The Polish men's national volleyball team is in the final phase of its preparation for the last tournament of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), which will take place between July 16 and 20 at Ergo Arena, on the border between Gdansk and Sopot. It is there that Poland will host Bulgaria in one of the most anticipated matches of this tournament.
The Polish team is gathered at a training camp in Spała, known for its perfect conditions for national team preparation. Coach Nikola Grbić has 17 volleyball players there, who need to iron out the final details in their game before the important matches.
Injury problems and squad changes
Despite their ambitions and serious preparation, the Polish team was not spared from personnel problems.
🔴Norbert Huber, one of the main middle blockers, is still recovering from aneye injury, sustained in May. Additionally, he faces apostponed nose surgery, which will rule him out of VNL contention. He is expected to be ready only for the preparations before the World Championship.
🔴Bartosz Kurek, captain and a big star of the team, also dropped out at the last minute, with the staff deciding to save him for the later stages of the season.
🔴Sebastian Adamczyksuffered afinger injuryon Thursday during training in Spała and was forced to give up his place toSeweryn Lipiński, who will take his position in the group.
Thus, Grbic will rely on a wider rotation and has already announced that he will usea different 14-man squad in each match, so that everyone can accumulate playing minutes and he can finalize the optimal squad for the eventual finals in China.
The closest test - a friendly match with Iran
Preparation will be checked very soon. On July 12, Poland will play a friendly match against Iran in Olsztyn - the last general rehearsal before hosting the final tournament of the VNL.
Poland's squad for the camp in Spala and the tournament in Gdansk
The Polish staff has the following volleyball players in Spala:
Setters:Jan Firlej, Marcin Komenda
Opposites:Bartlomiej Boladz, Kevin Sasak
Outside Hitters:Bartosz Bednorz, Tomasz Fornal, Wilfredo Leon, Kamil Semeniuk, Artur Szalpuk, Aleksander Sliwka
Middle Blockers:Szymon Jakubiszak, Jakub Kochanowski, Seweryn Lipinski, Jakub Nowak, Mateusz Poreba
Liberos:Maksymilian Granieczny, Jakub Popiwczak
From this group, Grbic will also determine the final selection for the eventual finals in China, if Poland qualifies among the best.
Bulgaria against the hosts in a hot atmosphere in Ergo Arena
Ergo Arena is expected to be packed on July 19 when Bulgaria plays Poland, with the hosts hoping for their traditionally passionate crowd in Gdansk and Sopot. For Bulgaria, this will be a big challenge - not only from a sporting perspective, but also because of the phenomenal atmosphere that Polish fans create.
