Halkbank Ankara - Lube Civitanova

International - Champions League, Playoffs, Quartefinal

On March 7th, Ankara will host one of the best clubs in the world, Lube Civitanova. The Turkish team, currently in first place in their national championship, has hired American hitter Thomas Jaeschke from the Chinese league to best face this match. Jaeschke's contribution will be critical in achieving a rather difficult goal. Lube, with hitter Yant, setter De Cecco, and middle blockers Chinenyeze and Anzani, has had an inconsistent period in the Superlega but is currently in excellent form, making it tough for Halkbank to win tonight.

Apart from Jaeschke, the Turkish team boasts a strong opposite player, Nimir, who is well-known in the Italian league, having played in Milan, Trento, and Modena.

However, I don't believe that the Turkish team can beat the powerhouse of Civitanova, primarily because Coach Blengini has many substitutes at his disposal, allowing him to manage any individual dips and provide Lube with great flexibility and superior team management compared to Halkbank, which relies solely on the performance of Jaeschke and Nimir.