Santo Stefano is tinged with yellow at San Filippo, where the toucans will welcome Conad Reggio Emilia welcoming them with the game shirt of that color, a tribute to Atlantide’s tenth anniversary in Serie A.
The guests of Christmas 2023 are coming off three consecutive defeats out of a total of eight, five of which however came at the end of as many tie-breaks and give the measure of how coach Fanuli’s 6+1 is reluctant to give up. The Emilians have accumulated a treasure of 16 points, two less than Brescia, which is currently placed in sixth place in a ranking that hosts six positions in the space of those two points.
The numbers don’t lie and seem to say that Conad – dominator of the 2021 Play Offs with Roberto Cominetti – is a formidable opponent who is only preparing the best offensive structure. The December market offers support to this theory, since the arrival of Alessandro Preti has been made official, returning from the United Arab Emirates where he started the season and landing on Thursday in Reggio to shore up a respectable roster. The brightest star is that of Cristoph Marks, shining from place two already last season in Fano in A3 – when he played with Stefano Ferri – and at the top of the ranking of the most effective spikers again this year. The direction is in the hands of Sperotto, while the high ball attacking department counts on Mariano, Suraci and Gasparini. At the center are the talents of Volpe and Bonola, with Caciagli and Sesto ready on the bench; Poconi and Torchia play the role of libero.
For coach Zambonardi it will be “a perfect challenge to keep the public glued to the seats at San Filippo. Conad has strong players with great character and the arrival of Preti confirms the desire of the Emilians to redeem a good match, but which does not yet express their full potential. It will be a match between equals, to be enjoyed point by point. My players are recovering energy and calm after the last two away matches and are working well in the gym, with great attention to the details that need to be improved from a technical and tactical point of view.”
