World champions Italy will open their participation in the 2025 Nations League against Bulgaria – in an intriguing clash, full of symbolism and old acquaintances. The match is on June 11 at 6:00 PM Bulgarian time in the Canadian city of Quebec City, where the first week of the intercontinental phase of the tournament will take place.
At the helm of the "Azzurri" is the well-known coachFerdinando De Giorgi, under whose leadership Italy climbed to the top of world volleyball. Part of the staff is alsoIvan Contrario – a statistician with a rich resume, who previously worked with the Bulgarian national team.
Face to face with Bulgaria
Right from the start, Italy will face Gianlorenzo Blengini's squad, led by young starAlex Nikolov. An interesting detail is thatMattia Boninfante, one of the two setters in the Italian squad, is his teammate in the Italian giant clubCucine Lube Civitanova. Along with him, the "Azzurri" also includeGiovanni Gargiulo andMattia Bottolo – also part of Lube, which will add particular intrigue and a personal element to the upcoming match.
Undoubtedly, the most iconic figure in the Italian team remainsSimone Giannelli- captain, Olympic medalist and leader both on and off the court. He is expected to orchestrate Italy's game against the Bulgarian team.
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Setters:
Simone Giannelli
Mattia Boninfante(Cucine Lube The team -mate of Alex Nikolov)
Middle Blockers:
Giovanni Gargiulo(Cucine Lube)
Lorenzo Cortesia
Simone Anzani
Giovanni Sanguinetti
Outside Hitters:
The main absentee here is the star Alessandro Michieletto.
Mattia Bottolo(Cucine Lube)
Francesco Recine
Francesco Sani
Luca Porro
Opposites:
Yuri Romano
Kamil Rychlicki
Libero:
Gabriele Laurenzano
Domenico Pace
👔 Staff:
Head Coach:Ferdinando De Giorgi
Statistician:Ivan Contrario(former member of the Bulgarian staff)
