The head coach of world champion Italy, Julio Velasco, has named the squad of 14 players for the first tournament of the Volleyball Nations League in Rio de Janeiro. The "Squadra Azzurra" will make its debut in this year's edition of the tournament precisely against Bulgaria. The match against the world's No. 1 ranked team is on June 3rd at 10:30 PM Bulgarian time.
Notably, four of the biggest stars of the Italian team
A- Paola Egonu, Alessia Orro, Myriam Sylla, and Sarah Fahr
A- are absent. Nevertheless, Italy arrives in Brazil with an extremely strong squad and remains one of the main favorites to win the tournament.
Among Velasco's most interesting decisions is the continuing experiment with Ekaterina Antropova. One of the best opposite hitters in world volleyball is again included among the outside hitters and is expected to be used at position 4, rather than in her traditional role as an opposite.
Italy's squad for the tournament in Brazil
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Setters | Carlotta Cambi, Francesca Scola |
| Outside Hitters | Stella Nervini, Loveth Omoruyi, Gaia Giovannini, Ekaterina Antropova |
| Middle Blockers | Denise Meli, Yasmina Akrari, Linda Nwakalor, Linda Manfredini |
| Opposite Hitters | Merit Adigwe, Binto Diop |
| Liberos | Ilaria Spirito, Eleonora Fersino |
The squad shows that Velasco continues to seek new options in various positions, while simultaneously maintaining sufficient experience and class within the team. Antropova's performance as an outside hitter, as well as the role of the young players around her, will be particularly interesting.
The Bulgarian national team departed for Brazil with a rejuvenated squad and a clear understanding that the opening match would be against one of the strongest teams in the world. National team manager Dimo Tonev was adamant that there was no room for concern when facing the world's top-ranked team.
"Against Italy, we have nothing to lose. We must show the maximum of our capabilities," Tonev stated before the team's departure.
He also emphasized that the next match against the Dominican Republic is a serious focus in the program, and the Bulgarian team will strive to get the maximum out of every match during the tournament. According to Tonev, Marcello Abbondanza is fully aware that changes in the team cannot happen instantly, regardless of his rich international experience, and the main task at the moment is building a winning team.
Abondanza himself also commented on the upcoming clash with Italy. The Italian specialist admitted that the match would be special for him personally, as it would be the first time he would face his home country as a coach of another national team.
This is an excellent opportunity to see where we stand against one of the best teams in the world," said Abondanza.
The coach emphasized that Bulgaria has nothing to lose in such a match, and the goal is for the team to show its best and gradually approach the level of leading European teams.
The match between Bulgaria and Italy is on June 3rd and will provide the first serious indication of the development of the rejuvenated Bulgarian squad against the reigning world champion and leader in the world ranking.
photos:federvolley.itand Nikolay Varadinov
