When Piacenza and Civitanova face each other it is never a match like the others. Not even if it’s a playoff for fifth place which Gas Sales Bluenergy is probably more interested in than its opponents. But on the pitch there will be champions who have no intention of losing even friendly matches, let alone when it comes to an official match. Wednesday at 8.30pm at PalabancaSport the qualifying round ends with the home team already certain of participating in the semi-finals (and also to play them at home), while the Marche players are one point away from guaranteeing participation in the direct elimination matches.
Piacenza, however, has another objective: close the group at the top to also guarantee the eventual final in front of your audience. To be sure of crossing the finish line, they will have to win by three points, because Verona is only one point away, is running strong (they only lost to the red and whites in the tie break) and faces Cisterna at home in the last match of the group.
Lube for its part seems to be having digested the recent change on the bench, with Giannini taking over from the resigning Blengini, and in the last match she returned to winning by clearly overtaking Cisterna, who never managed to reach 20 points, thanks to the Yant-Lagumdzija couple who did well to equally divide 30 points. De Cecco, Nikolov, Anzani, Diamantini and Balaso will also be on the pitch, which is why at Piacenza it will be essential not to take anything for granted to best prepare for the last matches (hopefully two) which will decide the possible European future of the team Andrea Anastasi.
Robertlandy Simon (Gas Sales Bluenergy centre): “Our goal is to play in Europe next season and we are working hard in the gym to achieve it. It’s logical that none of us would have wanted to play in these playoffs but that’s how it happened and now that we’re there we have the duty to try to get to the end. We are maintaining high professionalism and must aim for the objective we have in mind. Up until now we have been humble by accepting what happened to us in the quarter-finals of the Scudetto play-offs, we want to finish this group in first place to be able to also play the eventual final at home, we all put one hundred percent into the gym, even who already knows that next year he won’t be here.”
Enrico Diamantini (central Cucine Lube Civitanova): “Piacenza will want to maintain their unbeaten record in the group to secure first place so I expect a tough challenge against experienced opponents. We too will take to the field with a lot of determination to give continuity to Sunday’s success and try to secure the passage to the next round. There will be a great desire to fight on both sides. The Lube group is ready for any choice made by Romano Giannini. In the last match we played with Italian central defenders and foreign spikers. Those of us who will be called upon to play entire sets or even just a handful of points will still give our all against worthy rivals.”
PREVIOUS: 11 (2 successes Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza, 9 successes Civitanova)
EX: Yoandy Leal at Lube from 2018 to 2021; Ricardo Lucarelli Santos De Souza at Lube in 2021-2022; Fabio Ricci at Lube in 2012-2013; Robertlandy Simon at Lube from 2018 to 2022; Adis Lagumdzija in Piacenza in 2021-2022.
PLAY OFF 5TH PLACE
5th day
Wednesday 17 April
Rana Verona – Cisterna Volleyball
Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza – Cucine Lube Civitanova
Valsa Group Modena – Volleyball Padua
CLASSIFICATION
Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza p. 11; Rana Verona 10; Cucine Lube Civitanova 6; Volleyball Cistern 4; Volleyball Padua 3; Valsa Group Modena 2.
Tags: Civitanova arrives Gas Sales Bluenergy slow
