Champions League Men | 4 Dec 2019

TTCLM Round 5: Fight for the last three quarter-final spots

2019/20 Table Tennis Champions League Men

 

The last two rounds will tell us who are the remaining three TTCLM quarter-finalists, after Fakel-Gazprom Orenburg, TTSC UMMC, FC Saarbrucken TT, KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki and Borussia Dusseldorf. The Round 5 is schedulled for the next two days, December 5-6th, excepting one between Ping Pong Club Villeneuvois and FC Saarbrücken TT (Dec 12).

 

Post SV Mühlhausen (2-2 win-loss) host Leka Enea TDM (0-4) in Group A, while reigning champion Fakel Gazprom Orenburg (4-0) travels to Angers (2-2). Mühlhausen and Angers have chances to reach next stage.

 

"What could we except against the best team in Europe? Last season in the semi-final we have played the best match in the history of club and lost 3:2 after lead 2:0. I am just excepting a nice spectacle for all the people present", stated Angers president Gérard SARAZIN.

 

TTC Fakel-Gazprom coach Vladimir ENDOLOV explains:

"In my opinion, the upcoming match with the French club VS Angers TT will be interesting and tense as always. Our team is very seriously preparing for this match and we believe in our victory. We hope that the players of both teams will be able to show amazing table tennis and please both French spectators and table tennis fans around the world."

 

Post SV Mühlhausen coach Erik SCHREYER aims clear victory against Spanish club:

"In this game we are favourite and at home we are strong. When we win this match than we have a little final against Orenburg outside to get the second place in the group. "

 

Player of German club Lubomir JANCARIK added:

"To the next TTCLM match against Spanish team Leka Enea we will come with full focus and concertation. And we believe, that it will be nice table tennis evening for all."

 

TTSC UMMC (4-0) targets fifth win in a row in Group B, playing with one newcomer in its line-up against TTC Ostrava 2016 (0-4). In same group SPG Walter Wels (2-2) host Roskilde Bordtennis BTK61 (2-2).

 

"The Czech ranks the last in our group. But of course, it is not a reason to chill" - said Tatiana KUTERGINA, head coach of the UMMC club. "This is an opportunity to give our young tennis players chance to play an important tournament. We think this Friday a 16-year-old student of the Pyshma school of table tennis Semen SHEVNIN will come to the table. I am sure that for him the match will be an invaluable experience. Well, the rest athletes are also ready to play. Alexander SHIBAEV is training in Kazan now, Andrey GACINA is preparing in Croatia. Jonathan GROTH played at the World Cup in China, though he couldn’t get into the main draw of the tournament, but we are glad that the representative of the UMMC club was among the strongest in the world."

 

Sport director of Danish club Allan BENTSEN stated:

"We look forward to visit Wels, and are ready to fight for the second place in the group. We had a hard fight in Roskilde and expect the same there, but we hope to make it for the quarter-finals. "

 

Group C match between Ping Pong Club Villeneuvois (1-3) and FC Saarbrücken TT (4-0) is postponed for December 12^th, but coach of German club Slobodan GRUJIC gave us short comment:

"As we already secured our place in the quarter-finals, our aim is to get top spot in our group. We have a lot of confidence and we hope we can make it."

 

KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki (3-1) is clear favourite in the other Group C clash, as they host Portugal’s side GDCS Juncal (0-4) this Friday.

 

TTCLM record holder, actual no.2 seed Borussia Dusseldorf (4-0) is going to play its Group D game in Lisbon against Sporting (2-2). German side already secured its place among the top eight clubs, while host team fights for the second spot.

 

"We played a very good TTCL season and won all matches in our group until now. So, we are in a comfortable situation that we would win the group with only one more victory. And that´s our goal for the match in Portugal. All my players are healthy and in a good shape and if we could show well performances against Lisbon I am sure that we will win. Sporting has got a strong team and we lost our match last year so we have to be very focused to win in their hall", explained Borussia’s coach Danny HEISTER

 

Andreas PREUSS, Manager of German club stated:

"Our priority is to win the group and to reach the quarter finals as number one to play against a second placed team. But we have to play seven matches in Bundesliga and TTCL within 19 days and especially from 3/12 to 10/12 we will have four matches. So, we have to play game by game and we have to see who shall play. But for sure if we could win against Sporting we reached our goal in group and that´s what we try to do."

 

Head coach and manager of the STK Starr Croatia (0-4), Matthias LANDFRIED explained situation in his club before the trip to France. He was forced to include 16-year-old Leon SANTEK against Hennebont (2-2):

 

"Hennebont is one of the best teams in Europe and we are only able to win versus them with our best team. In the first match in Croatia, it was a big fight between us and we even had two match balls to lead 2:0 versus them. We had high expectations for the second match in France, but unfortunately we had to replace our best player some days ago. We got this bad news on Friday evening, that his participation had been cancelled by his federation and the national-team. This is hard for us, because this happened now the second time very short-dated. In this short period, we had no chance to get our other Asian player for this match. This is one of the big differences between us as a newcomer club on the European top-level and the current Europe Cup winner GV Hennebont TT. They have four strong players, so they can replace each other without big problems, if somebody would be ill or injured. We discussed about the situation and decided to give Leon SANTEK the opportunity to participate in this match. He is the best young Croatian player in our club and still has a lot to learn and of course he will be very nervous in his first Champions League match, but he has nothing to lose and it will be an important experience for him."

 

TTCLM Round 5

 

GROUP A

 

Post SV Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. - Leka Enea TDM (Dec 05, 19:00 CET)

VS Angers TT - Fakel Gazprom Orenburg (Dec 06, 19:30 CET)

 

GROUP B

 

TTSC UMMC - TTC Ostrava 2016 (Dec 06, 15:00 CET)

SPG Walter Wels - Roskilde Bordtennis BTK61 (Dec 06, 18:30 CET)

 

GROUP C

 

KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki - GDCS Juncal (Dec 06, 18:00 CET)

Ping Pong Club Villeneuvois - FC Saarbrücken TT (Dec 12, 19:00 CET)

 

GROUP D

 

Sporting Clube De Portugal - Borussia Düsseldorf (Dec 05, 18:30 CET)

GV Hennebont TT - STK Starr Croatia (Dec 05, 20:00 CET)