19/03/2016 13:19
Benfica’s star player Hugo Gaspar confident ahead of re-match with VERONA
2016 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup - Men
Lisbon, Portugal, March 19, 2016. Last year’s silver medallists Benfica LISBOA recorded a sensational 3-2 away victory in the first round of the 2016 CEV Volleyball Challenge Cup – Men semis contested on Wednesday. On Sunday the team from Portugal’s capital will be hosting Italy’s European Cup rookies Calzedonia VERONA for a re-match whose outcome will determine one of two finalists in this year’s edition of the Challenge Cup.
“We expect VERONA to be a very tough opponent, especially as they will be willing to defend and restore their pride. We claimed the first match in Italy, but now we have to win the re-match at home as well, because the outcome of this double clash is still wide open,” said home star and Benfica team captain Hugo Gaspar.
Questioned whether he felt the Italian were a bit too confident going into the first matchup, Gaspar said: “We have international players with loads of experience on our roster, so I do not think that Calzedonia VERONA were caught by surprise. We feel confident and know we can play at the highest level.”
Last year Benfica upset another Italian team, CMC RAVENNA, in the semis of the Challenge Cup before losing the final to Serbia’s Vojvodina NS Seme NOVI SAD.
The re-match between Benfica LISBOA and Calzedonia VERONA will be played on Sunday at 3pm local time, with live stream available at www.laola1.tv
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