The sports hall in Rome is preparing for another European night. Today at 9:00 PM, "The Wolves" will host Levski Sofia in the return leg of the CEV Challenge Cup round of 16. In the first match in Bulgaria, the Romans prevailed with 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 23-25, 20-25) after an almost two-hour battle on a heated court, wherethe local audience at times exceeded the boundaries of sportsmanship, according to media reports from Italy. Levski, who played their league match on Saturday to conserve energy for the trip to Rome, will try to use the advantages of a team that has been playing together for a long time and in whichopposite hitter Mikaela Stoyanova (29 points in the first match) stands out.

In the Roman camp, after the home defeat to Busto last Sunday, the team's concentration is entirely on this important challenge, which could bring the Italian capital back to the quarterfinals of a European club tournament.The winner of the pair will face Belgian Charleroi or Spanish Eskimo, with the Belgians winning the first match at home with 3-0.

Slađana Mirković (setter for SMI Roma Volley):"We are in a difficult moment, because things in the championship are not going well, we play every three days and we don't have time to prepare for matches as we would like. In any case, tonight we will definitely start with an advantage, because in the first match we achieved a nice three-point victory in Bulgaria. We have the qualities and experience to continue our path in the Challenge Cup, but we must remain concentrated and give our maximum. I am sure that we will continue in the tournament and return to the right direction in the championship as well."

photos:CEV