2016 CEV DenizBank Champions League
We’re just three days away from the main European event of the season. The Champions League final four will indeed take place in the Turon Arena of Krakow, Poland, on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April. This season, Italy will have a particular interest in it as it had not been represented since Cuneo in 2013, who had lost in the semi-finals against the Russians of Lokomotiv Novosibirsk at the end of an epic battle. This year, two of the four clubs will be Italian: Trentino and Civitanova join the holders Kazan and the hosts of Rzeszow. Trentino and Civitanova will clash in the semi-finals just like in 2009, when Trento won its first Champions League in history. There were other Italian derby in the semi-finals: between Piacenza and Treviso in 2008. Piacenza would then lose it at the tie-break in the final against Kazan. In 1996, Modena had knocked out Treviso in the semi-finals before lifting the trophy in Bologna. In 1991, Parma had overcome Modena in the semis before surrendering against Moscow. In 2001, the regulations allowed two clubs from the same country in two different semi-finals, it was Roma and Treviso, just like in 1997 with Treviso and Modena.
Trentino is in the hunt of their fourth triumph in the competition after the trophies won in 2009, 2010 and 2011, while Civitanova will chase its second moment of glory after the one in 2002. Both clubs reached this stage thanks to road wins in the Playoffs 6 return legs, respectively against the Russians of Belgorod and the Turks of Ankara. They will have to put aside their league frustrations as both clubs find themselves in tricky situations in the league playoffs semi-finals against Modena and Perugia. This season, they won one game each in the regular season, while Trento clinched victory over Civitanova in the Italian Cup semi-final at the tie-break. It’s always been tight in the Champions League meeting too but in the end, Trento always managed to go through.
THE ITALIANS IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Trentino Diatec. This will be Trento’s fifth participation into the Champions League final four out of seven possible. They won the competition three times and lost in the semi-finals 2012 against Kazan. Their first trophy came in 2009 in Prague against Thessaloniki, the following year was in Lodz, Poland, against Dinamo Moscow, while in 2011 the Italians had the better of Kazan in Bolzano. The two most recent participations did not end as well: in 2013, Trento was knocked out at the Playoffs 12 stage by Dinamo Moscow at the golden set, while their run in 2014 was stopped in the Playoffs 6 by Belgorod. The Trento coach at the time, just like now, was Radostin Stoytchev.
The run to the final four 2015-16: Trento initially won its Group C ahead of the French of Tours, the only team who could beat them. Stoytchev’s men had the better of Asse-Lennik (Belgium) without much problems in the Playoffs 12, while they made a real breakthrough in the Playoffs 6, knocking out the Russians of Belgorod in spite of being without the injured Lanza and Djuric. They registered a superb 3-0 win at home as well as a tie-break victory on the road in the return game, taking revenge on the elimination of 2014 (Belgorod would go on to win the trophy that year).
Cucine Lube Civitanova. Fifth time into the final four out of ten participations in the Champions League. Civitanova won the title in 2002 in Opole, Poland, in its first ever participation. There was already Ivan Miljkovic as star man in the victory over Olympiacos Piraeus. After that, the best result of the Italians were the fourth place, twice, in 2007, beaten in the game for third place by Dinamo Moscow, and in 2009, with defeat against Iskra Odintsovo the year Civitanova had been knocked out in the semis by Trento. In 2011 they were not in the Champions League but won the Challenge Cup. After 2009, they lost three times at the Playoffs 12 stage (defeat vs Bled in 2009-10, Piacenza in 2013-14 and Belchatow in 2014-15) and two times in the Playoffs 6 (2012 vs Trento and 2013 vs Cuneo).
The run to the final four 2015-16: Civitanova dominated Group E with only one loss against the Belgium side of Knack Roeselare, which did not influence the standings as the Italians were already qualified. Civitanova then brilliantly outclassed Izmir in the Playoffs 12 before having to fight hard to overcome the Turkish side of Ankara in the Playoffs 6. Civitanova won the first leg home 3-2 against Lorenzetti’s men (who had previously knocked out Modena) while the return leg turned into an epic battle. Beaten at the tie-break, Civitanova found the resources to qualify through the Golden Set 15-17.
SEMI-FINAL TRENTINO DIATEC – CUCINE LUBE CIVITANOVA
PAST ENCOUNTERS:48 (28-20 Trento)
This season: 3 games: one home win each in regular season. Trento first won 3-2, then Civitanova 3-0. Trento also won in the Italian Cup semi-finals 3-2
In the Champions League: 3 games: Trento won in the semi-finals 2009 (3-0), one win each in the Playoffs 6 (Civitanova won the first leg 3-2, then Trento win 3-0 and 15-9 in the Golden Set in March 2012.
Simone Giannelli (Trentino Diatec): “Trento has already won the Champions League final four in Poland. It was in 2010, I was 13 years old, it was my first year in volleyball in the Under 14, but at the time I already knew how important was this trophy for the club. Six years on, it’s strange to be part of the event. We’ll try to win it. We’re very proud to represent Trento and Italy in Europe. We’ll face two very difficult games but we won’t have any fear or pressure because we know how to play our game, we’ll just give everything we have. Civitanova is strong but we’re young and fearless”.
Jenia Grebennikov (Cucine Lube Civitanova): “This will be one of the most important moment of my career given that this will be my first European final four. This will be extremely exciting, a special emotion. The semi-final against Trento will be tough. We’ll have to reset it all after our defeat against Perugia in the league to get into this encounter with confidence. We obtained our pass to this final four thanks to our fighting spirit and determination, so now we’ll just give it our best shot in the Tauron Arena in Krakow. It will be incredible to play in front of over 15 thousand fans, with so many coming over from Italy to support us”.
SCHEDULE
2016 CEV Champions League, Final Four – Krakow (POL)
1st semi-final
Saturday 16 April at 4.30pm
Zenit Kazan (RUS) – Asseco Resovia Rzeszow (POL) Differed on Fox Sports Plus on Sunday 17 at 10.45am
2nd semi-final
Saturday 16 April at 7.30pm
Trentino Diatec (ITA) – Cucine Lube Civitanova (ITA) Live on Fox Sports Plus
Game for third place
Sunday 17 April at 2.45 Live on Fox Sports Plus
Final
Sunday 17 April at 6pm Live on Fox Sports Plus
PAST WINNERS
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
The Champions Cup was renamed 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)
