Verona setter Micah Christenson will not be available to coach Fabio Soli for the semi-final against Lube Civitanova in the Italian Super Cup tournament, which will be played on Saturday (November 14) at 7:00 PM Bulgarian time in the "PalaRaschi" hall in Parma.
Two days before the clash with the team of brothers Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov, Verona announced on its official website the reason for the delayed recovery of the American international.
After the surgical intervention he underwent in the USA in August due to a meniscus injury, Christenson developed an additional muscle problem in the popliteal fossa area. This has delayed his rehabilitation.
Verona specifies that the 33-year-old setter is under constant supervision by the medical and physiotherapy staff and is following a specialized program, which is expected to conclude in the coming weeks. A specific date for his return to play is not provided.
Although the club does not explicitly announce his absence from the Super Cup, the stated timelines practically exclude his participation in the semi-final against Lube.
Christenson has not yet debuted for Verona in an official match since his return to the Italian championship. In his absence, the organization of the game has been entrusted to the Brazilian setter Motta Paes.
In the same announcement, Verona also informed about the condition of the middle blocker Lorenzo Cortesia. The Italian, who has been out of play since August after an injury during a national team camp, continues his recovery. Expectations are that in the coming weeks he will have the opportunity to join group training.
Verona and Lube have already met once this season. In the first round of the SuperLega, the team from Civitanova won their away match 3:0 (25:20, 25:19, 28:26), with Aleksandar Nikolov scoring 19 points and Simeon Nikolov adding 5. Christenson did not participate in this match either.
Saturday's semi-final in Parma will determine one finalist in the Italian Super Cup tournament, and for Verona, the absence of the main setter and Cortesia means that the team will once again have to find a solution with the available squad.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov