The men's Olympic volleyball tournament starts tomorrow in Paris. In late June, 12 teams, based on the world ranking and through a draw, were divided into three groups.

The top two teams from each group and the top two third-placed teams with the best results will advance to the quarterfinals. The main criterion is the number of wins, the second is points scored, the third is the ratio of games won.

Quarterfinal pairs will be formed according to the group stage standings (1–8, 2–7, 3–6, 4–5).

All tournament matches will be held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles arena, which accommodates 12,000 spectators. Live broadcasts and match recordings are available on the official IOC website.

Composition of the Olympic tournament groups (world ranking in parentheses):

Group A: France (4), Slovenia (5), Canada (9), Serbia (10)

Group B: Poland (1), Italy (3), Brazil (7), Egypt (19)

Group C: Japan (2), USA (6), Argentina (8), Germany (11)

Experts analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the teams in the Olympic tournament. We start with two teams from Group B, where the most interesting battle of the day on the Olympic court is about to unfold: Italy against Brazil.

Italy

The other day in Italy, the documentary film “Generation of Phenomena” was presented, about the great team of the 90s that won three world championships in a row. But that generation never won Olympic gold. Today's Italians are among the main contenders for victory and have everything to achieve success. Including experience in winning major titles - the youngest team in the Olympic tournament has already won the Euro (2021) and the World Championship (2022).

Head Coach: Ferdinando De Giorgi. He has led the national team since 2021 with the mission to painlessly carry out a generational change and prepare a strong team for the 2024 Olympics. De Giorgi rejuvenated the team, which immediately started winning, exceeding even the specialist's own expectations. In Paris, Italy has the youngest team with an average age of 25.08 years. The oldest is 28-year-old libero Fabio Balaso.

Main Star: Simone Giannelli. The most valuable player of Euro 2021, the 2022 World Championship, and the 2024 Italian Championship. He became the main setter for the Italian national team in 2015 when he was 19 years old. Now he is an experienced master who calmly and confidently directs the team's play. At the same time, Simone is versatile and likes to score points in all elements of the game. Perhaps he is the main scorer number one among setters in world volleyball.

Pros. Proven and well-coached players who are strong in all aspects - Italy has a strong serve, the block is high, and they can rely on good reception. The volleyball players are full of energy and hungry for victories. Outside hitters Alessandro Michieletto and Daniele Lavia are capable of giving their maximum in important games. Middle blockers help the team well not only at the net but also with serving.

Cons. There are no obvious ones, but opposite hitter Yuri Romano seems the least stable of all. Another important point is how young players without Olympic experience (only Giannelli has it) will cope with the pressure.

Who's missing? Recently, blocker Simone Anzani underwent a third mini-heart operation - the volleyball player suffers from arrhythmia. He was one of the leaders in the locker room.

Provisional starting lineup: Giannelli - Romano, Michieletto - Lavia, Galassi - Russo, Balaso (libero).

Substitutes: Sbertoli, Bovolenta, Sanguinetti, Porro, Bottolo, Laurenzano (change).

Brazil

Three years ago, the Brazilians went to Tokyo as leaders in world volleyball, but for the first time since 2000, they were left without a medal, finishing in 4th place. In the last three editions of the Nations League, they failed to pass the quarterfinals. The Brazilians are considered favorites, but in recent years they have lost their previous luster, falling to 7th place in the world rankings. The painful generational change has not yet ended. Wallace is gone, and 38-year-old Bruno Rezende and Lucas will also soon depart.

Head coach: Bernardo Rezende. The oldest coach in the tournament, who will turn 65 in August. Bernardinho is a legend of world volleyball and a member of the Hall of Fame. As head coach, he has won six (!) Olympic medals with the Brazilian women's and men's national teams – two gold (2004, 2016), silver (2008, 2012), and bronze (1996, 2000). He also has a silver medal (1984) as a player. Bernardinho went on vacation after the home triumph in Rio but returned last year - without him, the volleyball players missed the podium in Tokyo.

Main star: Bruno Rezende. The setter came to the fifth Olympics of his career. Due to injury, he did not play in the Nations League, but he will likely be the main player in Paris. He has a good substitute: Fernando Cachopa. With him, the Brazilians beat Poland in the group this year (3:1), but lost to Italy (2:3), Slovenia (2:3), USA (2:3), and France (2:3).

Interesting facts. Opposites Darlan and Alan are brothers. And Lucas Bergmann will meet his older sister Julia, who plays for the women's volleyball team, in the Olympic village.

Pros. Brazil has players who can win matches on their own. For example, Yoandy Leal. When the naturalized Cuban is in shape, he shows a cosmic level, impressing with his power. At the same time, he is characterized by mood swings and changes in play, when every ball is difficult to handle. Leal was injured in the first training session of the "Seleção". Ricardo Lucarelli is more technical and stable. The middle blocker position with Lucas and Flavio seems strongly reinforced.

Cons. The Brazilians often suffer due to their unstable reception. At opposite, Darlan seems preferable, sometimes playing great matches, but top opponents dealt with him during the Nations League. It's good that there's an equivalent substitute.

Provisional starting lineup: Bruno Rezende - Darlan, Lucarelli - Leal, Lucas - Flavio, Thales (libero).

Substitutes: Fernando, Alan, Isac, Adriano, Bergmann, Honorato (reserve).

The other interesting match is from Group C: Argentina - USA

USA

The Americans failed to advance from their group at the 2020 Olympics, also faltered in the Nations League this summer (12th place), and generally haven't won anything in a very long time. But the US team should not be excluded from the list of medal contenders - the departing generation of the most experienced players might finally go out with a bang.

Head coach: John Speraw. At the victorious 2008 Olympics, Speraw was an assistant to Hugh McCutcheon, and as head coach, he led the USA to bronze in Rio 2016. He was not punished for his failure in Tokyo, so Speraw is now the longest-serving head coach of a top team - he has managed the US team for 11 years.

Cons. "It was a difficult choice because we have many talented, hardworking and characterful athletes," Speraw said when announcing the Olympic roster. In reality, no new names have emerged in recent years and the coach didn't have much choice. He took everyone he could, even Garrett Muagututia, who competes in the Egyptian championship. As a result, the USA has the "oldest" team at the Olympics - an average age of 32.86 years. Older players have more injuries and need more recovery time, which can be a problem.

Pros. For 39-year-old David Smith, 37-year-old Matthew Anderson, and Maxwell Holt, these are their last Olympic Games, and of course, they want to go out in style. The immense motivation and rich experience of these guys should help the team. The veterans must mobilize and show the best they are capable of within two weeks. Otherwise, the team will have no chance.

Main star: Micah Christenson. Successor to the legendary Lloy Ball both at Zenit Kazan and in the US national team. The pipe plays a vital role in the tactics of both teams. By the way, in the last Nations League, the US and Polish national teams became leaders in the game at the center of the net, giving 52% of their passes to the middle blocker and to the pipe after a good reception. In Russia, Micah regularly demonstrates his genius, leading the team to titles. With the national team, everything is more complicated - after the 2015 World Cup, the Americans won nothing, losing three Nations League finals.

Interesting fact. At the 1994 Winter Olympics bobsleigh competitions, Fauga Muagututia, Garrett Muagututia's father, competed for the American Samoa team.

Provisional starting lineup: Christenson - Anderson, Russell - DeFalco, Holt - Jendryk, Shoji (libero).

Substitutes: Ma'a, Smith, Averill, Jaeschke, Muagututia, Ensing (reserve).

Argentina

The Argentine national team sensationally won bronze in Tokyo, but a repeat of such success seems unlikely - Marcelo Mendez simply got the maximum out of the team then. Later, in the Nations League and the 2022 World Championship, the South Americans didn't even come close to the podium.

Head coach: Marcelo Mendez. The coach once dominated South America with Brazilian Cruzeiro, and in recent years has worked successfully in Europe. His Jastrzębski team became Polish champions twice in a row and played in the Champions League finals twice in a row. In Tokyo, the coach took Nicolas Mendez. This time Nicolas was not included in the squad, but the coach's other son, Juan Mendez, went to Paris as a statistician.

Main star: Luciano De Cecco. With his phenomenal play, he is certainly capable of making each of his teammates better.

Pros: In addition to the De Cecco factor, we note the high-quality technique of Santiago Danani from Russian "Fakel," which should become the basis for fast play. Argentina also has Agustin Loser, one of the best middles of our time, who attacks powerfully and blocks many attacks.

Cons: Instability of the opposite hitters and outside hitters. Facundo Conte can score points in an experienced game, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for him to carry the team over long distances. His teammates often lack quality.

Approximate starting lineup: De Cecco - Lima, Conte - Palonsky, Loser - Zerba, Danani (libero).

Reserves: Sanchez, Kukartsev, Martinez, Visentin, Ramos, Palacios (substitution).

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photos:volleyballworld.com