The story so far: Minsk won the first leg 72-58 on the road and have taken the inside track to advance to Qualification Round 2, where Ironi Nahariya awaits.

TSMOKI MINSK vs. RILSKI SPORTLIST  - Thursday at 18:00 CEST

MINSK (Basketball Champions League) - Rilski head coach Ludmil Hadjisotirov attributed his team’s low offensive output (58 points) in the first leg to the pressure his players felt to put in a great opening night performance in front of their fans.

“The big desire to win this game did not help us, we did not play our game and we did not show what we are capable of,” said the Bulgarian coach. “In the second game our players have to play calmly, play with heart and not feel scared nor worried. On Thursday we will try to win and fight to the last second."

The Bulgarian team were guilty of shooting only 37% from the floor on Tuesday, including a disastrous 3-of-20 from downtown, so although they will be playing in the unfamiliar Minsk arena on Thursday, they are almost bound to shoot the ball better. That would still not eliminate Minsk’s biggest advantage however, which is their dominance on the glass. In the first game, Minsk out-rebounded Rilski 46 to 34.