While Bologna prepares to welcome the Final Four Del Monte® Coppa Italia, with the Unipol Arena welcoming teams and fans on the weekend of 25 and 26 January, the four teams that will participate in the final act of the event, the one that will award the 47th edition of the tournament, are getting ever closer to Saturday’s event. The two Semi-finals will be broadcast live on Rai Sport, with a starting time of 4.15pm for the one between Sir Susa Vim Perugia and Rana Verona, while Itas Trentino and Cucine Lube Civitanova will take to the field starting from 6.30pm for the second Semi-final. The Final, however, will enjoy television coverage on Rai 2 for the occasion. Furthermore, all matches will be broadcast live on VBTV.
Below are the first statements from coaches and captains in view of the Final Four in Bologna.
Angelo Lorenzetti (coach Sir Susa Vim Perugia): “We’re finally here. The Final Four Del Monte® Coppa Italia is truly an exciting event. A true celebration of our sport. This time too we will try to play it with pride and to the best of our ability to be able to play for two days in that splendid setting. Aware of the difficulty that Verona will have in store for us, we want to play this Semi-final immediately with a fighting spirit.”
Simone Giannelli (captain Sir Susa Vim Perugia): “With Verona I expect a match where we will suffer a lot, certainly. They are excited, it’s the first time they’ve been to the Final Four of the Italian Cup, it will be a match with ups and downs so they’ll have to stay there and that’s the important thing; we will have to stay there above all technically and try to ensure that what happened from a technical point of view in the fourth set at the Eurosuole Forum on the last day of the championship does not happen again”.
Radostin Stoytchev (coach Rana Verona): “For us it is a historic event to participate in the Del Monte® Coppa Italia Final Four: it is a Semi-final that the team deserved thanks to a positive first part of the season and after a very complicated match against Piacenza but where we achieved an important result. Perugia is the strongest team of the last three, four years, the numbers say it. They are the best in Italy in the two fundamentals of serving, where they do 32% damage, and receiving, on which they are good at not taking aces. It is very difficult to put them in difficulty on serve and when it happens they resolve with a high ball attack, preventing their opponents from entering the series. It’s a team that is number one between receiving and serving and everything is built from here. We will do everything we can to put them in difficulty, aware of who we are playing against. We are working, we have everyone available, so we can train well. We must prepare the match well and take advantage of our chances.”
Rok Mozic (captain Rana Verona): “This is certainly a special week which takes us to the Final Four of the Italian Cup. We had never achieved such an important result since I arrived in Verona. I have always dreamed of playing these matches and we will have to give our best. It won’t be easy, Perugia is stronger, but sometimes even those who believe in it the most win. We won’t have to leave anything on the pitch and I’m looking at this match very positively. They will be under a bit of pressure because they have suffered two defeats, but I am sure they will react in the right way. We must face the challenge loosely, with a free mind and believe in ourselves and what we can do.”
Fabio Soli (coach Itas Trentino): “Saturday’s match against Civitanova represents a Final for us, on a par with the one that will be played the following day between the winners of the Semi-finals. It will be a match from which we can expect high-level emotional and technical content because we will be faced with a team currently in great shape and health, capable of expressing excellent numbers in all fundamentals. We want to face the match in Bologna expressing the best of ourselves.”
Riccardo Sbertoli (Itas Trentino)
Riccardo Sbertoli (captain Itas Trentino): “The Final Four Del Monte® Coppa Italia is always a beautiful event, in which it is a privilege to be able to take part both as a team and as an individual player. It’s a satisfaction to be there but we know that on Saturday against Civitanova it will be a very tough match, a real battle. We did well to overcome Lube in the Semi-final of the Club World Cup but I believe that that match played in Brazil just over a month ago will also be useful for our opponents to find them even more aggressive. It will be a challenge that will be decided on the last ball of the last set and all of this will make the weekend even more electrifying.”
Giampaolo Medei (coach Cucine Lube Civitanova): “It means a lot for the team to participate in the Final Four Del Monte® Coppa Italia. We wanted to continue our growth and test ourselves in such a prestigious event. Being in the Final Four is equally important for the Club because Lube deserves certain stages. We are satisfied to be there but not satisfied. We want to play all our cards, we are coming from a good moment, we are determined and we have the energy to prepare for the two days as best we can. In the Semifinal I expect to find a ready rival, with many experienced athletes used to winning matches of this type. As a result, it will be a very tough challenge. Even though Perugia and Trento have spent a lot of energy recently, on the eve of the event they remain the favorites for the title. Having said that, Lube has the means to be competitive and fight with everyone all the way.”
Fabio Balaso (captain Cucine Lube Civitanova): “This cup has been missing for a while, in the last three seasons we have failed to reach the Final Four. We arrive at the appointment aware of our means thanks to what we are showing on the pitch. We are confident after a truly important victory over league leaders Perugia. We will face the Semi-final against Trento, one of the favorite teams to win the trophy, certain of being able to put the Dolomites in difficulty. We know the value of Itas, the Semi-final of the Club World Cup went badly, but it helped us grow. We will give 100% on the pitch to reverse the predictions and we will try to chase the rosette with all our strength. Away from our field we have had continuity problems, but we expect a further step. Difficult challenges must be faced with the right head because anything can happen.”
Final Four Del Monte® Coppa Italia SuperLega
Unipol Arena di Bologna
Semifinal 1
Sabato 25 gennaio 2025, ore 16.15
Sir Susa Vim Perugia – Rana Verona
Diretta Rai Sport
Diretta VBTV
Semifinal 2
Sabato 25 gennaio 2025, ore 18.30
Itas Trentino – Cucine Lube Civitanova
Diretta Rai Sport
Diretta VBTV
Final
Domenica 26 gennaio 2025, ore 15.15
Vincente Semifinale 1 – Vincente Semifinale 2
Diretta Rai 2
Diretta VBTV
