliminary round in Pool A, in order to reach the title-deciding game in its first qualification for the final round of the tournament. “We are now finally in the Final Four. I think there will be tough matches throughout the weekend. It is not easy to win, they are all good teams, but we came here to win. We’ll do our best in the finals and try to be the champions”, said Belgium head coach, Dominique Baeyens.
Meanwhile, the Czech men made it to the Final Four as leaders of Pool B and aim to recover the title their compatriots had claimed in 2004. “For Czech Volleyball it is very important to be among the best four teams of the tournament. Even though we have a young team, it is important for us to get experience and be able to play at a good level”, said the head coach of the Czech Republic, Stewart Bernard. The Czech Republic lifted the champions cup in the first edition of the CEV Volleyball European League and haven’t reached the last stage of competition ever since, so Stewart Bernard’s group expects to put a golden end in its second participation in the decisive round of the tournament. “We face Belgium, a team that had an impressive record in the first part of the competition; they are the pre-favourites of this fixture, no doubt, but this is Volleyball and we will try to perform at our best”, said Bernard.
In the second semifinal, scheduled for Saturday at 18.00 hours (GMT +2), hosts Turkey meets Croatia in a match that is initially presented as history repeating since both teams crossed their paths four times during the preliminary round. The Croatian squad, a team that joined the competition as substitute of Portugal, finished as leaders of Pool C, with four victories over its rivals in the upcoming semifinals.“This is what I call a ‘No Excuse Game’”, said the head coach of Croatia, Igor Simuncic. “In the groups, you could win or you could lose but on Saturday, it will be no excuse for us. It is the most important match and there’s no excuse not to give a 100%” he adds.
The Turkish team, on the other hand, will try to use the support of the local audience to make it to the final match, aiming also to leave behind the disappointment of losing the title last season against The Netherlands.“It will be a very difficult game. We played with them before but now we are in the finals. We know the importance of this tournament. If we win, we will get the right to join the Intercontinental Qualification Round for next year’s FIVB World League. So we’ll do our best in the matches. We’re ready now” said the head coach of Turkey, Veljko Basic.
The city of Marmaris is prepared to enjoy the quest for the European League title, as the four contenders get ready to put their illusions and expectations into play in the thrilling final round of the 2013 CEV Volleyball European League.
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