Allianz Milan hunting for Italian Cup pass with its black beast

The last day of the first half of the SuperLega Credem Banca brings Allianz Milano to the Marche region, on the Eurosuole Forum taraflex: on Sunday, December 14, at 6 p.m., coach Roberto Piazza’s team challenges Cucine Lube Civitanova in a match that is worth double: three points in the regular season and the Italian Cup quarterfinal grid. A heavy match for ranking, morale and recent history: last season Lube was a real black beast for Allianz Milano, capable of eliminating it both in the Cup quarterfinals and in the quarterfinals of the Scudetto race. The precedents speak for themselves: 25 Lube wins, one of the most successful teams in the history of men’s volleyball in the third millennium, and 9 for Milan.

Luca Giorgetti

The standings put the two teams next to each other: Civitanova sixth with 17 points, Milan seventh with 16. For both the scenario is identical: on Sunday night they could be between seventh and fifth place, with some favorable interlocking. Context that increases the weight of the challenge. The European week brought smiles to both. Lube opened its Champions League with a convincing 3-0 win over Montpellier, confirming its unbeaten home season. Allianz Milano, on the other hand, despite winning outright 3-0 in North Macedonia in the CEV Challenge Cup, faced a surreal away trip: freezing palasport, cancelled training sessions and conditions far from international standards.

Complicating the plans of the seamers, who can field the beauty of four world champions – captain Balaso, Boninfante, Bottolo and Gargiulo – came, however, the disqualification of Nikolov, the league’s top scorer and just 23 strikes away from 200 in his season, a goal he will have to postpone. Nikolov’s absence deprives the challenge of a direct confrontation with Ferre Reggers, perhaps the most eagerly awaited duel by the public between the SuperLega’s top and second bombers. Without Nikolov, Giampaolo Medei is expected to play with the role opposite, Argentine Kukartsev, and abandon for one match the three-setter formula that has given mixed results between home and away.

“Playing against Lube for me is always a match of the heart, let’s say, because I at the volleyball level, I was born in that club – admitted l’former Francesco Checco Recine -. I played 14 years in the youth teams, I was a ball boy, my father worked in Lube for years, I have lifelong friends in that city, so for me it’s like leaving a piece of my heart there every time”.

“The match will certainly be very difficult, we consider Cucine Lube Civitanova a top team and so far we against the top team have not been able to play the way we know how – added the Milan setter -. We have always practically raised the white flag. In the last game against Perugia we practically never took the courtSunday the challenge will serve mainly for us not to say wake up, but to start putting a starting point of our level. Of course we will try to play at our best”

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“Civitanova comes from five games played away from home all lost and five at home all won, so it will not be easy to conquer the Eurosuole Forum. We will try, also because we need points, we have to win if we want to improve the ranking, to have an opponent at least on paper less dangerous in the Italian Cup quarterfinals and especially for our mood. Take some confidence that will be needed for all the difficult matches” concluded Recine.