Kuusamo’s head coach Sotiris Gkotsis knows that the Red Star of Belgrade has an advantage on his side when the teams meet in the second leg of the volleyball Champions League qualifier.
Anu Karttunen,
Juha Mäntykenttä,
First Karelian
10:25am•Updated 10:25am
Kuusamo’s Pallo-Karhui have a tough task tonight when they face Red Star Belgrade in the women’s Champions League qualifier. Crvena Zvezda won the first leg 3–0, so the home team needs at least a 3–1 win to reach the extra round.
– It’s about volleyball, anything can happen. We will fight for the opportunity we have, but in general I think that based on the first match they have a clear advantage on their side, Kuusamo’s head coach Sotiris Gkotsis stated.
The match will be played in Rovaniemi, because the dimensions of the Kuusamo sports center’s ballroom are not sufficient for international matches. Central player Bettina Yli-Sissala and libero Sanna Häkkinen were not startled by the change, because Kuusamo has played at the Lapland Sports Institute several times. Both are waiting for the fans to find the hall.
– There is a really good volleyball culture here (in Rovaniemi). There are quite a few people coming from Kuusamo and there are a lot of volleyball people here, so I think there will be spectators, Yli-Sissala said.
A display place for every player
Bettina Yli-Sissala admitted that the ride was cold in the first leg and there was a lot to improve. Sanna Häkkinen thinks that the first leg was not as bad as the numbers indicated, but he hopes that Kuusamo will be able to challenge the Red Stars more this time.
It won’t be easy, because the team will have to go into the match without the number one passer who has a flu Katja Kylmäahoa.
– None of us have played a lot of European games, especially the Champions League. This is a great screen space for all of us, including our second passar To Joanna KallisHäkkinen said.
– In the previous match, there was a difference between the teams in every area, but the biggest difference came in the strong attacking power they have.
Rovaniemi has never before played a volleyball game played at such a high level, even though it is a match of the first qualifying round of the Champions League. However, Sotiris Gkotsis reminded that qualifying for the Champions League is very important for Finnish volleyball and Kuusamo’s Pallo-Karhui.
– The Champions League is the best series in Europe. It’s a great opportunity to play this qualifier and see the difference with the European teams.
The Champions League qualifying match between Kuusamo and Belgrade starts at 6 p.m. You can watch the match on TV2 and Areena.
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