Japan is hosting the All-Star Game this weekend, while Italy is hosting the Coppa Italia Men's Final Four.
Unlike regular league matches, the Coppa Italia is a tournament in which the title is decided in a single-game tournament format, and is similar in position to the Emperor's Cup and Empress's Cup in Japan (however, only the top eight teams from the first half of the first division league can participate).
Even in the playoffs, unlike regular league matches, which are held in the home arenas of each team with a capacity of about 3,000 to 5,000 people, this is the only Italian club team tournament to be held in a large arena with a capacity of 10,000 people. Therefore, the venue is filled with a festive atmosphere. There is also free distribution of bananas (lol).
The teams that advanced to this year's men's Final Four were Perugia, which includes Japanese player Yuki Ishikawa, as well as Trento (Trentino), Civitanova, and Verona.
The favorite to win is Perugia, who are currently first in the league and aiming for a consecutive championship.
However, OH Plotnicki, who had been the driving force behind the team up until this point, injured his right leg during a match against Trento this month and was forced to leave the team temporarily. Perugia had been undefeated this season, but they lost to Trento and to Civitanova the other day, and are now on a two-game losing streak in the league.
The remaining outside hitters, OH Ishikawa and OH Semeniuk, are undoubtedly top-level players, but there is a lot of concern, especially since OH Plotnicki has been showing stable and high performance on both offense and defense this season. Also, this season, even if one of Perugia's starting outside hitters was out of action, there were many games where one of these three players came on as a super sub from the bench and turned the tide of the game around, and being able to do that was one of Perugia's great strengths.
But that strategy can no longer be used in the Coppa Italia. They have no choice but to rely on Ishikawa and Semeniuk.
Perugia has six starters, including relief servers, and their strength is that they can attack aggressively with their serves and get aces. First of all, they want to take control of the game with their serves. Also, the serve reception is to raise the serve up without letting the aces be taken. That way, they can develop a variety of attacks from S. Gianelli. Of course, that includes hitting the ball himself (laughs).
Perugia's semi-final opponent will be Verona, currently in 5th place in the league. Perugia has won both of their matches this season, but they are a strong team that played a full set in their most recent match. The high scoring ability of the two main players, OP/OH Keita and OH Mojic, is their weapon, and Keita in particular is unstoppable when he gets on a roll with either his spikes or serves. On the other hand, his form is inconsistent even during the match, so it would be best to stress him out with serves and blocks to induce mistakes.
The other semi-final is between Trento, second in the league, and Civitanova, third in the league. Both teams have the same record this season, with one win and one loss. However, Trento is more stable. The Italian national team outside hitters opposite OH Micheletto and OH Lavia are extremely stable, and OH Micheletto's scoring ability has been particularly impressive this season.
Although Civitanova still has some ups and downs, the impression is that the team is getting better and better. This season, OH Bottolo, who has finally established himself in the starting lineup, and the up-and-coming young setter Bonifante have become key players. Bottolo's performance in particular has been outstanding.
In any case, if Perugia reaches the final, it will be a rematch.
In any case, there are concerns about Perugia. However, last year at Monza, OH Takahashi Ai was injured and had to withdraw from the match just before, but despite that, they won the semi-finals and advanced to the finals. We won't know how the match will go until the game starts.
Yuki Ishikawa has been in the Coppa Italia semi-finals for four consecutive years since his time at Milan. However, he has yet to experience the finals. Will he be able to explode like he did in the Supercoppa that kicked off this season, and lead his team to the finals and then to victory? I hope he will explode and put the gold medal around Plotnicki's neck.
Coppa Italia schedule (Japan time)
Semi-finals
Saturday, January 25th
24:15~ Perugia - Verona
26:30~ Trento - Civitanova
final
January 26th (Sunday)
23:15~ Winners of the semi-finals
Distribution: VBTV
Photo: legavolley.it
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