15/09/2016 18:30
Denmark target second place in Pool B
2017 CEV Volleyball European Championship - Men
Copenhagen, Denmark, September 15, 2016. Finland are the favourites to win Pool B in the upcoming second round of qualifications to the 2017 CEV Volleyball European Championship – Men. That is the prediction shared by Denmark head coach Mikael Trolle. He aims for second place in the pool on home soil and hopes to have a shot at a ticket to the final round in the third and last stage of the qualification process.
Trolle is confident that he has developed the right tactics for the three qualification matches against Sweden, Portugal, and Finland coming up this weekend. Humlehøjhallen in Sønderborg will provide the stage for the first of two round robin tournaments in Pool B.
The pool winners will qualify directly to the Final Round in Poland 2017, whereas the runners-up will have one last chance by playing another second-place finisher in the third and last stage of the qualifications.
“In my opinion, Finland are the clear favourites in the pool. It will be a surprise, if they don’t finish first in the pool, especially when the qualification is played over two tournaments and they have the last one at home,” says Trolle.
“Having said that, we aim for second place in the pool so that we can get one more chance to qualify for the Final Round. We have a good team and we are in good shape – but it is the same for our opponents. To be honest, the chance of being second is the same as the risk of finishing last in the pool,” he continues.
The players of the Danish team have spent hours preparing for the qualification matches and trying to develop the right tactics that could secure them second place in the group.
“We have made a thorough processing and analysis of all three opponents to find out what we can do to claim two, three extra points in each set and hopefully a win,” says Trolle.
“Both Sweden and Portugal are strong Volleyball nations, and we have a lot of respect for them. But if we manage to execute our game plan, I believe we have a fair chance against both of them.”
Click here for further information including a detailed match programme.
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