A1: Weekend preview

SERIE A1 TIM,

Showtime and pathos are the ingredients of this next round

Great entertainment is guaranteed as we approach the end of the regular season. Some have already got their fate defined but there is still plenty to play for. In the race for top spot, Macerata, the current league leader, travels to Montichiari, team in great form following its two consecutive wins against Trento and Treviso. Trento, who lost its first place last weekend, will entertain Treviso. Grbic and co will try to stop their negative run against Treviso, having lost the last 6 encounters between the two teams. Dall’Olio’s team is indirectly competing against Verona and Vibo Valentia for a playoffs spot and they will need the three points. Third in the table, Cuneo plays host to martina Franca, who will come up north with high spirit as they secured their place in the A1 in the last round. If it want to keep dreaming Perugia will have to overcome Pineto, who is fighting to stay up against Forli.

Vibo Valentia and Verona are chasing, with Treviso, the 8th and last playoff spot. Vibo seems to be facing the easiest task. After four consecutive win, it will host the already buried Padova. Verona travels to Piacenza, still without some key players even though they might have Joao Paolo Bravo back.

Forli faces a must-win game against Modena. A defeat would send them straight down to the A2.

SERIE A1 TIM – 25th ROUND

Domenica 15 marzo, ore 18.00Sunday 15 March

Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Stamplast Martina Franca

(Gnani - Perri)

Copra Nordmeccanica Piacenza – Marmi Lanza Verona

(Mastrodonato - Lavorenti)

Yoga Forlì – Trenkwalder Modena

(Barbero - Boris)

RPA-LuigiBacchi.it Perugia – Framasil Pineto

(Pasquali - Caltabiano)

Acqua Paradiso Gabeca Montichiari – Lube Banca Marche Macerata

(Caldarola - Locatelli)

Antonveneta Padova – Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia

(La Micela – Astengo)

Sunday 15 March at 7pm

Itas Diatec Trentino – Sisley Treviso LIVE ON SKY SPORT 2

(Satanassi - Giani)

TABLE

Lube Banca Marche Macerata 53, Itas Diatec Trentino 52, Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 50, RPA-LuigiBacchi.it Perugia 47, Copra Nordmeccanica Piacenza 44, Acqua Paradiso Gabeca Montichiari 42, Sisley Treviso 35, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia 33, Marmi Lanza Verona 33, Trenkwalder Modena 27, Stamplast Martina Franca 26, Framasil Pineto 25, Yoga Forlì 20, Antonveneta Padova 17.

BRE BANCA LANNUTTI CUNEO – STAMPLAST MARTINA FRANCA

Past encounters: 12 (11-1 Cuneo)

First leg: Stamplast Martina Franca – Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 0-3 (22-25, 20-25, 22-25)

Francesco Biribanti (Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “On Sunday against Martina Franca we have to forget about the tiredness. Right now, we’re working a lot with the weights, even on Saturday morning we’ll have a session in the gym. We’ll go after some crucial points to stay top and get to the playoffs with the best position. There will be two great ex players of the team in Coscione and Mastrangelo, who will want to do well. Their team is doing well but we’ll wait for them, hoping to get a nice victory”.

Luigi Mastrangelo (Stamplast Martina Franca): “I really hope to do well in Cuneo because the fact that we are safe doesn’t mean the league is over for us. We have to give our all in the last two games. If we can have a new target, like improve our current league position, why not do so?”.

COPRA NORDMECCANICA PIACENZA – MARMI LANZA VERONA

Past encounters: 11 (9-2 Piacenza)

First leg: Marmi Lanza Verona – Copra Nordmeccanica Piacenza 2-3 (21-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 14-16)

Giovanni Rossi (Secondo allenatore Copra Nordmeccanica Piacenza): “This is a particular moment. We’re still working to improve technically and physically. The injured players are well on their way back. Joao Paolo Bravo is now working steadily with his teammates. Zlatanov is close to the get to the point of a weekly work, while Marshall keeps working aside. Verona will try its best to reach the playoffs. They are very strong on the serve, they have two excellent middleblockers, and some interesting youngsters, like Parodi and Lasko, a bit inconsistent but a real threat”.

Marcus Popp (Marmi Lanza Verona): “We know we can beat anyone, we have some very strong players, it’s a question of mentality and we have to play well. In recent losses, a factor might have been the pressure, but that is a personal opinion. Everyone reacts in his own way. Everyone has to dig deep inside to figure out how to play at his best at the top level”.

YOGA FORLI’ – TRENKWALDER MODENA

Precedenti: 7 (2 successi Forlì, 5 Modena)

All'andata: Trenkwalder Modena – Yoga Forlì 1-3 (22-25, 16-25, 25-21, 16-25)

Giuseppe Patriarca (Yoga Forlì): “For me, to play against Modena is alzays special. There is not much to be said at this stage of the championship, the situation is clear. Let’s play our game, try our best and we’ll see what happens. We would like to get a win for our last outing in the PalaFiera gym. I think the fans deserve it”.

Emanuele Zanini (Trenkwalder Modena): “Forli has no choice but win if it wants to stay up so they will leave it out on the floor. We have to find the motivation in our personal pride, and in the pride to wear the Modean shirt. We want and have to finish this season with dignity and professionalism”.

RPA-LUIGIBACCHI.IT PERUGIA – FRAMASIL PINETO

Past encounters: 1 (Perugia won it)

First leg: Framasil Pineto - RPA-LuigiBacchi.it Perugia 0-3 (19-25, 21-25, 17-25)

Vincenzo Di Pinto (RPA-LuigiBacchi.it Perugia): “Pineto is a team that deserve respect, it will be a tough opponent for us. They need one point to be safe, but ehy’ve never really been threatened, thanks to the quality shown on court. They are used to fight with great aggressiveness and they live off a great couple of setter and outisde hitter (Rodriguinho – Rivaldo) around which the rest of the team rotate very well. As for us, we’ll try to take the three points in order to secure teh fourth place for good”.

Simone Buti (Framasil Pineto): “We’ll go there without any pressure, we’ll try to have a good game. We’ll obviously keep an eye on what happens in Forli, hoping for a positive outcome for us. Perugia is in great form right now. They already proved to be very strong in the ealrier this season when we met and I guess it will be much of the same at home. We’ll try to play our game, and get the maximum out of it”.

ACQUA PARADISO GABECA MONTICHIARI – LUBE BANCA MARCHE MACERATA

Past encounters: 31 (19-12 Macerata)

First leg: Lube banca Marche Macerata – Acqua Paradiso Gabeca Montichiari 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 25-18, 21-25, 15-12)

Enrico Marchioni (DS Acqua Paradiso Gabeca Montichiari):“We’re facing a very difficult game but we showed more than once that we could step up in this kind of games. I’m expecting my guys to play with great intensity in order to make it difficult for them. They are in great form and the table doesn’t lie. Macerata has great players and it can dig deep on the bench. Fortunately for them, De Giorgi will have everyone fit and will be able to rotate as he wishes to. But if we can play the way we did against Treviso, we could have our say”.

Ferdinando De Giorgi (Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “It will be a very tricky game against Montichiari. They won on Sunday with a good performance. I’ve seen them in great shape. We’ll go there ready to battle hard to defend our first place. This is another important step in our season”.

ANTONVENETA PADOVA - TONNO CALLIPO VIBO VALENTIA

Past encounters: 7 (1 successo Padova, 6 successi Vibo Valentia)

First leg: Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – Antonveneta Padova 3-2 (29-27, 15-25, 26-24, 23-25, 15-11)

Luis Diaz (Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia): “After Verona’s defeat against Pineto, our possibility to make it to the playoffs has increased. It will now all depend on our results, which is why we can’t afford to lose on Sunday. We should really not underestimate Padova who will surely play with great intensity despite the fact that they are already down”.

ITAS DIATEC TRENTINO – SISLEY TREVISO

Past encounters: 25 (5 successi Trento, 20 Treviso)

First leg: Sisley Treviso – Itas Diatec Trentino 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 25-27, 25-21)

Lukasz Zygadlo (Itas Diatec Trentino): “Treviso has been our bug bear for a few seasons now. There must be a purely technical reason to explain this. We struggle against Treviso in reception and in attack, because they are very effective on the serve and at the net. This makes our game less fluid. We must get on court without fear to get rid of this malediction. We must believe in ourselves. Our fans will do the rest. We shouldn’t be afraid of anyone when we play in our PalaTrento gym”.

Alberto Cisolla (Sisley Treviso): “We’re ready to play this last two games as if they were finals because we can’t afford not to reach the playoffs, so we need to take the points. We’ll start with Trento, tough opposition, who is in good form, and who’s always playing even better at home. It won’t be easy by any means but we showed all our determination in recent weeks, and we were very close to get all the points. On Sunday we’ll have to give that little extra, in terms of fighting spirit and intensity, in order to make it difficult for them in the main fundamentals of the game and try to win the first of these two finals that we’re facing to clinch a playoff spot”.