Bruno’s last catwalk at the PalaPanini could also be the final chapter of a season to be canceled soon. Which perhaps, deep down, is also what most of the protagonists of this 2023/2024 year without high notes, without joys, with many pains in the results and decisions are hoping for. Modena-Padova, the final event of the round-robin play-off that assigns fifth place, is an anomalous in-or-out match, because whoever loses between the two is certainly out of the semi-finals, but whoever wins will have to wait for the result in Verona -Cistern to hope to return. In a nutshell: to be able to play the semi-final (certainly away from home) on Monday 22 April, Modena must win. By winning 3-2 they must hope that Verona-Cisterna ends 3-0 or 3-1, winning by three points Verona-Cisterna can also end 3-2, the important thing is that the Lazio team don’t win. Similar speech applies to the Venetians. The team Alberto Giuliani will rely on will be that of the last matches, the one that has faced this entire group that qualifies for the 2024/2025 Challenge Cup with the only doubt of the central defenders: Bruno as director, therefore, Sapozhkov as opposite, Davyskiba and Rinaldi as wingers , Stankovic and Sanguinetti (or Brehme) in the center, Federici libero.
Padova for its part should oppose Zoppellari as director, Stefani opposite, Gardini and Porro on the wings, Crosato and Truocchio in the center with Zenger free but Desmet, Falaschi, Guzzo also found space in a much larger turnover than that implemented by the Valsa Group . It will not only be the day of Bruno’s farewell, which will have various implications even more a goodbye in the Brazilian’s intentions, but also that of the sad farewell of Osmany Juantorena, for example, always or almost always a starter in the season despite the designated role of the third wheel band, never an attack in the fifth place group. It will be a farewell to Sapozhkov, the player most on the gridiron of the entire season, who never really blossomed as Casadei and the two coaches hoped, and to Brehme, in whom the investment ultimately did not produce the desired results. The greeting will then extend to Boninfante, only briefly in contention to remain as a starter next year in Civitanova Marche, and to almost the entire bench, including the Pinali brothers. The match starts at 8.30 pm, Brancati and Prati will referee, live on Volleyballworld.tv, on Radio Pico and on the Unovolley channel of the Spreaker platform. The other matches: Rana Verona-Cisterna Volley, the one Modena must watch with interested eyes, and Gas Sales Piacenza-Lube Civitanova, all at the same time. Semifinals on April 22nd, final on Saturday 27th.
Alessandro Trebbi
