02/05/2018 16:15
Galatasaray confident they have a shot at CL crown
2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League - Women
Istanbul, Turkey, May 2, 2018. Only a few hours before travelling to Bucharest for the Final Four of the 2018 CEV Volleyball Champions League – Women, Galatasaray SK ISTANBUL hosted a media meeting to discuss their expectations ahead of the ‘Volleyball party of the Year’ in the Romanian capital. Galatasaray will play hosts CSM Volei Alba BLAJ in Saturday’s second semi-final at 19.00 local time in an effort to improve on the fourth place they claimed when hosting the CL Finals back in 2013.
Şükrü Yengil, Sports Director: “We have injuries, we have weaknesses but six lionesses will fight for the final on Saturday. We really want to be a part of the final game and I think we will be able to do that.”
Team Manager Nihan Güneyligil said: “I am very proud of all my friends and of the team. We achieved our first goal. I hope our fans will not leave us alone in Bucharest. This team deserves the best of everything.”
Their head coach Ataman Güneyligil commented: “This year we have been very successful when competing away from home. The more competitive the match, the more motivated is our team. In 2000, none gave any chance to our football team against Arsenal in the UEFA Cup Final in Copenhagen. None thought that our Women’s Basketball Team could win the Euroleague title in 2014. So, if there is a final game, Galatasaray is the number one candidate to get the cup.”
“We feel that we are ready for the Final Four. Actually, we are a little impatient,” said team captain Neslihan Demir Güler. “We would like to play our first game as soon as possible. We trust ourselves. It is a tournament consisting of two matches only. If there is a cup to win, we win. Finishing my career with the Final Four is also very important to me. So, why not with a cup?”
“We will play against the home team in the first game,” said libero Gizem Karadayi. “Playing with the hosts is always difficult. In this kind of tournaments, the first matches are always more stressful than the following ones. They will have the advantage of playing before their fans but when you look at our team and at theirs, our roster is much more experienced. For now, we want to win the semi-final because we always take it step by step and match after match.”
The roster of Galatasaray includes a couple of CL Final Four rookies. “This will be my first Final Four adventure,” said libero Bihter Dumanoglu. “I am very excited. We want to reach the final first. After that, we will think about what is next.”
“This is my first Final Four but hopefully it will not be the first and last,” said middle blocker Asli Kalac. “The best clubs in Europe will be there and we will show our best out there as well.”
“We will not play any easy matches. There are very strong teams competing there but we will first focus on the semi-final with CSM Volei Alba BLAJ and after that, we will talk about the next match to play,” concluded outside hitter Dobriana Rabadzhieva.
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