Halkbank to capitalise on home advantage in #CEVChallengeCupM semis
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Halkbank ANKARA and Panathinaikos AC ATHENS look forward to contesting the first round of the men’s CEV Challenge Cup semis this week.
The iconic Baskent Volleyball Hall in Ankara has hosted many Greek teams before. However, since Halkbank and Panathinaikos are clashing for the first time, it will be the first time this legendary Greek team will set foot in the arena.
Still, there are players from Panathinaikos who have played against Halkbank before. One of them is the Belgian opposite of the Greek team, Bram Van den Dries. Dries competed against Halkbank when he wore the shirt of Turkish team Maliye Milli Piyango. Outside spiker Athanasios Protopsaltis also crossed the ways of Halkbank while he was playing for Germany’s VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN.
This match is special also in a way that it involves teams from the capital cities of two neighbouring countries.
Nicolas Bruno“I think it is going to be a really hard semi-final. Both teams are in this competition to be the eventual champions, so it will be a nice fight. We know the decisive match will be in Greece, but the best way to start this series is with a strong victory at home and that is what we will go for on Wednesday. We respect them, but we want Halkbank to be the winner.”
Outside hitter of Halkbank ANKARA