After a week without commitments, the Antonio Carraro Prosecco DOC Conegliano is ready to return to the field for the Champions League: today departure in the morning from Marco Polo in Venice where tomorrow, at 18.00 Italian time (20.00 local), the TVF Ziraat Bankkart Volleyball Hall in Ankara will be the scene of the first leg quarter-finals of the CEV Zeren Group Champions League for the match against Zeren Ankara. It will be the first challenge of a “new season”, the one that the Panthers are preparing to begin to reconfirm themselves in Italy and Europe. Captain Wolosz and her teammates, reigning champions, earned qualification by winning pool D of the Champions League without defeat, while Zeren finished second. The return match is scheduled for Wednesday 18 at 20.30 at the Palaverde. It is played with the two-legged formula and possible Golden Set at the end of the return match in the event of a tie. The CEV Zeren Group Champions League Final Four will be played at the Ulker Sports Arena in Istanbul between May 2 and 3. Matilde Munarini is absent, in her place in the roster of fourteen the young Alessia Forte.
PREVIOUS AND FORMER: There are 2 previous matches of the challenge, both played in the current Champions League group where the Panthers have always had the upper hand (3-2 at Palaverde and 3-0 in Turkey). Among the ranks of coach Ljubicic there is the setter Ofelia Malinov, ex-yellow-blue (2016-17)
REFEREES: Valentar (SVN) and Adler (HUN)
MEDIA: Simultaneous live television coverage of all CEV Champions League matches is on Sky Sport and DAZN. Live updates and post-match interviews on Imoco Volley’s social profiles
DICHIARAZIONI COACH DANIELE SANTARELLI
“We arrive at the match with energy and charge for the final rush. Tomorrow’s match will be a completely different one than the one we played in the group in Turkey. Zeren will do everything to put us in difficulty: they are a strong and well-trained team, they have the quality to play against the best and they have shown it. For our part, we have definitely changed in recent months, starting with the first leg match against Ankara at the Palaverde. We expect a difficult match, they have strong forwards and an excellent defensive wall, we are called upon to play a game at the highest level. Like all matches in Turkey, we will find the arena full and a very hot home crowd, we want to take ourselves to the return match at the Palaverde in the best possible conditions. The Champions League is a fantastic competition at this point, it’s nice to be there and we want to dive into tomorrow’s match with the aim of hitting the Final Four.”
PRESALE NOVARA G1
The online pre-sale is already open for Game 1 of the semi-finals of the Serie A1 Tigotà Scudetto play-offs between Prosecco DOC A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano and Igor Gorgonzola Novara, it will be played on Sunday 15 March at 17.15 at Palaverde. Info and tickets on Vivaticket.com
ZEREN RETURN PRE-SALE
The online pre-sale for the second leg of the CEV Zeren Group Champions League quarter-finals between Antonio Carraro Prosecco DOC Conegliano and Ankara Zeren Spor Kulübü is already open, it will be played on Wednesday 18 March at 20.20 at Palaverde. Info and tickets on Vivaticket.com