Alessandro Michieletto is available for Italy's final checks before EuroVolley 2026. One of the 'Azzurri's' big stars was among the 14 volleyball players called up by coach Ferdinando De Giorgi for the final stage of preparation in Reggio Calabria and Messina, where Italy will participate in the FIPAV Cup Men Elite.
For Michieletto, the upcoming matches are of particular importance, as the outside hitter has not played an official match since January. After back problems, he missed the rest of the club season, as well as Italy's entire participation in the Nations League.
His recovery lasted several months, and during the summer, Michieletto gradually increased his workload. Subsequently, he joined the national team's preparation and is now part of the group with which De Giorgi will conduct the final stage of preparation before the European Championship.
However, his inclusion among the 14 does not automatically mean that Michieletto will return to Italy's starting six. After such a long absence, the most important thing for him is to gradually regain his game rhythm, and the upcoming matches will give De Giorgi the opportunity to assess the outside hitter's condition and how much he can rely on him from the start of EuroVolley.
Italy's final checks are united within the FIPAV Cup Men Elite – a series of six international friendly matches involving Italy, Germany, Cuba, and Brazil. The matches will be held in Reggio Calabria and Messina, with the four teams playing each other once. The 'Azzurri' start on August 26 against Germany in Reggio Calabria, then move to Messina for matches against Cuba on August 28 and Brazil on August 30. These will be Italy's last three matches before the start of EuroVolley.
Italy's squad:
Setters:Simone Giannelli, Riccardo Sbertoli
Outside Hitters:Mattia Bottolo, Daniele Lavia, Alessandro Michieletto, Francesco Sani, Luca Porro
Middle Blockers:Gianluca Galassi, Giovanni Sanguinetti, Pardo Mati
Opposite Hitters:Kamil Rychlicki, Yuri Romano
Liberos:Fabio Balaso, Gabriele Laurenzano
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
