The Final Four starts tomorrow in Turin, and the big favorite is the reigning trophy holder Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia with Kamil Semeniuk and Simone Giannelli in the squad.
The Italian powerhouse arrives at Pala Alpitour after an impressive season in which they already won the Scudetto, the Italian Supercup, and the Club World Championship. Now Angelo Lorenzetti's team is one step away from a historic treble on the European stage.
"We want to win all matches," said Perugia's Japanese star Yuki Ishikawa, who emphasized that this year's Final Four is at an exceptionally high level, as three of the four participants are champions of their respective countries.
The first semifinal pits Perugia against Poland's PGE Project Warsaw. The Poles are debutants in the Final Four but reached Turin after impressive victories over Trento and Lublin.
"We hope the two Polish teams meet in the final," said Warsaw captain Damian Wojtaszek.
In the second semifinal, Polish champion Aluron Warta Zawiercie will face Turkish champion Ziraat Bank Ankara. The Turkish team boasts significant star power in the form of Nimir Abdel-Aziz, Trevor Clevenot, and Polish national Tomasz Fornal.
The Champions League Final Four schedule in Bulgarian time:
Saturday, May 16
6:00 PM – PGE Project Warsaw – Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia
9:30 PM – Aluron CMC Warta Zawierce – Ziraat Bank Ankara
Both semifinals will be broadcast live on Max Sport 1.
Sunday, May 17
6:00 PM – Bronze medal match
9:30 PM – Champions League final
The trophy match will also be broadcast live on Max Sport 1.
Expectations are for one of the strongest Final Four tournaments in recent years, as the champions of Italy, Poland, and Turkey, plus Warsaw's ambitious project, gather in Turin.
