Tadici: Crucial game

Lada Togliatti have bitter-sweet memories about Valcea. In 2002, the Russian team won their first European trophy against Valcea. In the Cup Winners’ Cup Final, Valcea won the first leg in Romania by 32-27, only to be defeated by Lada in the return leg by 20-28.

Lada will be back in Valcea after 5 months. Oltchim have beaten Lada in September by 31-23, in the semi-final of the 2007 Champions Trophy.

The coach of Valcea says that a victory over Togliatti on Friday will be the only option for his team after the draw in Nurnberg.

“It’s a crucial game for us in order to maintain our chances to get into the CL semi-finals this season. It is a crucial game for Lada as well. But if we will win, Lada will face a “Mission Impossible”. They would say goodbye to the Champions League, as they would have to win in Győr, which is very, very difficult,” says Tadici.

Oltchim’s coach didn’t forget the game in Nürnberg, yet.

“We have to improve the quality of our game. It’s hard, because most of our players are tired. We have to be 100 percent focused this time. Lada are strong team with several world champions in their squad,” Tadici concludes.