{"id":27866,"date":"2021-01-19T19:56:02","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T19:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=27866"},"modified":"2021-01-19T19:59:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T19:59:45","slug":"second-chance-holon-looks-to-advance-in-champions-league-play-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/second-chance-holon-looks-to-advance-in-champions-league-play-for-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Second chance: Holon looks to advance in Champions League play for first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hapoel Holon faces Cholet in Champions League action on Wednesday as they look to advance to the second stage of the competition for the first time since entering the league back in the 2017\/18 season.<\/p>\n

After downing perennial Champions League contender AEK last Gameday, Holon sits in first place in Group C with a 3-2 record and a win in France will see them though to the next round. Should Stefanos Dedas\u2019s team fall against Cholet they may still be able to advance depending on point differential and the result of the other group game featuring AEK and Tsmoki-Minsk. <\/p>\n

Holon had an arduous travel schedule as they flew to Paris, France on Monday and then had a five hour trip to Cholet as the ready for the decisive group game. Chris Johnson and Maxim De Zeeuw who were both slightly injured last contest against Hapoel Tel Aviv are fit and will play while Rich Howell and Yogev Ohayon who are both unavailable due to injuries accompanied the team. Howell is slated to return to play next week when the Israeli league re-starts an Ohayon will be out for another two weeks or so.
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Photo Credit: FIBA<\/p><\/div>
\n\u201cThis is another special game for us,\u201d explained head coach Stefanos Dedas. \u201cWe are 40 minutes away from making history. We are coming into the game with complete confidence with the goal of defeating Cholet in France but we are aware that this will be a tough game. We will do our utmost to make our fans proud one more time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Captain Guy Pnini also looked ahead to the clash, \u201cWe control our own destiny as we head into the last game. We will give everything so that we don\u2019t miss this opportunity to advance. It\u2019s very important that we play smart and aggressive ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

With history at its fingertips, Holon will look to finally move on to the next round of the Champions League after failing to do so in the three prior campaigns.
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Photo Credit: FIBA<\/p><\/div>
\nIn their first year of the league, Holon got its feet wet and ended the competition with a 3-11 record playing in a group with European powerhouses including Monaco, Sassari and Murcia. <\/p>\n

The following season in 2018\/19, Holon ended the regular season with a record of 7-7, however, they began 6-2 and went only 1-5 over the last six games losing to Nanterre, Bonn, Tenerife, PAOK and Venezia down the stretch. <\/p>\n

Last year, Holon came oh so close to advancing to a playoff spot as they sat with a 6-6 record with two game to go. However, a loss away at Sassari and then a devastating 69-68 defeat at the hands of Lietkabelis ended the dream of advancing.
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