Ivan Miljkovic and Tine Urnaut during the last Trento-Civitanova

Ph. Trabalza

Krakow (Poland), April 15th, 2016

Kicking off, Saturday, April 16th, at the Arena in Krakow Tauron the Final Four in 2016 Denizbank CEV Volleyball Champions League. The Trentino Diatec will return to attack the continental title won last time in Bolzano in 2011, playing the second semifinal of the day against Cucine Lube Civitanova in the Italian derby. Kick-off scheduled for 19.30: live TV on Fox Sports Plus, Radio Dolomites and streaming on www.laola1.tv.
TRENTINO DIATEC Countdown terminated for the most awaited moment of this second part of the season. In Krakow, where it arrived on Thursday evening, the formation Campione d'Italy will return to compete in the tournament semi-finals four years after the previous one (Lodz 2012). A great opportunity to write another page in the history of the national sport for the Trentino, with the possibility of a re-launch which is also from an emotional point of view after the double knockout in the semi-finals in the championship series against Modena.
The first obstacle on the road leading in the second end continental consecutive, taking into account the one played last season against Moscow in the CEV Cup, which is represented by an opponent that Lanza and his colleagues knew well: the fact that Lube, challenged the team three times this season, including one in the semifinals (in that case the Italian Cup).
“Facing Civitanova at this point of the event for us is above all an honor and a great stimulus”  said Radostin Stoytchev, ”It’s a very strong team, built to get to play games like these and the possibility of having, whatever happens, a representative of the Super League in the Final proves how much the Italian championship is worth. We are happy to play the fifth Final Four in the history of our Company; get there at the end of a complicated season was by no means easy. We are the underdog this weekend, because the other Kazan, Lube and Resovia have surely something; this however does not mean that we leave the beaten path. We care dearly: are focused on the ability to leave behind the problems we faced the latter period. This is no time to think about it."
The yellowBlues are testing the Tauron Arena for the first time this afternoon, in a training session for an hour and a half. It will be essentially the last rehearsal before the match, in which you can not use Kaziyski (only in Krakow with the team) and Nelli, still out for the problem suffered in his left thigh in the Belgorod match. Stoytchev should therefore only choose who to put in place 4th diagonally to Urnaut (Antonov or Lanza) and those deployed in the center together with Solé (Daniel Mazzone or Van de Voorde).
In favor of Trentino Diatec play and the enthusiasm of the many first-timers: in pink are so many to be the first Final Four of the Champions League in their careers; in the past only Antonov (2013 edition with Cuneo), Colaci (2011 and 2012 with Trento), Djuric (2012 with Trento, 2014 Ankara) and Lanza (2012 with Trento but without going on the scoresheet) have in fact already participated. One against the Marches Trentino Volley will be the match number 45 of the 2015/16 season, the 656th of its history, which will go in search of the 458th absolute victory.
THE FIFTH FINAL FOUR EUROPEAN VOLLEYBALL THE TRENTINO and fifth Final Four of the European company's history, after the one victory in Prague on 4-5 April 2009 in the final overcoming the Iraklis Thessaloniki (3-1), the next played in Lodz on 1 and 2 May 2010 having had the better of the Dinamo Moscow (3- 0), that organized the Palaonda in Bolzano where the surrender in the final with 3-1 it was Zenit Kazan (March 27, 2011) and that of 2012 in Lodz, where he finished third. First of four consecutive experience in the Champions League, the team thirties had taken part in the 2004/05 season also the Top Teams Cup and then the CEV Cup, where, however, was eliminated in both cases in early qualifying rounds, while its last season He competed in the Final of the 2015 CEV Cup losing in the golden set against Dinamo Moscow. The European association of the Via Trener statistics speak of 92 games played (including 72 in the Champions League): 76 wins and 16 defeats, only one of which came this season (December 16, 2015, 2-3 in Tours). The path of yellowBlues in the current edition was in fact marked by nine wins out of ten races, with the top spot in Group C of the Main Phase and then the next round is in Playoffs 12 (on Lennik) and in the Playoffs 6 thanks to double success on the Russian Belgorod.
THE PROGRAM OF The FINAL FOUR Diatec Trentino-Cucine Lube Civitanova will be the second match of the day dedicated to the semifinals, which will be opened on Saturday at 16.30 by the challenge between the hosts and defending champions dell'Asseco Resovia Zenit Kazan. The finals are scheduled for the next day, Sunday, April 17: at 14.45 for the third place, at 18 the one for the title of champion of Europe 2016.
THE BACKGROUND At Tauron Arena Trentino Volley and Lube will compete for the 49th confrontation Official of their history, the fourth season after two games of the regular season (3-2 for the Italian champions to PalaTrento December 13 and 3-0 for the Marche March 6) and the semi-finals of the Italian Cup (3- 2 for Stoytchev team on February 6). The total budget sees ahead the Club of Via Trener for 28-20; the challenge has deep roots both in Europe, taking into account the issue semifinals 2009 in Prague (3-0 win Trento April 4) and double the previous Playoffs 6 of the 2012 who promoted Trentino Volley after a resounding 4-0 (3-0 in the regular race and then win even the golden set) in PalaTrento return match that wiped out the defeat in the tie-break of the first leg in Macerata. Nine matches played on neutral ground, like tomorrow evening: 5 victories of Trento (in Ferrara, Prague, Rome, twice Assago) and 4 of Lube (in Bolzano, Milan, Florence and Modena).
REFEREES The match will be directed by Fabrice Collados Vienne (France) and Ralph Barnstorf Berlin (Germany). Both boast previous two with Trentino Volley: transalpine refereed Trentino BetClic-Jihostroj Ceske Budejovice 3-0 on 10 December 2009 (Pool A race of the CEV Indesit Champions League 2010) and Noliko Maaseik-Diatec Trentino 1-3 of January 14, 2014 (round of Playoffs 12 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League) while the German has directed Trentino PlanetWin 365-Lube Banca Marche Macerata 3-0 of 1 March 2012 (2012 return of 6 Playoffs CEV Volleyball Champions League) and Trentino Diatec- Noliko Maaseik 3-1 of 22 January 2014 (return of 12 Playoffs 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League).

Trentino Volley Srl
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