Wednesday’s top 4 games: the Ural derby in hockey, the Russian Cup and the Champions League in football
Mikhail Georgiev Aug 22, 2023 09:00 pm UTC Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
What to see on August 23: Traktor – Metallurg, Murom against 2DROTS, Pao against Braga and the star Galatasaray visiting Molde.
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Program in summary:
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The time on the material is indicated in Moscow.
🏒 17:00: Traktor – Metallurg, Cup of the Governor of the Chelyabinsk Region
Intrigue: how will the Ural derby end?
The hosts of the Governor’s Cup of the Chelyabinsk region, hockey players Traktor, in the first match of the competition will play in a principled meeting with Magnitogorsk. This summer, Chelyabinsk residents have already won a tournament in Kazan, taking first place in the TANECO Cup. In turn, the team of Andrey Razin was the second in the tournament in Ufa. The tournament in Chelyabinsk will be the last test of strength for both teams before the start of the new KHL season.
Hockey players “Tractor”
Photo: vk.com/traktor_chelyabinsk
⚽️ 7:00 p.m.: Murom — 2DROTS, Russian Cup, 1/128 final
Intrigue: will the top media club advance to the next phase of the Cup?
2DROTS is the most popular and strongest media football club. The team confirmed its status in the first round of the Russian Cup, safely beating Sakhalin 2:0. Ahead there is a guest meeting with Murom. Last season, 2DROTS stopped right at the second stage, losing to Tekstilshchik. This time, the “samurai” are unlikely to be happy with this. “Drots” wants to go further. Murom is seventh (out of 10) in the A-league gold group 2 table. He’s a pretty passable opponent for 2DROTS, but he just won’t be.
2DROTS players
Photo: vk.com/media.football.league
⚽️ 22:00: Braga – Panathinaikos, Champions League, play-off round, first leg
Intrigue: which team will return to the Champions League?
Braga and Panathinaikos have not looked at the Champions League group stage for a long time. The Portuguese – from the 2012/2013 season, the Greeks – from the 2010/2011 season. Now both clubs are one step away from the group. You just need to beat your opponent. Braga previously qualified for the Serbian TSC and Panathinaikos – Dnepr-1 and Marseille. The Portuguese club are relative favorites of the pair, however, given the rivals the Greeks have passed through, they cannot be ruled out.
braga players
Photo: scbraga.pt
⚽️ 22:00: Molde – Galatasaray, Champions League, play-off, first leg
Intrigue: Galatasaray with a stellar lineup breaks into the group stage
Both Molde and Galatasaray have already passed two qualifiers. The Norwegians turned out to be stronger than the Finn HJK and the Faroese KI Klaksvik (who knocked out Ferencvaros and fired Cherchesov). Galatasaray beat Lithuanian Zalgiris and Slovenian Olimpia. The Turkish Grand is the favorite for the playoff round. Still, the team assembled a powerful gang of players, from Mauro Icardi to Dries Mertens. And yet, according to media reports, Sergio Ramos may sign for Galatasaray. And how not to get into the Champions League group with such an alignment?
Galatasaray one step away from the group stage of the Champions League
Photo: Ahmad Mora/Getty Images
🎾 7:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.: separate tennis hours
Due to the time difference, information about the important tennis tournaments that are taking place now appears late. Therefore, we are collecting matches in a separate article – it will appear here.