The head coach of the Bulgarian U22 men's national team, Daniel Peev, is facing serious difficulties even before the start of the team's first training camp. This year, the team will participate in the European Championship in Portugal.
One of the key players in the squad, Alexander Kandev, sustained an injury at the beginning of the month, which might rule him out of contention for the continental tournament. Thus, Peev will be anxious until the last moment whether he can count on this important player in his squad. Kandev is expected to return to Bulgaria at the end of May or early June, and only then will there be clarity regarding his actual physical condition. This means that at present, it cannot be definitively stated whether he will be out of the squad for the European Championship.
Adding to the problems is the serious injury sustained at the end of last year by the team's other "college player," middle blocker Stiliyan Delibozov. His recovery does not allow him to be available for the championship.
The final squad for this team has not yet been finalized, but it will not exceed 17-18 players. Daniel Peev intends to supplement the group with some of the players who perform strongest during the national championship finals for this age group, scheduled for early May.
Zahari Sgurov has also received a call-up, but he too is experiencing physical discomfort, which casts doubt on his current condition before the start of preparations. An additional difficulty arises from the fact that, by decision of the men's national team staff, Viktor Zekov, Tomislav Rusen, and Kostadin Kozelov have been called up for a training camp with the senior national team. Zhasmin Velichkov and libero Dimitar Dobrev will likely also join Peev's squad after the tournament in Brazil. Furthermore, the 204-cm opposite Georgi Bachvarov from DEYA, who has a shoulder injury, will not be available.

photo:bfv.bg