Vero Volley MILANO - VakifBank ISTANBUL
Head-to-Head
· VakifBank ISTANBUL defeated Vero Volley MILANO 3-0 in Istanbul in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on 15 March. Paola Egonu (21) and Gabriela Braga Guimaraes (18) were top scorers for the home side, Jordan Thompson scored 13 points for the visitors.
· Before last week's match, Vero Volley MILANO, under their previous name of Vero Volley MONZA faced VakifBank ISTANBUL two times before. They lost 1-3 in both group stage matches against VakifBank ISTANBUL in last season’s Champions League.
· VakifBank ISTANBUL are one of only two teams that Vero Volley MILANO have a 0% Champions League win ratio against (3 matches, 3 defeats); also A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO (2 matches, 2 defeats).
· VakifBank ISTANBUL's victory on 15 March 2023 was their first win over Italian opposition in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, after two defeats versus Edison Volley MODENA (2-6 on aggregate) in February 2001.
· VakifBank ISTANBUL played an Italian team in four of their eight Champions League finals: a 0-3 defeat versus Pomì CASALMAGGIORE in 2015/16, a 3-0 win against Imoco Volley CONEGLIANO in 2016/17, a 2-3 loss to A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO in 2020/21 and a 3-1 win against A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO in 2021/22.
Vero Volley MILANO
· Vero Volley MILANO have only reached this stage of the Champions League in one campaign, under their previous name of Vero Volley MONZA in last season. They were defeated by A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO (1-6 on aggregate).
· Vero Volley MILANO can lose successive Champions League matches for the second time, after the back-to-back defeats versus A. Carraro Imoco CONEGLIANO in last season's quarter-finals.
· Vero Volley MILANO (9) can become the 13th Italian team to reach 10 wins in the Champions League.
· Each of Vero Volley MILANO's nine wins in the Champions League were by a scoreline of either 3-0 (6 matches) or 3-1 (3 matches).
· Vero Volley MILANO are looking to add the Champions League to their collection of European trophies. In both their previous successes (as Saugella MONZA) they beat Turkish opposition in the final; AYDIN BBSK in the 2018/19 Challenge Cup and Galatasaray HDI ISTANBUL in the 2020/21 CEV Cup.
· Jordan Thompson (70) is Vero Volley MILANO's top scorer in this season's Champions League, Hanna Davyskiba follows on 65 points. Last season Lise Van Hecke (84) was the team's top scorer.
VakifBank ISTANBUL
· VakifBank ISTANBUL (156) have won at least 42 more Champions League matches than their next nearest competitor (Eczacibasi Dynavit ISTANBUL, 114).
· VakifBank ISTANBUL won the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals four times before (in 2001/02, 2011/12, 2019/20 and 2020/21). They progressed to the semi-finals on three occasions, with the only exception being the quarter-finals in 2001/02 versus Eczacibasi ISTANBUL (3-2 win in the first leg, 0-3 defeat in the second leg)
· VakifBank ISTANBUL can reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the 11th straight season since 2012/13 (Champions League record). Note: This includes the 2019/20 season in which the competition was cancelled after the quarter-finals due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
· After losing five of their first seven Champions League quarter-final matches, VakifBank ISTANBUL have won seven of their next eight.
· VakifBank ISTANBUL have lost only two of their last 40 Champions League matches by either 0-3 or 1-3. They lost 0-3 versus Fenerbahçe Opet ISTANBUL on 6 April 2022 (semi-final) and 1-3 versus Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA on 15 February 2023 (group stage).
· VakifBank ISTANBUL are the reigning 2021/22 Champions League winners. They were also the last side to retain their trophy in this competition when they won in 2016/17 and 2017/18.
· VakifBank ISTANBUL have played two Golden Sets in the Champions League (both in the semi-finals). They lost one (14-16) versus Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA in 2018/19 and won one (15-11) versus Fenerbahçe Opet ISTANBUL in 2021/22.
· Paola Egonu (161) is the club's top scorer in this season's Champions League. Only Volero LE CANNET's Vita Akimova (204) has scored more points in this season.
· Chiaka Ogbogu has scored 23 points from kill blocks, only Elizaveta Kochurina has more (25 for Volero LE CANNET).
Marco Gaspari"After the important victory against Cuneo in the championship, the CEV Champions League starts again trying to overturn the negative result of the first leg. We know that VakifBank is used to playing certain matches, but we want and have to put in a great performance in front of our fans. What will it take? First of all, don't waste the chances, especially in the point-to-point phases and then hit hard. We must be patient and be determined in the break phase.”
Head Coach Vero Volley MILANO
Giovanni Guidetti"The team is ready and in good condition. They are ready for a very difficult and important match. Vero Volley Milano is an amazing team that can play amazing volleyball. We saw this in Istanbul as well. They won't let us easily advance to the semi-finals. They will fight like crazy. They will do anything to get the match to the gold set. We have to be very prepared and careful because we are playing against a very strong and well-organized team. It will be a very difficult match for us."
Head Coach VakifBank ISTANBUL
-
Match Polls
-
Officials
Second RefereeSelin GUCLUTUR
-
How To Attend
, Loutraki, Capacity: 0
Recent Results
Vero Volley MILANO v VakifBank ISTANBUL
Paola Egonu“We are extremely happy for this result. I'm really proud of my team and the way we fought against a really good opponent surrounded by an amazing atmosphere. We had an amazing fight against Milan and we won. Now let's move forward to the semifinals!”
Opposite of VakifBank Istanbul, MVP of the match
Beatrice Parrocchiale“Tonight I'm really happy with the game we played, but unfortunately it wasn't enough. This test must be a starting point for the continuation of the season, not only for the playoffs in the Italian League, but also for the next match that awaits us in Novara. Heart, grit, determination: we played like in a fairy tale. We have to remember this match every time we take to the court.”
Libero of Vero Volley Milan
The match in numbers
The combined total number of points scored by both teams throughout the entire match.
The total length of the match, from the first serve through until the last point has ended.
Total number of people in attendance at the venue – taken at the end of the second set.
The combined total number of successful spikes achieved by both teams throughout the entire match.
An average of the two team service reception percentages from the complete match.
The number of successful point winning blocks of Vero Volley MILANO compared to VakifBank ISTANBUL.
Vero Volley MILANO number of service aces compared to VakifBank ISTANBUL
Errors leading to points of Vero Volley MILANO, next to those from VakifBank ISTANBUL