One of the biggest stars of world volleyball, Alessandro Michieletto, made an interesting assessment of the forces before the European Championship, naming Bulgaria among the teams capable of causing surprises in the knockout phase. In an interview forLa Gazzetta dello Sportthe Italian international also commented on his recovery from injury and the decision of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to reinstate Russia in international tournaments.
The Italian outside hitter, who missed the final tournament of the Nations League due to a back injury, is now training with a ball and hopes to be available for the warm-up matches before Euro 2026.
"I've started playing again and that's the most important thing. After so many months of break, it's impossible to immediately return to maximum level. We worked gradually, and now I'm focusing on reception and jumping. Physically I feel good, but I still lack game rhythm. I think I will play in the warm-up matches, but the coaching staff has to decide if I'm ready and how much time I can stay on the court before the European Championship," Michieletto said.
He praised the work of head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi and emphasized that Italy has an exceptionally deep squad, in which even players outside the main group would be starters in many national teams.
Michieletto also singled out some of Italy's most serious rivals. According to him, Japan impressed with its performance in the Nations League, and the main favorites still include the USA, Poland, and France. He paid special attention to Ukraine.
"I didn't expect Ukraine to look so strong. Last year they were already a good team, but then they lacked Oleh Plotnytskyi. I think surprises can happen as early as the quarterfinals of the European Championship. That's why it will be important to play well in the group stage, because after that you'll face Poland, Slovenia, France, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belgium, and Serbia," the Italian said.
The "Azzurri" star also commented on the FIVB's decision to reinstate Russia in international volleyball.
"I don't want to get into political topics, but I think volleyball players have very little to do with the war. Besides, it's good to play against strong teams, and Russia will certainly be one of them," Michieletto stated.
In the interview, he also made an interesting comparison between the leading volleyball powers. According to him, Italy is more like Spain in football due to its young squad, while France can be compared to Poland, as both teams have a huge selection of top-class players.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov