European Champions League Herren 2023/2024

[ELIAS]

ETTU: Borussia Düsseldorf Aims for Seventh Champions League Title in Final 4

For the first time, the Champions League semi-finals and final will adopt a Final Four format, taking place in the Saarlandhalle in Saarbrücken. On Easter Sunday, March 31st, the two semi-final matches will kick off, followed by the final on Easter Monday, April 1st. Borussia Düsseldorf will commence the first semi-final on Sunday at 1:00 PM, while defending champion 1. FC Saarbrücken TT will take the stage at 5:00 PM.

Borussia Düsseldorf will go head-to-head against SolexConsult TT Wiener Neustadt in the Champions League semi-final on March 31, marking the only non-German club left in the competition.

It seems to be a relatively favorable draw for the team, guided by coach Danny HEISTER. The Viennese outfit may not feature star-studded names but possesses players with a strong fighting spirit. They secured their berth in the Final Four with narrow victories in thrilling matches during their group stage. Conversely, the state capital's team has yet to suffer a single defeat in the Champions League.

“It will undoubtedly be a highly exciting and compelling event. The teams are evenly matched, and I anticipate witnessing top-class table tennis. This compact two-day event promises to be worthwhile for spectators,” remarked European Champion Dang QIU, currently on duty in the Incheon WTT Champions of 2024.

En route to the Final Four, Borussia Düsseldorf overcame Portugal’s Sporting Clube de Portugal and Austria’s SPG Felbermayr Wels, both times securing 3-0 victories.

Last year, the semi-final and final matches involving Borussia were incredibly tense. They narrowly lost the semi-final first leg against TTC Neu Ulm 2-3, but rallied back to win the return leg at the ARAG CenterCourt 3-2. The first Golden Match in the history of the Champions League tipped in favor of Düsseldorf. In the final, however, the tables turned, and the Saarlanders celebrated victory after the Golden Match.

Head coach Danny HEISTER emphasized that reaching the final is the minimum goal for 2024. After clinching the German Cup, it could be the second title of the season.

“It's a new format and certainly very exciting. I don't see a clear favorite. Saarbrücken might capitalize on their home advantage. Our initial objective is to secure a spot in the final, and then we'll take it from there,” stated Borussia Düsseldorf Manager Andreas PREUSS.

For all those unable to attend in person, the matches will be broadcast live via ettu.tv except in some specific countries due to exclusive broadcasting agreements.

Please refer to the list of channels below for viewing options in your country:

France (DROM-COM), Monaco, Andorra and Mauritius: L'equipe
Germany, Austria, Switzerland: Sportdeutschland.tv
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan: V Broadcasting

[Kyuss]

Zitat von Bezirksligalooser

Es ist schon traurig, dass man hoffen muss, dass diejenigen die man gerne sehen würde in Korea verlieren.

Da brauchst nichts zu hoffen, die sind alle da für's Finale !

[Majestät]

Alles eine Frage des Anreizes...

Fiktiv: Ein Verein würde seinem Spieler 100k € bieten, wenn er beim ECL-Halbfinale spielt. Würde dieser Spieler nicht schon "dafür sorgen", dass er dann auch wirklich dabei ist, falls eine "Terminkollision" ihm weniger bringen würde?

Dieser "WTT-Wahnsinn" ist schon echt traurig. Nicht so sehr für die Profis in der "ersten Reihe" (wie die meisten beim ECL-Finale), denn die kommen so oder so klar, sondern für die Profis dahinter, für die die TTBL existentiell ist (und natürlich auch für große Teile der TTBL-Vereine).

Die Entwicklung "Richtung Tennis" hat ja auch ein TTBL-Trainer in einem anderen Thread befürchtet. Aus meiner Sicht nur traurig (vor allem für alle, die TT professionell betreiben wollen), dass das in einem (finanziellen) Rahmen passiert, der nicht mal ansatzweise mit Tennis vergleichbar ist. Und natürlich für die Vereine, weil das nicht einem "natürlichen Gang der Dinge folgt", sondern auf zweifelhafte Weise durchgepresst wird...

[ELIAS]

ETTU: Frane KOJIC: No one expected but we dreamed about Final 4


The biggest upset of the 2023/24 edition of the Champions League Men was created by Austria’s Solex Consult TT Wiener Neustadt. The team had to navigate through both stages to reach the semi-finals. In Saarbrücken, they will face Borussia Düsseldorf in the semi-final.

"It is a success of enormous scale. No one expected something like that. But we hoped and dreamed about it. That is why we are in the sport, to make our dreams come true. I have to give great credit to our coach, Martin DOPPLER, who was telling us from the first day that we are worthy of the Final Four and that we can reach it. From the first point played in Stage one in Dubrovnik, he believed in us," said Croatia’s player Frane Kojic.

KOJIC continued to talk about the club’s journey to the Final 4.

"In Stage two, we had a little help of luck. French GV Hennebont decided not to go with their top stars Liam PITCHFORD and Kristian KARLSSON, so it eased our way."

While they gained some ease on one side, challenges arose on the other.

"We faced a great obstacle against KS Dekorglass Dzialdowo in the return leg. After the defeat in Austria, they strengthened their lineup with Zhou Yu of China. They thought it would help them pass through. Ivor Ban destroyed their plans by beating the Chinese player. Then again, Jakub Dyjas was not playing in the return leg… A lot of things came together in that puzzle that led us to the Final tournament," admitted KOJIC.

Croatia’s player added that everyone needs a stroke of luck when facing giants with much bigger budgets. Continuing with the matter of budget, he said:

"It will be the same story now in the Final Four where we will face clubs with much bigger budgets, results, and traditions of playing in the biggest competitions. We are very proud that we will represent Wiener Neustadt among all these giants at such an important tournament."

KOJIC expressed his satisfaction with the fact that the match will be played in Germany.

"We all know that Germany has a great base of fans, and I am happy that we will play in a great atmosphere. I have no doubts the venue in Saarbrücken will be full. We do not have an everyday opportunity to play in front of two or three thousand people."

Speaking of the semi-final adversary Borussia Düsseldorf, KOJIC said:

"We did not have any preferences before the draw. All three clubs are giants. We have nothing to lose. I only regret that Jin Ueda is not with us anymore. He had a great influence on our success and played an important role in our passage to the Final 4. Due to some procedural errors, he was not able to play for his club TSV Bad Königshofen in Germany. He was not registered for the first part of the season and was looking for an alternative club he could play for from September to December. We knew he would leave us after three months," explained KOJIC.

Speaking of his current form, KOJIC said:

"Currently, I am in Croatia, and in the recent past, I was not very active in the WTT tournaments. I was focused on the club’s duties in leagues and European competitions."

Frane KOJIC was one of the members of the Croatian team which secured a place at the team event at the Olympic Games. They played at the World Championships recently held in Busan, before being halted by the team of Portugal.

"We made our way to the Last 16 and gained a ticket for the Olympics," specified Kojic.

In the Austrian Bundesliga, the competition is much fiercer than in previous years.

"This year, we clinched the National Cup, and in the League, we are currently third in the standings before the start of the playoffs. This year, the League improved in terms of quality. This is my eighth season in the Austrian League, and I can say that I have never faced such fierce competition. In the past, no matter which club I was playing for, we were not under pressure to lose our spot in the top four and play off. The league is much stronger now. Now we have five or six clubs fighting for the four positions, and in the past 10 days, we have had four very important rounds in the League. I played well, and currently in 2024, I have only one defeat in both the Cup and League. So I am very satisfied with my play. And of course, the club always aims for titles in the Cup and League. The hardest competition is coming from Wels."

[Arum_de]

Alle ausgeschieden. Dima fliegt mit Franz als letztes nach Hause. Wenn keine Flugausfälle oder Krankheit dazwischen kommt dann können wir mit allen am Sonntag rechnen.

Und ihr glaubt doch nicht wirklich das die Spieler eine wirkliche Wahl haben? Deren Karriere und Zukunft hängt an den Teilnahmen bei den großen WTT Turnieren. Gerade wenn du nicht unter den Top 10 bist mit vielen Punkten. Schnell rutscht man aus der Schar der gesetzten Spieler raus.

[Arum_de]

Werden trotzdem müde und mit Jetlag Sonntag an der Platte stehen wenn sie es rechtzeitig schaffen. Und auch nicht so gut vorbereitet. Die anderen trainieren sicher schon auf und mit dem Material das Sonntag bespielt wird.

[Topspin2017]

Zitat von Arum_de

Alle ausgeschieden. Dima fliegt mit Franz als letztes nach Hause. Wenn keine Flugausfälle oder Krankheit dazwischen kommt dann können wir mit allen am Sonntag rechnen.

Und ihr glaubt doch nicht wirklich das die Spieler eine wirkliche Wahl haben? Deren Karriere und Zukunft hängt an den Teilnahmen bei den großen WTT Turnieren. Gerade wenn du nicht unter den Top 10 bist mit vielen Punkten. Schnell rutscht man aus der Schar der gesetzten Spieler raus.

Na ja,Dima fand ich gegen Lebrun nicht gerade motiviert,alles egal,hab meine 90 Punkte in der Hinterhand,und schnell zum CL Spiel.Bei Franz war da schon mehr zu sehen, hätte 2:0 führen können

[Matousek]

Zitat von Topspin2017

Na ja,Dima fand ich gegen Lebrun nicht gerade motiviert,alles egal,hab meine 90 Punkte in der Hinterhand,und schnell zum CL Spiel.Bei Franz war da schon mehr zu sehen, hätte 2:0 führen können

Wer ist Franz!

[ELIAS]

ETTU: OVTCHAROV: F4 is one of the most important events for us this season

The powerhouse of TTC Neu-Ulm will challenge the hosts of the Final 4 tournament, 1 FC Saarbrücken TT, right from the start of the competition. Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, Truls MOREGARDH, and Quadri ARUNA will face the hosts in the semifinal on Sunday, April 31st.

TTC Neu-Ulm remains undefeated in this Champions League season, losing only two individual matches in the duel against Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki on their way to the Final Four.

"This will be a very interesting event. For the first time in history, the Final Four will be played in this format. For us, this is the last chance to win the title, and the first game against Saarbrücken will be very difficult, as the matches will be played at their home. The importance of this match is felt by all players, so we will try to give 120% to reach the final. All other teams are also very strong. This is only one or two games where anything can happen. We are looking forward to this tournament," said coach Dimitrij MAZUNOV.

World No. 11, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, was cautious with the expectations.

"There are four strong teams, including ourselves, with all having extremely strong lineups, pretty equal in strength, and the daily form will decide between victory and defeat among the three teams. Obviously, Wiener Neustadt is a bit of an underdog, but there's nobody to underestimate, and surprises can happen very quickly," said OVTCHAROV.

Speaking of the teams, Dimitrij said, "Saarbrucken is the reigning Champions League winner and a clear leader of the German league standings, having two very strong players: Darko JORGIC and Patrick FRANZISKA, and three other good players in position three. MURAMATSU was one of the best players last year in the German League. Düsseldorf, of course, has a very strong lineup with Timo and Dang, Anton... Our aim is, of course, to fight for the title for the club and for the players in the club. It is one of the most important events for us this season," stated OVTCHAROV.

Quadri Aruna added, "Winning against LIM from Korea in Singapore gave me huge confidence ahead of the Champions League Final Four. It's going to be a great event in Saarbrücken, probably one of the strongest Champions Leagues ever with four strong teams. I really hope and pray that we have our best days there."

[Bezirksligalooser]

Zitat von Kyuss

Da brauchst nichts zu hoffen, die sind alle da für's Finale !

Nicht MEHR hoffen👍