Men's national teams of Bulgaria and Italy will face each other again nine months after the World Championship final in Manila. The match is the first for both teams in the second week of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL 2026) in Ljubljana and will be played today at 14:00, Bulgarian time.
In the camp of the reigning world champions, there is great respect for the Bulgarian squad, led by Gianlorenzo Blengini. This became clear from the statements of head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi and middle blocker Gianluca Galassi before the start of the tournament in the Slovenian capital.
For the second week of the VNL, four volleyball players who did not participate in the first tournament in Ottawa return to Italy's squad – setter Riccardo Sbertoli, captain Daniele Lavia, as well as middle blockers Gianluca Galassi and Lorenzo Cortesia.
"We must maintain the attitude and the way we played in the first week. I want us to be both smiling and aggressive on the court because we have the qualities to do it," said De Giorgi.

The Italian specialist expects an extremely serious clash against Bulgaria.
"Against Bulgaria, I expect a tough match. I must say that this group, like the previous one, is very difficult. There are no longer matches where you can unequivocally count on the role of a favorite. The average level of the VNL has risen, and Bulgaria played in the World Championship final against us, so we know their worth," commented the coach of the "Azzurri".
According to him, in modern international volleyball, easy opponents are increasingly rare, and successes come thanks to the collective efforts of the entire squad.
"A week awaits us that we must play with fighting spirit. As was seen in the first week, the contribution of all players will be very important," added De Giorgi.
Gianluca Galassi, who returns to the national team specifically for the tournament in Ljubljana, expressed a similar opinion.
"I join the team with very positive feelings. I found a young and ambitious squad that is very motivated. This is a group that already realizes what it is capable of and showed it in the first week. Our goal is to continue our development and reach the end of the tournament in the best possible shape," stated the middle blocker.
Galassi also expects another tough battle against the Bulgarian national team.
"The match against Bulgaria is a repeat of last year's World Championship final and will certainly be very difficult. We approach this match differently compared to the final, but I think the same applies to them. There are still things we need to refine in our game, but I see immense desire and determination in all the guys. This is exactly what we will try to show on the court," said Galassi.
The middle blocker also emphasized the increasingly high level of the Volleyball Nations League.
"Both the first and second week will be very tough. We will have to fight for every positive result. The level of the VNL is constantly rising, and every team can put you under pressure. Even a small mistake can be costly. We must remain focused on our own game and continue on the path we have already outlined," concluded Galassi.
The statements of De Giorgi and Galassi show that in the camp of the world champions, there is no underestimation of Bulgaria. On the contrary – the Italians expect an extremely competitive match against Gianlorenzo Blengini's team right in the opening match of the tournament in Ljubljana.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov