A significant event for futsal fans will happen this weekend. After a long and unplanned pause due to the pandemic, the Super League is back. The restart of the championship will begin immediately with the playoffs – eight clubs, including Norilsk Nickel, will fight for the country’s main futsal trophy.
In the quarter finals, the Norilsk players will meet with the Yekaterinburg Sinara. The matches will take place on August 1 and 2 in Yekaterinburg and on August 5 in Norilsk. Since each playoff series lasts up to three wins by one of the teams, the winner of the pair can only be determined by the results of five games. For this, two more additional meetings are scheduled in the draw calendar, which can be held on August 6 in Norilsk and on the August 9 in Yekaterinburg.
At the same time, due to the epidemic situation, Sinara has already announced that the games in Yekaterinburg will be held without spectators. Most likely, the representatives of the polar team will make the same statement in the near future. However, the live broadcast of all playoff games will be available on the official YouTube channel of the Russian Futsal Association.
The head coach of the Norilsk Nickel club Yevgeny Kuksevich noted that his team missed the game and was eager to give their best on the floor.
“We have changed the volume of microcycles and the number of days in a microcycle so that by the beginning of August, when the championship resumes, we can bring the team to the peak form. We are practicing interaction on the court, remember all the principles of the game: defense, attack, getting out of pressure, set pieces and so on. The team is working. There is fire, ardor, in the eyes, desire to reach our goals”, Yevgeny Kuksevich said.
We add that besides the resumed championship, the Norilsk Nickel team will also take part in a return match of the Russian Cup final, the country’s second most important trophy, during the season. Let us remind you that the Norilsk Nickel players held their first duel against Ugra Gazprom-Ugra on March 13 in Norilsk and defeated their rival with a score of 1:0. The return, decisive game is scheduled for September 9 in Yugorsk.
Text: Mikhail Tuaev, Photo: Norilsk Nickel FC’s press service