Germany's volleyball national team, led by Pole Michal Winiarski, announced its official roster for the FIPAV CUP MEN ELITE tournament in Turin. Bulgaria plays its first match against the Bundestime at the World Championship in Manila on September 13. The competition will take place from August 29 to 31, bringing together four teams from the highest European level – Italy, Germany, Turkey, and the Netherlands. The event is part of the preparation for the upcoming World Championship in the Philippines (September 12–28).
Germany's Roster
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Setters | Eric Burggräf, Jan Zimmermann |
| Middle Blockers | Anton Brehme, Florian Krage, Tobias Krick, Simon Torwie |
| Outside Hitters | Tobias Brand, Teo Mohwinkel, Tim Peter, Moritz Reichert, Erik Röhrs |
| Diagonals | Georg Grozer, Philipp John |
| Libero | Leonard Graven |
| Head coach | Michal Winiarski |
Germany combines experience and youth – legendary opposite Georg Grozer will once again be a leading figure, while new names like Eric Burggräf and Teo Mohwinkel get a chance to gain experience at the highest level. The presence of stable middles like Krick and Brehme guarantees a strong block and variability in attack.
Italy's Roster
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Setters | Simone Giannelli, Riccardo Sbertoli |
| Middle Blockers | Gianluca Galassi, Simone Anzani, Giovanni Gargiulo, Roberto Russo, Giovanni Sanguinetti |
| Outside Hitters | Mattia Bottolo, Alessandro Michieletto, Luca Porro, Francesco Sani |
| Diagonals | Kamil Rychlicki, Yuri Romano |
| Libero | Fabio Balaso, Domenico Pace |
| Head coach | Ferdinando De Giorgi |
The hosts of the tournament are playing with their strongest lineup. Captain Simone Giannelli will lead the team in combination with young star Michieletto, while in the middle, the balance between experience (Anzani) and new names (Sanguinetti) provides depth to the squad.
Turkey squad
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Setters | Murat Yenipazar, Muhammet Kaya |
| Middle Blockers | Bedirhan Bulbul, Ahmet Tumer, Marko Matic, Yigit Savas Kaplan |
| Outside Hitters | Efe Bayram, Mirza Lagumdzija, Ramazan Efe Mandiraci, Gokcen Yuksel |
| Diagonals | Berkay Dilmenler, Adis Lagumdzija |
| Libero | Beytullah Hatipoglu, Berk Bayraktar |
| Head coach | Slobodan Kovac |
Turkey relies on the Lagumdzija brothers, with opposite Adis being the leader in attack. The team is prepared to be an unpleasant opponent, especially with experienced coach Kovac.
Netherlands Squad
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Setters | Joris Berkhout, Wessel Keemink |
| Middle Blockers | Wiebe Korenblek, Fabian Plak, Luuc Van de Ent, Twan Wiltenburg |
| Outside Hitters | Yannick Bak, Gijs Jorna, Tom Koops, Nils Lempke, Bennie Tuinstra |
| Diagonals | Michiel Ahyi, Sil Meijs |
| Libero | Jeffrey Klok, Jasper Wijkstra |
| Head coach | Joel Banks |
The "Tulips" have attractive attackers like Michiel Ahyi and Bennie Tuinstra, but often suffer from a lack of consistency. For them, the tournament will be a valuable test before the World Championship. Thus, the preliminary information provided by volleyweek.bg that Nimir Abdel-Aziz will not participate in the World Championship has been confirmed.
Tournament schedule in Turin
| Date | Time | Match | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 29, Friday | 17:00 | Germany - Netherlands | YouTube FIPAV, Discovery+ |
| August 29, Friday | 20:30 | Italy - Turkey | RaiSport, Discovery+ |
| August 30, Saturday | 17:00 | Netherlands - Turkey | YouTube FIPAV, Discovery+ |
| August 30, Saturday | 20:30 | Italy Germany | RaiSport, Discovery+ |
| August 31, Sunday | 15:00 | Turkey Germany | YouTube FIPAV, Discovery+ |
| August 31, Sunday | 18:00 | Italy Netherlands | RaiSport, Discovery+ |
The tournament in Turin will be a dress rehearsal for all participants before the World Championship. Italy will test their championship form at home, Germany will try to find the right balance with Winiarski, and Turkey and the Netherlands will check how far they can go against the leading forces. The atmosphere at PalaVela promises to be a real celebration for volleyball fans.
