GRONINGEN (FIBA Europe Cup) - The upcoming clash between former Second Round rivals Donar Groningen and U-BT Cluj-Napoca seems to be garnering a lot of attention on both ends of the tie.

Having handed over the advantage of playing the return leg at home due to issues with arena availability, the Erik Braal-coached Dutch champions and their fans will be looking to make the most out of the first game on Tuesday.

Therefore, it's hardly a surprise that tickets to what is now bound to be a full house at the 4,350-seater MartiniPlaza have been disappearing at record pace ever since the draw pit two old foes one against another for the Round of 16.

Donar Groningen came out victorious in both meetings against U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Group L of the Second Round, scoring a close 77-73 win in Romania before inscribing a 92-72 victory back home in the Netherlands.

However, Donar playcaller Erik Braal did not make much of the two wins.

"Cluj was the favorite of the group, but we caught them off guard in the first game a little bit and they had serious injury problems here [in Groningen]. When they have a complete team, it becomes a fight that we have certainly not yet won," expressed the 41-year-old Dutch specialist prior to Tuesday's clash.

Mainly thanks to their wins against U-BT Cluj-Napoca, Donar Groningen topped the Group L standings with a 4-2 record. Meanwhile, the Romanians snatched second place with a 3-3 mark after a clutch 77-71 win against Keravnos in a must-win setting on the final day of the Second Round.

"We have played twice against Donar and we know each other very well. We want to get revenge for the two defeats, even though we weren't full strength in both of those games," said the U-BT Cluj-Napoca head coach, Mihai Silvasan.

"We are certainly going to the Netherlands thinking about a win."

This time around, it could well be a different kind of game with the Romanians back to full strength with the exception of Slovenian guard Miha Lapornik, who stayed back in Cluj with a stomach issue.

Donar Groningen v U-BT Cluj-Napoca

Time: Tuesday, 19:00 CET
Domestic Form: Donar Groningen maintained the top spot in the Dutch Basketball League with a 17-2 record after registering an 87-81 win against Amsterdam on Friday. U-BT Cluj-Napoca suffered a 90-83 defeat against CSM CSU Oradea, but remain joint first in the Romanian Championship with a 14-4 mark.
Key Matchup: Evan Bruinsma came up big in the second head-to-head game in Donar Groningen, scoring 23 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. He will surely have a target on his back, especially after scoring a controversial basket down the stretch of that game. His direct matchup, Zeljko Sakic, played well in both games against Donar, averaging 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals in the two meetings.
How They Qualified: Both teams played in Group L of the Second Round, with Donar Groningen topping the standings with a 4-2 record and U-BT Cluj-Napoca finishing second with a 3-3 mark.
Live Stream: YouTube.com/FIBA

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