The indoor football players of Hovocubo leave this morning from Schiphol to Malta. The national champion from Hoorn will play three Champions League matches on the island in the Mediterranean Sea in the coming days. First tomorrow against last year’s winner Barcelona. “Insane”, said trainer Sander van Dijk.
“Of course it will be tough, but it is not for everyone to play against those kinds of teams,” says Van Dijk enthusiastically. “We’re really looking forward to it.”
Last season, Hovocubo surprised by playing in the last sixteen teams in Europe. Even then, the then winner was played, Sporting Portugal. After a 7-1 halftime score, Hovocubo lost 8-2. The experience from then is taken with the team now.
“We were punished for our sloppiness at the time,” Van Dijk recalls. “We are putting our best foot forward against Barcelona, but we also have to be realistic. It is of course not logical that we will get a good result, but we are going to arm ourselves to the bone. They are the best.”
Six new Brazilians
Hovocubo is in a group with Futsal Dobovec from Slovenia and the organizing club Luxol St. Andrews. The latter team is known to have flown in six Brazilians recently. Van Dijk: “They will be better than the players they had. I’m curious. It’s an advantage that we hit Barcelona first and then we can analyze our opponents when we actually get there. Winning one game may be enough to We’re going to try to peak. That we made it last year was unique, but I don’t rule it out.”
Supporters travel along
Tonight Hovocubo will train in the hall where the matches are played. The futsal players can probably count on the support of about forty to fifty supporters who also travel to Malta. Van Dijk can have a fit selection on the long-term injured Karim Mossaoui and Noureddine Oulas Ben Youssef.
Should Hovocubo once again be among the best sixteen teams in Europe, four groups of four will be made in the next round, of which the winners will advance to the Final Four.