27/03/2017 18:28
TRENTINO host Fenerbahce in much-anticipated CEV Cup semi-final
2017 CEV Volleyball Cup - Men
Trento, Italy, March 27, 2017. After sweeping aside Hurrikaani LOIMAA, VaLePa SASTAMALA and LPR Volley PIACENZA in the previous stages of the competition, Italy’s standout TRENTINO Diatec will now host Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL of Turkey in the first round of the 2017 CEV Volleyball Cup – Men semi-finals coming up on Tuesday night.
TRENTINO Diatec just lost the second matchup on schedule for the semis of the Italian national league – as their opponents Sir Sicoma Colussi PERUGIA cruised to a 3-1 home victory on Saturday to move the series to one win apiece. On Tuesday night, TRENTINO will try to bounce back when hosting Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL in the first round of the CEV Cup semis before the rematch takes place on April 1 in Turkey.
“We want to make it to the finals of the CEV Cup and therefore we must fight for every point,” said TRENTINO Diatec head coach Angelo Lorenzetti. “Even though the CEV Cup is not as challenging as the Champions League, at this stage of the competition there are no weak opponents. In order to beat Fenerbahce in both matches, the break-point phase will be a key towards success. Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL did not make it this far in the competition by chance – they have a good team, a very solid side-out game and they play fast and well-organised at the same time,” Lorenzetti continued. “We must remain focussed and play carefully, with this strategy applying to each rally.”
Oleg Antonov will be missing the match with Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL since the outside hitter of TRENTINO Diatec suffered a minor injury last week. Antonov’s recovery process will take ten days and as a result, libero Matteo Chiappa will take to the court as the team’s fourth outside hitter.
The matchup with Fenerbahce will be TRENTINO’s no. 50 fixture in the European Cups. The Italians have contested 21 matches so far in the CEV Cup with a record of 18 wins and three losses – two to Halkbank ANKARA back in 2005 and one to Dinamo MOSCOW in 2015. This is the third time a Turkish team will be visiting PalaTrento – back on December 7, 2005 Halkbank beat TRENTINO 3-1, while in December 2013 TRENTINO beat Arkas IZMIR 3-0 in the group stage of the CEV Volleyball Champions League. It is nevertheless the first time TRENTINO and Fenerbahce play each other on the European stage – and these teams have not contested any friendlies in their glorious history.
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