The 2025 of Alva Inox 2 Emme Service Porto Viro ends at home. This evening at 6pm the nerofuchsia will welcome Sviluppo Sud Catania to the sports hall in via XXV Aprile for the twelfth matchday of the Serie A2 Credem Banca regular season, the penultimate stage of the first round.
Concluding the year well in front of the friendly public is not just a question of form for Matteo Bologna’s team, called to get a result, first of all, to give substance to their ranking. The clear defeat against Siena last Saturday left the Polesans in third-last place, equal on points but with a better set ratio than Taranto, second-last. For Alva Inox 2 Emme Service the goal of salvation remains well within reach and it must be built with patience, but also with the awareness that, from here on out, every opportunity to move away from the red zone must be capitalized to the maximum.
Catania arrives in Veneto after a prohibitive triptych, which saw them challenge Prata, Ravenna and Aversa, the top three in the ranking, without managing to gain even a single point. For coach Paolo Montagnani’s Etna team, ninth, one point away from eighth place, the match against Porto Viro represents a crucial point in terms of qualifying for the Italian Cup, which with another misstep would risk becoming unattainable.
For the Alva Inox 2 Emme Service, it’s up to Captain Matteo Sperandio present the next challenge: “It’s a very important match, both for the standings and because we play in front of our fans. All matches offer three points, of course, but the ones at home, especially this year, are worth double for us. For this reason, it would be fundamental to be able to string together a series of victories in our arena and make it our fortress again. For this to happen, we must make the most of the points of reference we have, training here every day, and also the pressure that the environment is able to put on on the opponent. As captain, the message I feel like giving to my teammates is to play with serenity, to stay united and to ride the positive emotions that arise when we have the support of our fans.”
“We will find a wounded and aggressive Catania after the three consecutive defeats – continues Sperandio – It is a team with a good mix of veterans and younger players, we will have to pay particular attention to the opposite and the central players, who are very strong. I expect an open and tight match, all to be played. Compared to the match against Siena, we will have to improve in managing the error, a problem that we have been carrying with us for many months and which we have not yet completely resolved. Then it will be crucial to beat well, taking advantage of the field factor, and maintain a high level of reception: when our setter has the ball in his hand and we can attack continuously even in the center of the net, we manage to produce excellent performances.”
First the remnant of the match against Taranto, two weeks ago; then a set and more against Siena, last Saturday: Sperandio is finally back among the black fuchsia squad after the shoulder problems that had put him out of action for a few weeks: “Obviously I’m not at the top yet – he comments – it will take some time to get there, but I feel that, day after day, I continue to improve. I take this opportunity to thank all the medical and physical staff at Delta who guided and supported me in this rehabilitation period, now I hope to be able to stay well until the end of the season. I missed the pitch a lot. The team also achieved excellent results in my absence, but I was sorry not being able to help her in moments of difficulty, giving my contribution 100% and not just in words. Is the competition with Erati and Eccher an incentive to do better. Alex is already one of the best central defenders in the category and Mattia could become one soon: he has been doing very well lately and still has plenty of room for growth.
The two precedents between Porto Viro and Catania date back to the last regular season: a 3-1 success for the Polesine in the first leg, a 3-0 victory for the Sicilians in the return leg. The match will be refereed by Antonio Mazzarà from Milan and Michele Marotta from Prato. On Sunday the ticket office of the sports hall in via XXV Aprile will open at 4.30 pm. The match will be visible in free live streaming on Dazn.
