European giants face off in Coimbra on the second day of the WSE Champions League by Azemad quarter-finals

The eight best European rink hockey clubs are in Coimbra – OC Barcelos, FC Porto, Sporting CP, SL Benfica, FC Barcelona, Reus Deportiu, Deportivo Liceo and Hockey Trissino, and this Thursday, 7 May, sees the second round of the quarter-finals, with matches promising highly competitive clashes, pitting Barcelona against Sporting and OC Barcelos, the defending champions, against Hockey Trissino.

The preview was this Wednesday, attended by the coaches of FC Barcelona, Sporting CP, OC Barcelos and Trissino.

Thursday’s matches can be watched on RTP 2 and DAZN 4 in Portugal, or on TV Galiza and TV 3 Catalunya in Spain
 

“We’ve come here feeling confident; we’re the club with the most titles and we’re here to win, although we know we have to win the first match to progress. The club I’m at always wants to win every title; we’ve already won the Super Cup and now we want more. We’ve come here full of enthusiasm and humility; we need to be very focused, as we’re up against very competitive opponents and we want to reach the semi-finals. These days, with all the scouting involved, the coaches all know each other, so there won’t be many surprises. It’s the players who will decide the outcome; the details will depend on how the players interpret the game.”

“We’re here feeling positive; the setting is magnificent. We know what we have to do to get where we want to be; we’ll take it one game at a time and fight until the end. Building on victories is much better and easier, but victories are in the past. Now we have to get the basics right; we’re focused on this competition and we have to work hard during the week. The players on the pitch will be the ones to decide, and let’s hope it’s ours who decide, not the opposition’s.”

“We’re in for some great matches; we know we’re not favourites to win the Champions League, but we have quality. Every team here is capable of it. Trissino are a team very much like ours, so I expect a closely fought match, but a knockout tie isn’t the same as a two-legged tie; there are small details that make the difference, and it’s the players on the pitch who decide. Let it be only them and no one else. I believe these matches will all be very evenly balanced, with very little to separate us”

“The venue is top-notch, the teams are top-notch; we’ve come to compete on equal terms. This match is the most important one for us, and we want to go far in the competition. I have an advantage because I’ve worked with Rui [Neto] and know him well; I know his philosophy and how he views the game. It’s my first time here, but it certainly won’t be my last because I work with a team of great quality. I won an Elite Cup here with Sporting and also a Taça Latina. The arena looks even better now and… well, I don’t play anymore. It will feel different as a coach. The details will count for a lot; they’ll be decisive. Rui will try to settle it on the numbers, and I’ll try to tell them a story.”

WSE Champions League Men – Final Eight – WEST local hour
Quarter-finals
Wednesday, 6 May
19:00 – FC Porto (POR) vs HC Liceo (ESP) – RTP 2 + DAZN 4 + TV Galiza
22:00 – SL Benfica (POR) vs Reus Deportiu Brasilia (ESP) – RTP Play + DAZN 4 + TV 3
Thursday, 7 May
19:00 – Barça (ESP) vs Sporting CP (POR) – RTP 2 + DAZN 4 + TV 3
22:00 – Óquei de Barcelos (POR) vs Hockey Trissino (ITA) – RTP Play + DAZN 4

Semi-finals
Saturday, 8 May
12:00 – Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 4
16:00 – Winner of Match 2 vs Winner of Match 3

Final
Sunday, 10 May
18:00 – Winner of Match 5 vs Winner of Match 6

WSE Champions League Women – Final Four

Semi-finals
Friday, 8 May
19:00 – SL Benfica (POR) vs Telecable Gijón HC (ESP) – RTP 2 + DAZN 4
21:30 – CP Vila-Sana Coop d'Ivars (ESP) vs CP Esneca Fraga (ESP) – RTP Play + DAZN 4 + TV3 Catalonia

Final
Sunday, 10 May
12:00 – Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match