Here they are… CSKA Volgaburmash, Bourges, Spartak Moscow and Valencia.

To be honest, it’s not a great surprise these four teams will play in the semis from 30 March - 1 April. 

But there are some big teams missing.

Valenciennes were eliminated by CSKA after a difficult first round in group C.

		Céline Dumerc and Bourges Basket surprised many by qualifying for the Final Four.

Brno, EuroLeague Women winner in 2006, and Fenerbahce, were eliminated in hotly contested quarter-final match-ups.

But CSKA, Spartak, and Valencia - that’s what we predicted on fibaeurope.com in our season preview.

Our fourth club was Brno, but the draw made it impossible for them.

I think that Bourges is a little surprise. The French giants had to change 80% of their team which won the French League, the Cup and the Federation tournament.

They were lucky to avoid big teams in their group and in the eighth and quarter-final round. But they did the job against Mondeville and Vilnius, and Bourges is one of two teams to beat Samara in EuroLeague Women this season.

Celine Dumerc and Cathy Melain take on Valencia. Milton "MVP" Jones against the defensive rocks… 

The Russian derby between Samara and Spartak… What a show !

But let’s have a look on the Fabulous Four, and congratulations to our previous panel of expert analysts. Before the quarter-finals, Ann Wauters (CSKA), Agnieszka Bibrzycka (Spartak), Caroline Aubert (Mondeville) and Laurent Buffard (Valenciennes) gave their viewpoints.

Only Buffard committed a little mistake, predicting a Fenerbahce victory. As a pundit, he has been sent beyond Ural, in Ekaterinburg for next season. It’s not a too serious sentence regarding his Russian ambitions.

CSKA Volgaburmash

First round record: 8-2

Ranking: 2nd

Eighth final: 2-0 against Valenciennes

Quarter-final: 2-0 against Sopron

Top scorer: Ann Wauters 19.4 pt (3rd in Euroleague)

Top rebounder: Maria Stepanova 8.4 (6th)

Points average: 72.5 pt per game (3rd)

Strong personalities and better collective play from last year make up CSKA. It's a team that is used to playing together and they want revenge after losing in the final last year. They have dominated Spartak in the Russian League and they are my favourite to lift gold.

Spartak Moscow

First round record: 9-1

Ranking: 1st

Eighth final: 2-0 against Prague

Quarter-final: 2-1 against Brno

Top scorer: Tina Thompson 20.5 pt (2nd)

Top rebounder: Tina Thompson 10.2 (3rd)

Points average: 74.2 (1st)

		Tina Thompson has led Spartak Moscow Region to the semis.

They have a galaxy of stars. But are there perhaps too many? Krakow and Brno beat them, like CSKA has done in Russia. But rules will change for the semi-final, with more foreigners being able to play on the court at the same time.

Bourges

First round record: 8-2

Ranking: 4th

Eighth final: 2-0 against Mondeville

Quarter-final : 2-0 against Vilnius

Top scorer: Evanthia Maltsi 12.3 pt (25th)

Top rebounder : Emmeline Ndongue 8.1 (8th)

Points average: 65 (12th)

In this world of attack, where Spartak, Valencia and Samara are 1st, 2nd and 3rd, Bourges looks like a stranger with the 12th position out of 18 teams. Milton-Jones, Thompson and Wauters are all around 20 ppg, while Bourges' top scorer Maltsi tallies only 12.3 a contest. You think that Bourges' defense is terrific? You are right! Only 57.5 points against them in the eighth and quarter-finals. 

Valencia

		DeLisha Milton-Jones has been the best player in the EuroLeague Women this season.

First round : 6-4

Ranking: 5th

Eighth final: 2-0 against Krakow

Quarter-final : 2-1 against Fenerbahce

Top scorer: DeLisha Milton-Jones 20,9 pt (1st)

Top rebounder: DeLisha Milton-Jones 10,9 (1st)

Points average: 73.7 (2nd)

They are an experienced team, strong enough to qualify even on Fener’s court. Milton-Jones is getting more and more amazing. And Manolo Real and all of Spain are probably praying that she will avoid an injury.

After a tiring semi-final against Bourges, will Milton-Jones and Co be fresh enough on Sunday against a Russian Giant?