Sada Cruzeiro started the activities on Saturday, in Rzeszów – Photos: Andreia Santos

Sada Cruzeiro arrived in Rzeszów, Poland, on Friday evening, where the team will play the 2018 Club World Championship qualifier. The five star team already started the activities on Saturday, the 24th. In the morning, they are at the gym, and in the afternoon, there was a ball practice. The first game of the blue team takes place on Monday, 26th, at 5:30pm (Brasília time, GMT -2:00), against the Polish Asseco Resovia.

The first challenge for the Brazilians is to adapt soon, after the long journey from Brazil to Europe. “I’ve had a good night’s sleep. It’s tiring because it’s a 24 hour trip. But we arrived early just to get used to it, to the time zone, to the cold weather, and I think everything is going very well”, said the outside hitter and captain Filipe.

“All the clubs in the world would like to be here”, says the captain Filipe

This will be the seventh World Championship in a row that the three-time champion Sada Cruzeiro will compete in. With a cast reworked this season, bringing together experienced athletes with young talents, excitement is not lacking, according to the captain Filipe. “We have a different cast from previous years. The guys are very excited, everyone wants to play. It’s cool to see their energy, but you have to be careful, lucid, and keep everyone very focused. We are going to work hard and we have a great chance of reaching another semifinal and also a decision. All the clubs in the world would like to be here and we are making history, because seven years in a row putting the name of Brazil in such a tournament is something extraordinary”, said captain Filipe, who has been defending Sada Cruzeiro since 2010.

The middle blocker Isac believes that it will be a World Championship in which more than ever the group needs to maintain tranquillity. “It’s a new place, different weather. We came knowing the importance of the championship and we had a very good training sequence before leaving Brazil. At first there is this adrenaline of wanting to start the tournament soon, but we also have to arrive slowly, adapt, take advantage of the resting hours. All of this is important for the sequence of what we came here for: to play. In a league like this, with very strong teams, players from all over the world that make a difference in their clubs, I believe that preparation is crucial. It’s one step at a time, we are prepared and already focused on the debut match. Tranquillity, focus and resilience: for me, these are words that define well what we need in this championship”, reinforced the middle blocker, also three-times World Champion with Sada Cruzeiro in 2013, 2015 and 2016.

The tournament

Sada Cruzeiro is in Pool B of the Club World Championship, which will be played in the city of Rzeszów, and its debut will be against the Polish AssecoResovia, on Monday, the 26th, at 5:30 p.m. On Tuesday the Brazilian team does not play and returns to the field on Wednesday, the 28th, against the Italian Trentino, at 2:30. On Thursday the 29th, the opponent will be the Iranian Khatam Ardakan at 17:30. All games will be broadcast live to Brazil by Sportv.

Zenit Kazan from Russia, Polish SkraBelchatow, Italian Lube Civitanova and the Russian Fakieł Nowy Urengoj are in Pool A. These clubs will play in Radom. The city of Czestochowa will receive the semifinals on December 1^st, and the final on the 2nd.