Group A (Wednesday)
19.00 FTC-Telekom Budapest (HUN) v
Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO)
Zsolt Varga, coach, Ferencvaros
“We are entering another busy period:
our game against Tbilisi is sandwiched between two huge domestic clashes against Szolnok and Honved
this week. Nowadays not only injuries and illnesses but Covid-related issues are common for everyone,
so the main thing is to be able to adapt and turn the page quickly. Last time around we had a pretty
solid game in Georgia and if we do the same on Wednesday the rankings will look encouraging.”
Daniil Merkulov, player, Ferencvaros
“I hope this game will be relatively
easier because we are playing at home and will have big support from our fans. There are a lot of good
players on Dinamo Tbilisi’s roster, especially the foreigners who help a lot. However, if we will be solid in
defence and play tactically sound, we will finish with a victory.”
Dejan Stanojevic, coach, Dinamo
“Building a team is a long,
complicated and not an easy process. But we, as a team that is being built and developed, cannot and must not hide
behind the fact that we are playing against the best teams and the best players and that we think we have
time. No, we should be grateful to play against the best and try to get closer to the best in the shortest
possible time. We know our tasks, we have obligations and responsibilities towards ourselves above all
and we must show that with every training and every game we progress and that we are both individually
and as a team better than we were. That’s what I’m asking of my players this time as well. My players
need to show that they have progressed and that we can play at a serious and high level. There is a
difference in quality and that is true, but we have to show that we have progressed in this kind of competition
and quality that all the teams in our group have.”
19.00 Jadran Split (CRO) v AN Brescia
(ITA)
Mile Smodlaka, coach, Jadran
“We are playing Brescia once again,
after we lost them in a close game in Italy. We played the second round tournament of the Regional League, had
three matches and won against Sabac and Partizan, but lost to Jug AO. But my players are getting in
form after a lot of Covid-19 cases.”
Antonio Duzevic, player, Jadran
“Our first game against Brescia was
strange because of COVID-19, a lot of players couldn’t play, some just came back from it… But it was a close
call, we were close, hope we can do it in Split this time.”
Alessandro Bovo, coach, Brescia
“It will be a tough match against a
very competitive team. Of course, it will be a different game compared to the one we played in Mompiano at
the beginning of the month. It is always difficult to prepare well because of pandemic situation
and we still don’t know how many we will be in Split. Nevertheless, we’ll give our best to win this
really important game.”
19.45 Novi Beograd (SRB) v Zodiac
Atletic Barceloneta (ESP)
Dani Lopez, goalie, Barceloneta
“It’s another great match against one
of the best teams in Europe. Also, it’s a very complicated match, we have had many positive cases on the team
in the last two weeks. That makes us somewhat
unprepared because many of us are still recovering from the virus. But
despite the circumstances, we are forced
to play the game. It is a pity that the rules of competition are unable to
adapt to unique moments we are living
in. We will try to do our maximum although we are aware that we are not at our
best.”
Alberto Munarriz, player, Barceloneta
“All remaining matches in this phase
of Champions League is decisive to get to qualify for the Final 8. We face one of the best teams that also plays
at home. In the first round we played a great game where victory slipped out of our hands in the last
quarter. We are at a point of competition where we cannot let any more point escape. We will give our
best.”
20.30 Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) v
Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE)
Uros Stevanovic, coach, Radnicki
“Olympiacos is one of the main
contenders for the title. We want to improve the impressions from the first duel in Athens, where we were
competitive until the last quarter. We saw that we could match them. Above all, I hope that we will rest and
refresh ourselves after the hard tournament of the Regional League and thus be able to give our best
against Olympiacos.”
Nikola Lukic, player, Radnicki
“We were not with the full squad in
Athens, our goalkeeper Dobozanov was missing. In general, we did not prepare much for that match, because the
players had obligations with the national teams and we have just gathered in Athens. We did not
expect to match them so well. In some moments, we even played great, and we saw that we could be
competitive in their pool. In the Regional League tournament, we played great and got into a
good rhythm and I hope we will show that in this game.”
Theodoros Vlachos, coach, Olympiacos
“The game in Kragujevac against
Radnicki is very important, especially for our team, in order to stay on track for the Final Eight and high in the
group standings. Our management of the game will play a decisive role in its outcome. We want to play
a very careful and determined game, always respecting the dynamics of the opponent at home.”
Konstantinos Genidounias, player,
Olympiacos
“It’s the first game of the second
round that we have to win to stay in the hunt for the first place. Radnicki seems to have risen lately and we
are called to overcome this obstacle that will be even more difficult away from home. We have not had
time to do a lot of training together because of the national teams, but I am sure that we will show our
good face and we will fight for the victory.”
Group B (Tuesday)
18.00 Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) v
Steaua Bucharest (ROU)
Karsten Seehafer, coach, Hannover
“The days after the game in Bucharest
were dominated by Corona. Now all players are back, we can start to work together and want to reach the
next level on Tuesday against Steaua.”
Alexander Radovic, player, Hannover
“It will be even more difficult than
in Bucharest but I believe in our team. We’re not fit yet but this is perhaps the most important game at this stage
of the season and we know what to do. I am personally and the team are also very, very motivated
and we can do it for sure! The F8 is our target!”
Petar Muslim, player, Hannover
“After two weeks we are finally back
together after almost all players were Covid positive. We didn’t have many training sessions together, but
there is a good atmosphere in the team, so I’m expecting a good game and a win.”
19.00 Spandau 04 Berlin (GER) v OSC
Budapest (HUN)
Petar Kovacevic, coach, Spandau
“The game against OSC is a key match
for my team. If we win, we can draw level with them in terms of points. Then we would have a good platform to
reach the Final 8 in Belgrade. In order to do that, we have to play at hundred percent of our
capacity. So far this year, we have not had to play any difficult matches in the Bundesliga or in the Champions
League. Thereforem we need to go into this game with full concentration.”
Denis Strelezkij, player, Spandau
“We have trained hard this year and
prepared well for the match against OSC Budapest. OSC has a strong team with many internationally
experienced players, which is clear if you look at the standings of the Hungarian league. We are highly motivated
to show a good game in our own pool and will not give away any points easily to the Hungarians.”
Daniel Varga, coach, OSC
“Last game we didn’t have the chance
to play against Spandau. This time I hope I will decide on our line-up, not the virus. We need these 3
points to reach our goals in the group.”
Marton Toth, player, OSC
“It was a difficult time which we
left behind us. Almost everybody was infected with covid virus and that is the reason why we lost the previous
game against Spandau without play. Since a couple of days, we have been working
together again. Spandau is a really good team with experienced foreign players
and a great coach, however, we are
going to Berlin for the 3 points. It will be tough! I really hope we will win the first battle before the match
and no one produces a positive test…”
20.00 Crvena Zvezda (SRB) v CN
Marseille (FRA)
Mirko Vicevic, coach, Zvezda
“I came to the club to help the players
to get better results in the Champions League and in other competitions in which we compete. Last week
we played the Adriatic League and had three games, it served us as a preparation for our match with
Marseille. We also worked on new tactics, so we hope to play a high-level match.”
Milos Scepanovic, coach,
Marseille
“By assessing this first phase of the
competition, we can say that we are the favourites in this game. We remain, however, calm and focused, we
continue to work to perform well and we will not change this mindset that we have had since the start of
the season. The Belgrade team remains an experienced team with good players and nothing will be taken
for granted during this match.”
Mishka Izdinsky, player, Marseille
“We can’t wait to finally start this
second part of the season since returning after the Christmas holidays we have had 4 matches cancelled in a row. So
we trained a lot and we accumulated a lot of motivation while waiting for this recovery. We know that
Tuesday’s game will be a good launchpad to continue to win. It can also give us a good dynamic to
move on to the Coupe de France and all the other challenges that follow.”
21.00 Pro Recco (ITA) v Jug Adriatic
Osiguranje Dubrovnik (CRO)
Sandro Sukno, coach, Pro Recco
“We feel a bit better than in the
game in Dubrovnik, the group is almost complete and this has allowed us to train better these days. It will
certainly be another Pro Recco, more ready to face a strong opponent who has grown a lot and will certainly
qualify for the finals in Belgrade; for our part, it will be important to concede fewer easy goals,
supported by a different physical condition. In Croatia, from the middle of the match, we were unable to keep a
high pace, a fundamental aspect if you want to bring home the matches at the European stage. We
will play in Milan, in a fantastic pool just opened which will give us another reason to play a great
match and win.”
Aleksandar Ivovic, player, Pro Recco
“We want to cancel the defeat
remedied two weeks ago in Dubrovnik and we are waiting for the last swabs as almost all the players have
recovered. It will be a beautiful match, we will play in Milan in a very modern and truly wonderful pool. It is a
pity that due to the pandemic the fans will not be able to go beyond the thirty-five percent of the
seating capacity.”
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