15/01/2014 15:10
A flashback for Generali UNTERHACHING
2014 CEV Volleyball Cup - Men
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Munich, Germany, January 15, 2014. Come Thursday, Germany’s Generali UNTERHACHING will have a flashback to its past three seasons in the CEV Volleyball Champions League. The Bavarians are playing host to PGE Skra BELCHATOW from Poland, and though it is the quarterfinal of the CEV Volleyball Cup they feel like this opponent belongs to another level.
“BELCHATOW is a top team in Europe, they definitely are of Champions League calibre”, Generali head coach Mihai Paduretu says.
The game at Generali Sportarena may be the last of its kind in Bavaria for a while. Despite its huge success with only a small budget Generali UNTERHACHING is on the brink of folding its Bundesliga team. Since sponsor Generali will end its commitment at the end of the current season, General Manager Josef Köck by mid-March needs to come up with money from other sponsors in the range of one million €, otherwise the club won’t apply for a licence for next season.
So far his search has not been successful, but this won’t have any effect on his team’s performance, Paduretu claims. However, the coach also knows that nothing short of a miracle will help Generali against BELCHATOW. “We must play better in all fundamentals than we did with Berlin” he states with reference to the 0:3 home loss against German champions BERLIN Recycling Volleys on Sunday. He promises that his players will meet BELCHATOW with respect, but without fear. “The guys should enjoy the game against such a team and enjoy the atmosphere. With the right approach and attitude we can play our game and make something happen.”
His words are echoed by Simon Hirsch: “It will be tough, but everything is possible.”
The match will be broadcast live on dlv-tv.de starting at 20.00. The return game in Poland will take place on January 23, starting at 18.00. The winner will play VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN in the Challenge Round.
Picture: Generali UNTERHACHING setter Tsimafei Zhukouski and
middle-blocker Marcus Böhme will try to stand the tough opposition
brought by Poland's standout PGE Skra BELCHATOW in the 1/4 finals of the
2014 CEV Volleyball Cup
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