28/03/2017 08:54
Galatasaray host Russian pre-favourites in first round of CEV Cup semis
2017 CEV Volleyball Cup - Women
Istanbul, Turkey, March 28, 2017. Galatasaray ISTANBUL are hosting Dinamo KAZAN of Russia on Tuesday night at Burhan Felek Volleyball Hall in the first round of the 2017 CEV Volleyball Cup – Women semi-finals. The match will start at 19:00 local time.
Dinamo KAZAN secured their spot in the CEV Cup semis with two straight 3-0 victories over Serbia’s Vizura BEOGRAD in the quarterfinals. On the other hand, it was rather challenging for Galatasaray ISTANBUL, as their opponent in the previous stage of the competition were Budowlani LODZ of Poland, which held the court advantage in the second leg of the quarterfinals. However, Galatasaray ISTANBUL were able to make up for this. Budowlani LODZ did not stand a chance despite their finest efforts and Galatasaray cruised to 3-1 and 3-0 victories to progress to the semis.
Now Galatasaray ISTANBUL are ready to host the Russian favourites of the competition, Dinamo KAZAN, at Burhan Felek Volleyball Hall. This match is the first step on the way to the finals as Galatasaray hope to add one more trophy to their club’s impressive collection. Last year they lost in the finals to Dinamo KRASNODAR and they do not want to go down that road again. However, the hosts are quite aware that the competition is getting harder and harder as they move on from stage to stage.
Galatasaray Sports Director Şükrü Yengil commented on the match: “Our head coach Ataman Güneyligil has analysed the opponent very carefully together with his staff and we have now completed our preparations. We know what our strengths and weaknesses are. We will take this stage step by step as we did with the previous rounds. We must secure a good, clear win in Istanbul, using the home-court advantage. Last season, to see the CEV Cup slip through our fingers was truly disappointing to us. Our players are determined to make it to the finals. Because of the tight schedule we have, the only thing that we are worried about is injuries that may occur. We wish the best of luck to all teams that have progressed to the CEV Cup Final Phase.”
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