Simone van de Kraats looks forward to Champions League Final Four with four Dutch players | Waterpolo.nl
TeamNL internationals Simone van de Kraats and Laura Aarts will play on Friday with their Spanish club Sabadell in the Final Four of the Champions League against Olympiakos. The other semi-final will be between Sant Andreu, where Roline Schuijt plays, and the Hungarian team FTC where Noa de Vries represents. On Saturday, the final and the match for the third and fourth place will be played. Schuijt won bronze last year with her Spanish team while Van de Kraats and Aarts secured the European Super Cup earlier this season.
In 2023, Van de Kraats lost the final with Mataro to TeamNL captain and current GZC Donk player Sabrina van der Sloot, who was then playing for Sabadell. Last season, the captain, together with Maartje Keuning, won the most important club tournament for the second consecutive time, precisely against Olympiakos. The Greek team, where the injured Amalia Christodoulou-Out plays, won the tournament three times before. Van de Kraats talks about the team's preparation.
‘’We fly to Greece on Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. We will train on Thursday evening and Friday morning, then play against Olympiakos on Friday evening. Due to the World Cup in China earlier this month, our team had a short preparation. Some of the Spanish girls came back two days earlier. They had time off. ‘’
Focus on the Final Four
After an intense tournament where the Dutch women's water polo team won bronze, Van de Kraats, last Saturday, won the first semi-final of the Spanish playoffs together with Aarts against Mataró. If they win the return match - and Schuijt wins in the other semi-final against Terrassa, where international Nina ten Broek plays - the Dutch women will face each other in the Spanish championship final on May 18.
The focus is now entirely on the Final Four. Greece claimed victory in the World Cup, with most of the national team comprising Olympiakos players. According to Van de Kraats, her Spanish team is eagerly looking forward to the final stage of the Champions League.
‘’You can feel the excitement building. Besides, you always play with the goal of winning as many finals as possible. Over the past month, we've already watched footage of Olympiakos, and now we will analyze them intensively and in detail,’’ Van de Kraats adds about the team.
‘’Since two of our players can only participate in the Champions League, these days are crucial for our tactics and style of play. It won't be an easy game against a team that trains together a lot and knows exactly what to expect from each other.’’
First European club gold medal
The former Polar Bears player scored twenty goals for her team this Champions League season. She knows that the Greek team is tough to beat and expects her team to have a good answer to that.
‘’We need to move a lot with their center forward and take the counterattacks away, which is their strength but also where they are at risk. It's up to us to play in a controlled manner, deliver good shots, and swim back. In the coming days, we will discuss in detail how we will approach it.’’
This could be Van de Kraats' first European gold medal in club play. (Close) family and friends of the Barneveld native will be present in Piraeus.
‘’It's great to have family and friends coming along! Winning my first Champions League would be fantastic. It's achievable, provided that we play as a team. There will be many Olympiakos fans cheering, although plenty of our girls have experience with that. I'm excited!’’
The match starts on Saturday at 6:30 PM* in Piraeus. At 8:15 PM*, Sant Andreu will play against FTC. The matches can be watched through this link.
* It is 1 hour earlier in the Netherlands
Listen to the preview with Laura Aarts via this Spotify link. Previews with Roline Schuijt and Noa de Vries will follow on Thursday.
