Bulgarian international Simeon Nikolov will face Simone Giannelli for the second time in a final. After the clash between Bulgaria and Italy at the 2025 World Championship in the Philippines, the two will now be rivals in the battle for the Italian Supercup between Lube Civitanova and Perugia.
After the 3-0 victory over Verona in the semi-final in Parma, the 19-year-old Bulgarian setter spoke about the upcoming match, his ambition to win the first trophy of the season with Lube, and the changes in his game since arriving in Italy.
– This is your second major final after the one at the World Championship in the Philippines. What does it mean to you?
– The most important thing is to win this final. I am very happy. So far, everything with Lube is going well, but the final against Perugia will be a completely different match. Perhaps I will play at the highest level I have played so far. It will be very difficult, but I am not afraid to play volleyball.
– And a second final against Simone Giannelli...
– Yes, this is my second final against him, this time at club level. I hope we can win this time. It will be very difficult, but we will give our best. I have waited my whole life for the opportunity to play a final in Italy against Giannelli and all the great players of Perugia. I can't wait! I hope that in my career I can win as much as he has won. From him, I would like to take his precision and game intelligence.
– What has changed for you with your move to Lube and the Italian championship? What is different in your game?
– Hmm, I haven't thought about it... Faster volleyball is played here, which I really like. I have a lot of fun on the court, and that gives me the opportunity to be more creative. I want to learn a little from all the great setters. I want to take something from Giannelli, from Christenson, from Sbertoli. I'm glad to be here and have the opportunity to play against some of the best in the world. Of course, we have to win, but not everything should become too serious. We also have to have fun.
