As we predicted at the beginning of the week, after a one-year hiatus, Martin Atanasov is once again wearing the jersey of the Bulgarian national volleyball team. The outside hitter of the Turkish grand Galatasaray was included in the squad by head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini for the first tournament of the Nations League, which will be held in Canada.
Return with ambition
Atanasov has not played for the national team since 2023, but his presence in the group for the competition is a clear signal of the team's ambitions in this year's edition of the Nations League. With his experience and attacking power, the Bulgarian team hopes to start the tournament with a positive charge.
Squad changes: Karyagin and Nachev also in the group
Bulgaria's Italian coach made several changes compared to the team that recently participated in the friendly tournament "Silesia Cup" in Poland. Opposite hitter Denis Karyagin and middle blocker Boris Nachev, who did not participate in the "Silesia Cup" due to an ankle injury, also join the group — two more important additions for the start of the season.
Without captain Alex Grozdanov
The bad news for the Bulgarians is the absence of captain Alex Grozdanov, who is recovering from a broken finger on his right hand and will miss at least another week. Nevertheless, the presence of new and returning names gives depth to the squad and optimism for the upcoming matches.
Schedule and squad
The Bulgarian team departs for Canada early on Monday morning, and the first match is on June 11 against Italy.
Full squad of Bulgaria for the Nations League:
Setters:Simeon Nikolov, Stoil Palev
Opposites:Venislav Antov, Denis Karyagin
Outside Hitters:Aleksandar Nikolov, Asparuh Asparuhov, Georgi Tatarov, Martin Atanasov, Rusi Zhelev
Middle Blockers:Boris Nachev, Iliya Petkov, Krasimir Georgiev, Preslav Petkov
Libero:Martin Bozhilov
