All-Russian derby to fire up Playoffs 12

2009/2010 CEV Indesit Champions League

Luxembourg, February 7, 2010. After a short break the CEV Indesit Champions League is back again for the delight of all Volleyball fans with the much awaited Playoffs 12 that feature a series of real “big matches” whose final outcome is very difficult to predict. This second stage of the competition will start off on Tuesday night with three games and especially an all-Russian derby starring the runner-ups of the last couple of seasons, i.e. Dinamo MOSCOW and Zarechie ODINTSOVO, in the women’s division. Moreover, Italian star-studded team Asystel NOVARA will travel to Poland to test there the likes of underdog Enion Energia DABROWA GORNICZA. Finally, the reigning champions of TRENTINO BetClic – who are totally outclassing all of their opponents in the Italian national league – will continue their campaign towards the Final Four in Lodz against the Belgians of Knack Randstad ROESELARE.
Click here for additional info about the upcoming games; the complete set of matches scheduled for the Playoffs 12 will be aired in live streaming at www.laola1.tv

Preview

Men

In the opening night of the Playoffs 12 the defending champions of TRENTINO BetClic will play Belgium’s Knack Randstad ROESELARE. The Italians topped the standings of preliminary Pool A and are also running at full speed in their national league, having scored a 3:1 victory against Esseti LORETO this past Saturday and leading the charts with a margin of five points on runner-up Bre Banca Lannutti CUNEO. About ten days ago the team of Bulgarian coach Radostin Stoytchev notched also the national Cup beating CUNEO in the final match, thus already clipping a spot for next year’s Champions League. TRENTINO BetClic does not struggle with injuries and can rely on the complete line-up, including Brazilian middle blocker Riad who will make his debut in the European Cups this season. “To be honest we do not know that much about our opponents, but we had enough time to prepare this double meeting with the necessary care – says Radostin Stoytchev -; we are aware that we must win the first match with the best possible score because in the prelims Knack bagged two home matches and lost only one in the tie-break. The return match will not be easy, that is why we have to win in front of our fans”. Before the start of the match Cuban star Osmany Juantorena Portuondo will be awarded as the Best Spiker of the League Round.

Women

Before the start of this year’s CEV Indesit Champions League, Poland’s Enion Energia DABROWA GORNICZA was considered a sort of “Cinderella” among a series of experienced and well-decorated opponents. However, the Poles - who initially treated their debut in the European Cups as a good practice – defeated twice France’s ASPTT MULHOUSE in Pool B and proved that they totally deserved the wild-card they received from CEV for entering the Champions League. On Tuesday night the Volleyball fans in Dabrowa Gornicza will see their heroines playing against another top European team. The Italians of Asystel NOVARA – who topped the standings in Pool D - will indeed resume to the “Centrum” sports hall. Asystel is a well-known team for the Polish fans as the Italians played in the prelims against another local team, namely Bank BPS Fakro MUSZYNIANKA. DABROWA GORNICZA will play against NOVARA in a very good mood, since the Poles have recently clipped a positive streak consisting of three games in a row, including a 3:2 victory against the reigning national champions of MUSZYNA this past Friday. Coach Waldemar Kawka says: “The games we played in the prelims against such teams as Scavolini PESARO or VakifGunesTTelekom ISTANBUL - although we lost there and the long travels caused some fatigue - were really useful. Such games against the best European players have added much experience to the resume of my players, my girls started playing with more self-confidence and are more and more laid-back. Asystel is the next world-class rival, but you know there are no easy opponents in the Playoffs of the Champions League. Surely, we will play at our best, especially since we will play at home with our great fans backing us as they always do”. Even though Anna Podolec is currently injured and hence will not travel to Poland, still there is some Polish flavor in the roster of the Italians. Asystel features indeed Margareta Anna Kozuch, who – although being a German national player - has Polish roots and speaks Polish very fluently. The local fans should remember her from the last European Championships in Lodz as the hosts defeated Germany in the bronze medal match. Asystel NOVARA is actually a real star-studded team: Manon Flier, who captained the Dutch national team at the European Championships and was awarded there as MVP, will celebrate her 26th birthday on Monday, so she will be certainly looking for a victory in Poland as the sweetest present for herself and her mates.

On Tuesday night a Russian derby featuring last year’s runner-up Dinamo MOSCOW and Zarechie ODINTSOVO will fire up the Playoffs 12. Dinamo ended in second place the prelims in Pool C while Zarechie – after a shaky start – fought back to bag the third berth for the Playoffs in Pool D. Dinamo is still unbeaten in the Russian league after 13 rounds whereas Zarechie stands in second place with 10 matches won and 3 defeats. Having a look at the head-to-head Dinamo leads the way at 16-10, with the last game having been held in Omsk as the final match of the Russian Cup and ending in a dramatic 3:2 for Dinamo. Oksana Parkhomenko, Dinamo’s setter, says: “We are ready to play Zarechie, we know them as a very strong team, but we are confident that we can score a victory”.