30/06/2017 11:00
High hopes for Denmark before their biggest match in four years
2017 CEV Volleyball European League - Men
Copenhagen, Denmark, June 30, 2017. The final stage of this year’s CEV Volleyball European League – Men is just around the corner. Gentofte Sportspark in Denmark will provide the stage for this much-anticipated event when the Former Y.R. of Macedonia, Sweden, Ukraine, and Denmark fight for gold and glory July 1-2. The head coach of Denmark Mikael Trolle believes in his team and in their chances of home success.
The last time the Danish national team played such a big and important match was four years ago when they took on Serbia in the Playoff stage of the 2013 men’s EuroVolley Denmark co-hosted together with Poland.
Now it is time for the Final Four of the 2017 CEV Volleyball European League and the semi-final against the Former Y.R. of Macedonia.
Denmark head coach Mikael Trolle is hopeful the day before teams travel to or arrive in Gentofte. “We enter the Final Four to win the European League,” he says. “I believe that we have the level required to achieve this result. When we play at our best, we can go all the way and win this competition.”
“We have a good reason to have that ambition. We have played on a stable and high level for two consecutive months. Now it is all about hitting that level in the two matches in Gentofte this weekend. We have been good at this lately,” he says. “We are in good shape and are playing high-level Volleyball. I must be frank and say, there has to be a very good team on the other side of the net to beat us,” Trolle continues.
“Having said that, it is four great teams that have qualified to the Finals. All teams have the qualities to win the tournament. No team is above the others and stands out as the great favourites,” he says.
Denmark play the Former Y.R. of Macedonia in their semi-final at 19:00. Before that, at 16:00, European League rookies Sweden and Ukraine will lock horns in the other match of the day.
“The Former Y.R. of Macedonia were superb in the pool stage and they have an absolutely world-class opposite in Nikola Gjorgiev. When he plays at his best, he can win a match alone. So the key to winning the semi-final is to play strong ourselves and stop Nikola Gjorgiev,” Trolle says.
After the semis on Saturday, July 1, the bronze and gold medal matches will take place on Sunday, July 2.
Click here for further information
|