21.03.2009 | MATCH PREVIEW
Finalists Out to Overturn
Records
ATHENS, 21 March -- Panathinaikos Athens counts
on the support of thousands of fans to overcome a
negative record, Sunday, against Lokomotiv-Belogorie
Belgorod of Russia, in the final of the 2009 Men's
Volleyball CEV Cup at the Olympic Complex, here. The
Greek team, participating in their third final of
their long history in the European Cups, have
defeated Russian (and former Soviet) teams only four
times in eleven matches.
With the local organisers and
the host club hoping for a sellout crowd in the 18,000-capacity arena, Sunday,
Lokomotiv themselves will also have to overcome a negative record: No Russian
(or Soviet) team has ever won a title on Greek soil!
"The
spectators will be a crucial factor and we need to take that into account," said
head coach of the Russian Team, Gennady Shipulin, after his team's four-set
semifinal victory over Spain's Unicaja Almeria, Saturday night. On the other
hand, Sotiris Pantaleon, captain of Panathinaikos, said, after the semifinal
victory of the Greeks over Italy's Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo in five sets: "We
hope that we will have even more supporters tomorrow and that we can give them
something to be happy about."
Still, the Russians come into
Sunday's match with the air of two-time European champions (in 2003 and 2004),
while Panathinaikos can only boast of a silver in 1980 and a bronze in 1989 in
the European Cup-Winners' Cup.
Both Shipulin and Panathinaikos'
head coach, Alekos Leonis, had to shuffle their players around somewhat,
Saturday, to find the perfect lineup in their quest to defeat their opponents.
Setter Vadim Khamuttskikh had to be substituted by Denis Ignatiev in the Russian
team. And Panathinaikos had to throw in Elias Lappas and Sotiris Pantaleon to
come back from 0-2 against the Italians, Saturday.
No one, at either camp is taking
Sunday's clash light-heartedly, but it seems both coaches have something up
their sleeves:
"[Lokomotiv's] style of play is different than ours, but we have to do our job,"
said Leonis, Saturday evening. "We
know their tactics, but we are not telling," said Shipulin, mystically.
The final is scheduled to start
at 16:30 local time (14:30 GΜΤ). It will be preceded by
the bronze medal match between Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo and Unicaja Almeria,
starting at 14:00 local time (12:00 GMT).
