24/07/2015 17:42
Former Y.R. of Macedonia go for another two home wins and six points
2015 CEV Volleyball European League - Men
Skopje, Former Y.R. of Macedonia, July 24, 2015. After last week’s double victory against Israel, the men’s national team of the Former Y.R. of Macedonia is hoping for the same outcome on Saturday and Sunday once they host Denmark at Boris Trajkovski sports hall in Skopje for the fourth round of action in Pool A of the 2015 CEV Volleyball European League – Men.
A double victory is particularly important for the home heroes if they want to stay in contention for a spot in the Final Four tournament which is due to take place on August 13-14 in Walbrzych, Poland.
The Danish team is well known to Macedonian mentor Zarko Ristoski and to his boys since they played the Danes also in the pool phase of the 2014 CEV Volleyball European League. The experience from last year tells that Denmark is not an opponent to underestimate, but rather a hard nut to crack, as they say, as last year the Scandinavians stretched the first match with the Former Y.R. of Macedonia to the tie-break, thereby cashing one point.
“Last week we announced we would go for two wins over Israel and we made it happen, taking six points that mean a lot at this stage of the competition. This weekend we hope for another six points in the matches with Denmark. The Danes are a well-known opponent, we played them also last year in the group stage, claimed two wins but the matches were tough. They took one point from the first match we played in Strumica, and therefore we must be careful. Even though we respect our rivals, we are not afraid of them. We showed that we can play at a high level, so we have to keep that same rhythm and play our best in order to win the two matches coming up this weekend,” Ristoski said at a press conference in Skopje.
Team captain Nikola Gjorgiev expressed his conviction that the home heroes will have to stay focussed and keep control over the match from start to end since Denmark is a difficult opponent. “I have already said a week ago that in the pool stage we are playing some kind of six final matches at home. After Israel, it’s now time for Denmark. We have no right to make any mistakes. It is a persistent, resilient team that never gives up. Maybe they are physically not that strong, but technically they are well ready to perform at a high level. The experience of last year says there is no place for underestimating our next opponent and that we have to play our best from start to end if we want to fulfil our goal, which is to claim another two wins and take maximum points from these matches.”
The first match between the Former Y.R. of Macedonia and Denmark is scheduled for Saturday at 20:15 at the Boris Trajkovski sports hall in Skopje with the second set to follow then on Sunday at 17:30 at the same venue.
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