Allianz Milan, European debut in North Macedonia

Allianz Milano is preparing for its debut in Europe: the team left at dawn for North Macedonia, where tomorrow at 7 p.m. it will play the first leg match of the “Main round” that is, the Volleyball Challenge CEV Cup round of 16, against UGD Štip. The match will be played in Radoviš, in the SRC Sports Hall May 25, a date that in Yugoslav times signified Youth Day and Tito’s birthday. It is a 2,500-capacity arena, very hot and known for the memorable handball matches of the home team, HC Radoviš. Referees will be Slavisa Kuzmanovic (Serbia) and Nicklas Kjaer Thomsen (Denmark).

Luca Giorgetti

The Macedonian team is a recent entrant into big volleyball: in March 2024 it won its first major trophy, the Macedonian Volleyball Cup, a historic victory. Coach Kristian Risteski, who is also an assistant on the Macedonian national team staff, and his deputy Vanche Sanev have a very young roster at their disposal. In the 6+1 starting lineup, the team routinely fields one or at most two non-millenials: setter Iliev, born in 1999, and opposite player Aleksov, born in 1996. Stip was one of the surprises of the qualifying round for the main phase of the third European men’s volleyball club competition.

Coach Piazza’s roster will be missing, in addition to Seppe Rotty, Leonardo Barbanti, who still has to avoid any blow to the eye for a few days.
The next SuperLega engagements for Allianz Milano are two away games in the Marche region: in Civitanova on Sunday, December 14, the last of the first leg that will define the roster for the Italian Cup quarterfinals (Allianz will definitely play the fourth knockout game away from home, having no more arithmetic possibility of reaching Piacenza in fourth place), and in Porto San Giorgio on December 21 against Grottazzolina. The first match at the Allianz Cloud, however, will be on Boxing Day, Dec. 26, against Padova.

“Tomorrow’s match, however, is an important one for several reasons – stressed the coach of the meneghini.”

First, because winning it and passing the round after the Milan match on Jan. 6 will allow us to continue on the path of the Challenge Cup, a European competition that gives prestige to the club and the society. A competition that last year we sweated to the last ball to snatch passage. It is, moreover, the Cup that we currently also have in our trophy cabinet, won in 2021.

Then, regardless of the opponent, which is not to be underestimated, especially when playing at their home and in very hot arenas, this game must serve us to improve what we need to improve, and we must have it clear in our heads. It is a match outside the Italian league, it is true, but it must also be a panacea for our path in the SuperLega. We need a boost of confidence and assurance in the whole team, especially after a match like the one in Perugia and before an equally demanding challenge like the one that awaits us on Sunday in Civitanova”.