2017 DHL Champions League Final Four in Rome, next saturday 29th and sunday 30th april at PalaLottomatica in Roma.
58th edition of the most important european Cup, will be special this season, with two italian teams, Cucine Lube Civitanova ans Sir Sicoma Colussi Perugia, the hosting team, will face each other in the second semfinal. In the first semifinal will be the challenge between defending champs Zenit Kazan, and german Berlin Recycling Volleys. Italy is missing this trophy from 2011, when in Bolzano the cup was lifted by the hosting team Trento Volley.
The location is great, Roma Capitol City, where Sir Sicoma Colussi Perugia will try to comeback on track after the disappointing loss in Semifinal Game 5 suffered by Diatec Trentino last week. Lorenzo Bernardi’s team will need to go ahead and look forward to this upcoming event, showing what they have inside the heart and inside the mind, showing confidence and personality, what they missed in Game 5 loss versus Trento, according with Coach Bernardi. Former Trento players Dore Della Lunga, Andrea Bari and Captain Birarelli was in the great Triplete Trento did in Champions League in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
Cucine Lube Civitanova will have the opportunity to win again Champions League as they did in 2002, after last season disappointment in Final Four, where Gianlorenzo Blengini lost by the hands of Diatec Trentino in semifinal. Lube won Del Monte Italian Cup, is in the lead in Superleague Final versus Trento, and it seems to be the real favourite of this upcoming semifinal. Lube won Champions League 15 years ago, winning also 3 CEV Cup (2001, 2005 and 2006) and 1 Challenge Cup (2011), with Tsvetan Sokolov and Osmany Juantorena who already won Champions League with Trento in 2010 and 2011.
In Champions League there are some other all italian games in the history. Last was last season in Krakow, Poland, between Lube and Diatec Trentino, with Trento easy winner 3-0, losing the big final at tie break versus Kazan. In 2007-08 took place the Semifinal between Piacenza and Treviso, with Piacenza winnier, defeated later by Kazan at tie break in the Final. In 1995-96 between Modena e Treviso, with final win for Modena at PalaDozza in Bologna. In 1990-91 between Modena and Parma, historical rivalry, with Parma in final defeated by Moscow.
Sir Sicoma Colussi Perugia 2016-17 Champions League: 3rd Round won versus swiss Amriswil, first place in Pool E, only one loss in Roeselare (BEL) at tie break. Then the decision by Cev of Perugia as hosting team.
Cucine Lube Civitanova 2016-17 Champions League. Fitfh time in 11 participations at Champions League Final Four, after the win in Opole in Poland in 2002, as a rookie team. Third place in 2016 defeating Asseco Resovia Rzeszow, two 4th places in 2007 and 2009. In this season Lube won Pool B, winning all the games after the loss in Berlin in debut. At PlayOff 12 Lube defeated Belchatow, and in PlayOff 6 they eliminated Azimut Modena in the italian derby.
PERUGIA vs CIVITANOVA
Previous Matches: 20 (7 Perugia, 13 Civitanova)
Former Players: Marko Podrascanin Civitanova 2008-2016, Ivan Zaytsev Civitanova 2012-2014, Denys Kaliberda Perugia 2015-2016.
Championship: 3 – 2 Regular Season, 2 wins for Civitanova (3-2 1-3), 1 in Semifinal Del Monte® Supercoppa (1 win Perugia 1-3).
Emanuele Birarelli (Sir Sicoma Colussi Perugia): “Semifinal wil be a tough game, we are not the favourites, because Civitanova showed to be a great team. We respect them, but we are not afraid of them, we know will be tough, but these are those kind of games are the games a player want to play, few times in career you will have the chance to play games like this. In Roma will be great, PalaLottomatica is great, there will be alot of fans, will be a great show, let’s hope to contribute to this show”.
Tsvetan Sokolov (Cucine Lube Civitanova): “For few days we will have to forget Superleague Final and stay focused on this Final Four. Will be different to play Perugia in Champions League instead Superleague. They are a strong team, able to play great volleyball. But new we are playing great volleyball too, so for us the most important game will be to step on the court, play as we know, and well see”.
BERLIN RECYCLING VOLLEYS (GER): All teams in Europe struggle at Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin. The germans won Cev Cup last season, and now they are into top four teams in Europe. They eliminated Istanbul BBSK in PlayOffs 12 and upsetting Dinamo Moscow in PlayOffs 6.
ZENIT KAZAN (RUS): Seventh time in a row at the Champions League Final Four for Zenit, who won last two editions in Berlin and in Krakow. Vladimir Alekno’s team is the real favourite of this Final Four. They dominated Pool C, eliminating Roeselare in PlayOffs 12 and fellow russians Belgorod in PlayOffs 6.
FINAL FOUR ON WEB
Live streaming on www.laola1.tv
2017 CEV DHL Champions League, Final Four – Roma (ITA)
Saturday 29th april 2017, – 16.30
1st Semifinal Berlin Recycling Volleys (GER) – Zenit Kazan (RUS)
Live Fox Sports Plus (205 Sky) commentary Fabrizio Monari and Samuele Papi
Saturday 29th april 2017, – 19.30
2andSemifinal
Sir Sicoma Colussi Perugia (ITA) – Cucine Lube Civitanova (ITA)
Live Fox Sports Plus (205 Sky) commentary Stefano Locatelli and Andrea Zorzi Sunday 30th april 2017, – 16.00
Final 3°-4° place
Live Fox Sports (204 Sky) commentary Fabrizio Monari and Samuele Papi Sunday 30th april 2017, – 19.00
Final 1°-2° place
Live on Fox Sports (204 Sky) commentary Stefano Locatelli and Andrea Zorzi
CHAMPIONS CUP
(la Coppa Campioni diventa Champions League dal 2000/01) 1960 CSKA Mosca (URSS) 1960/61 Rapid Bucarest (ROM) 1961/62 CSKA Mosca (URSS) 1962/63 Rapid Bucarest (ROM) 1963/64 SC Leipzig (GDR) 1964/65 Rapid Bucarest (ROM) 1965/66 Dinamo Bucarest (ROM) 1966/67 Dinamo Bucarest (ROM) 1967/68 Spartak Brno (CEC) 1968/69 CSKA Sofia (BUL) 1969/70 Burevestnik Alma Ata (URSS) 1970/71 Burevestnik Alma Ata (URSS) 1971/72 Zetor Zbroyovka Brno (CEC) 1972/73 CSKA Mosca (URSS) 1973/74 CSKA Mosca (URSS) 1974/75 CSKA Mosca (URSS) 1975/76 Dukla Liberec (CEC) 1976/77 CSKA Mosca (URSS)
1977/78 Plomien Milowice (POL)
1978/79 Stella Rossa Bratislava (CEC)
1979/80 Klippan CUS Torino
1980/81 Dinamo Bucarest (ROM)
1981/82 CSKA Mosca (URSS)
1982/83 CSKA Mosca (URSS)
1983/84 Santal Parma
1984/85 Santal Parma
1985/86 CSKA Mosca (URSS)
1986/87 CSKA Mosca (URSS)
1987/88 CSKA Mosca (URSS)
1988/89 CSKA Mosca (URSS)
1989/90 Philips Modena
1990/91 CSKA Mosca (C.S.I.)
1991/92 Il Messaggero Ravenna
1992/93 Il Messaggero Ravenna
1993/94 Edilcuoghi Ravenna
1994/95 Sisley Treviso
1995/96 Las Daytona Modena
1996/97 Las Daytona Modena
1997/98 Casa Modena Unibon
1998/99 Sisley Treviso
1999/00 Sisley Treviso
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
2000/01 Paris Volley (FRA)
2001/02 Lube Macerata
2002/03 Lokomotiv Belgorod (RUS)
2003/04 Lokomotiv Belgorod (RUS)
2004/05 Tours (FRA)
2005/06 Sisley Treviso
2006/07 VfB Friedrichshafen (GER)
2007/08 Dinamo Kazan (RUS)
2008/09 Trentino Volley
2009/10 Trentino BetClic
2010/11 Trentino BetClic
2011/12 Zenit Kazan (RUS)
2012/13 Lokomotiv Novosibirsk (RUS)
2013/14 Belogorie Belgorod (RUS)
2014/15 Zenit Kazan (RUS)
2015/16 Zenit Kazan (RUS)
