Everything is ready for the big Final Four weekend of the Italian Cup (Coppa Italia) in SuperLega, which will take place at the Unipol Arena in Bologna. Four teams will take to the taraflex in Emilia to pursue the highest step on the podium, but only one will lift the trophy.
Colleagues from the Italian specialized websiteVolleyNews.itpublished their predictions and analyses for the two semifinals, with expectations of extremely close matches and potential five-set battles.
Trento " Piacenza (prediction: 1 3)
Trento reaches the semifinals despite serious personnel problems. Injuries and doubts surrounding Michieletto, Lavia's long absence, and the latest difficulties concerning Giannelli shake the team's stability. The main certainty remains the Sbertoli Fore axis, with the French opposite continuing to maintain extremely high attack percentages and being a factor from the serve as well.
Piacenza is also hit by injuries (Galassi and Simon), but the team shows impressive attacking statistics. Setter Paolo Porro confidently leads the game, and the Mandiraci Gutierrez duo can ignite the match with one of the strongest serves in the league.
| Team | Setter | Reception | Block | Attack | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trento | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Piacenza | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
The numbers clearly show an advantage for Piacenza in attack and current form, while Trento remains strong on block but is limited by personnel problems and instability in reception. This tips the scales towards success for the team from Emilia.
Verona Perugia (prediction: 2 3)
The second semifinal appears to be the most open clash. Perugia arrives with a long winning streak and favorite status, while Verona alternates strong matches with heavy collapses the latest being the home loss to Civitanova.
Setter Kristenson makes Verona's attack extremely dangerous, and opposite Darlan impresses with "monstrous" attack percentages. The main problem remains reception, although the acquisition of Stafforini brought more stability.
Perugia relies on the class of Giannelli, the power of Ben Tara and Plotnytskyi, as well as the legendary libero Colaci, who is the "king of the cup" with six trophies in his career.
| Team | Setter | Reception | Block | Attack | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verona | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Perugia | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Analysis: Verona has serious power in attack and serve, but weakness in reception remains critical. Perugia excels in stability and squad depth, which justifies the forecast for a dramatic success in five sets.
Final Four Program in Bologna – Times and TV Broadcast
Unipol Arena in Bologna will host the Del Monte Купата на Италия Final Four for the eighth time, with the trophy being awarded in the capital of the Emilia region for the tenth time in the last 13 editions. Over two days, fans will see three highly charged matches – two semifinals and the grand final.
Official Tournament Program
| Date | Match | Time (Italy) | Time (Bulgaria) | TV Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, February 7, 2026 | Trento – Piacenza | 15:30 | 16:30 | Rai Play, VBTV / Max Sport 1 |
| Saturday, February 7, 2026 | Verona – Perugia | 18:00 | 19:00 | Rai Sport, VBTV / Max Sport 1 |
| Sunday, February 8, 2026 | Final | 18:00 | 19:00 | Rai Sport, VBTV / Max Sport 1 |
The program offers an ideal volleyball Saturday spectacle – the semifinals are arranged so that fans get two consecutive battles with the potential for five-set drama. For the Bulgarian audience, the good news is that both semifinals and the final will be available on Max Sport 1, which guarantees significant interest in Bulgaria as well.
Context: why this Final Four is special
The absence of the reigning champion Civitanova is compensated by the presence of the four strongest teams from the first half of the season – Trento, Piacenza, Verona, and Perugia. All semifinalists finished the first part of the regular season in the top 4 and reaffirmed their class in the quarterfinals, taking advantage of their home court advantage.
An interesting detail is that the ranking of the top three teams was determined by the game ratio, due to the tie in points between Trento, Verona, and Perugia – another sign of how competitive the SuperLega season is.
