The nights of the most magical dreams, the European ones, are back. Tomorrow evening, at 20.30, the Antonio Carraro Prosecco DOC Imoco Conegliano two-time defending champion of the competition, challenges Ankara Zeren Spor Kulübü at the Palaverde in the fourth consecutive home game after last week’s (winning) trio in the league. It is the first match of Pool D of the CEV Zeren Group Champions League, the Panthers will play their first phase of the competition in the group that also includes the German Dresden SC and the Polish Łks Commercecon Łodz. Tomorrow there is the confrontation against the Turks, included in the top continental tournament after receiving a “wild card” for participation. In the last two editions Conegliano has lifted the trophy in Antalya and Istanbul, for a total of 3 Champions Leagues already present in the yellow-blue trophy cabinet.
-Conegliano has been unbeaten in the Champions League for two seasons (21 consecutive wins).
-It will be the eleventh edition in which the club will take part.
-Tomorrow the full team for coach Daniele Santarelli with the return of the Chinese Zhu Ting after the Chinese National Games.
PREVIOUS AND FORMER: It will be the first historical confrontation between the two teams. Among the ranks of Ankara there is the former Ofelia Malinov, Italian setter at the Palaverde in the 2016-17 season.
REFEREES: Ovuka (BIH) and Ivanov (BUL)
AVERAGE: Simultaneous live television coverage of all CEV Champions League matches is on Sky Sport (Sky Sport Arena channel 204 tomorrow) and on DAZN. Live updates and post-match interviews on Imoco Volley’s social profiles
BOOKING OFFICE: Tickets for tomorrow’s match are still available online at Vivaticket.com. Cash desks open at the Palaverde starting at 7 pm, an hour and a half before the start of the match. The match is included in the subscription.
SORELLE RAMONDA AWARDS THE MVP – Angelo Ramonda, owner of Sorelle Ramonda, today will deliver the trolleys for the Champions League away games to the Palaverde during the shooting of the new jerseys of A.Carraro Prosecco DOC Conegliano (photos will follow in the afternoon) and tomorrow he will award the MVP of the match at the end of the match.
DICHIARAZIONI COACH DANIELE SANTARELLI
“Ankara is a very fearsome team that is playing an excellent championship in Turkey, in a competitive league that I always follow with great attention. It is a company born a few years ago, which is entering the national and international scene with the credentials to amaze. Seeing it on the Champions League circuit gives the dimension of how much ambition they have to grow and improve as a club. As a team, they have very strong European strikers, who we have to pay particular attention to tomorrow night. They are a fearsome group that we will have to respect to the maximum, they will do everything to make us struggle and put us in difficulty, if we are not 100% performing the real problems for us will arise. In their roster I know well both the value of Turkish players and foreigners, between club and national team that I coach, I have faced them in various circumstances. From tomorrow we will also have Zhu available who we found and embraced again in training yesterday, we will finally be complete and I will have even more margin in the choices. We are fine and we are coming from a good moment, we want to start on the right foot in the Champions League and doing it in front of our fans will be the best way to do it. It’s nice to start our journey again at the Palaverde, in a period in which we have played many matches, but this will be the last before the World Cup in December. The Champions League is a fascinating competition that we care a lot about, we are happy to be there and to start again.”
NEXT MATCH
The next match of the Panthers will be in Perugia against Bartoccini-Mc Restauri, appointment for the 12th day of the first round of the championship on Saturday 29 November at 20.30 in Umbria at the Pala Barton Energy.