The SuperLega Boxing Day is upon us and Rana Verona is preparing to face Cucine Lube Civitanova, the current fifth force in the championship. A few days before the Eurosuole Forum challenge, scheduled for Tuesday 26 December at 3.30 pm, Coach Stoytchev spoke at a press conference to present the commitment.
“The one against Civitanova represents a special match for us – began the Scaliger coach – because last season, in the Play Off phase, they managed to overturn the series and win against us. This left us with bad memories, and knowing that Civitanova is a team built with great players and a very large staff, we will have to have an important approach. I would like to see the team very determined, ambitious and eager to win a high-level away match. De Cecco plays very fast, uses central defenders well, like Chinenyeze, who is a point of reference. Lagumdzija, Nikolov and Zaytsev are strong in batting, then there are three/four other high-level bench players in attack. They know each other well, they have well-tested mechanisms, they know how the ball travels and how to take the right position. We must work well in the next few days and put in a lot of positive energy. Defense is fundamental and position recovery without the ball is also fundamental.”
Then he continued: “The two victories are good for the morale of the players, they should produce even more hunger. We must take a step forward with our heads and be aware that work done with concentration on the pitch pays off. Every day you have to come home with something more. Decisive for the Italian Cup? Like all the others because the matches that could decide entry into the cup were those against Padova, Monza, Piacenza, where we could do better. I don’t give a higher weight or value to one game or another. For me they are all important, I am interested in us entering the field straight away, not thinking about what happens at the end of the set, but giving everything we have. Civitanova aims high, so I have no doubts about their approach to the match. They need the points, as do we.”
Coach Stoytchev then underlined: “De Cecco, Balaso, Anzani, Chinenyeze also know each other outside, they have suffered together in different championships; so when you can keep most of the team for so many years, it becomes easy to recognize the moments. We are building it. Mozic must take his responsibilities now that he is captain and he knows it, Spirit also because he is the most experienced player on our team because he has been here for many years.
