Italy's men's national team will arrive with squad changes for the second tournament of the Volleyball Nations League in Ljubljana, where on June 24 at 14:00 Bulgarian time, they will face Bulgaria in their first match of the competition.
The coach of the "Azzurri," Ferdinando De Giorgi, will not be able to count on middle blocker Giovanni Gargiulo, who has been dropped from the squad for personal reasons. The player will not participate in the team's preparatory camp in Cavalese, nor in the upcoming Nations League matches in Slovenia. This was announced by the Italian Federation.
In his place, the coach has called up Andrea Truocchio, who has already joined the European champions' camp in Val di Fiemme.
Meanwhile, Pardo Mati, who participated in the first part of the season with Italy's senior national team, has left the men's squad's camp and joined the U22 national team. The young talent will prepare for the upcoming European Championship for this age group, which will take place in Portugal from June 29 to July 4.
Italy's final squad for the tournament in Ljubljana is not yet known. The Italian Federation announced that on June 21, the names of the 14 players who will represent the country in the second week of the Volleyball Nations League will be revealed.
Besides Bulgaria, in the Slovenian capital, Italy will also face the hosts Slovenia, Brazil, and Ukraine.