The countdown begins for the first test of the Cucine Lube Civitanova in the 2024/25 preseason. Tomorrow (Saturday 31 August, 5pm), at the Eurosuole Forum, the collective of coaches Giampaolo Medei will face a regional derby in joint training with free entry with Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina, a team newly promoted to the SuperLega Credem Banca. It will be the first of three technical sessions shared with the men coached by Massimiliano Ortenzi: the second appointment with Yuasa is scheduled for Friday 6 September away, while the third act will be played on Wednesday 11 September within friendly walls in Civitanova Marche. The two clubs have met numerous times in the past in the pre-season, always to test their respective levels of preparation. In the 2024/25 season the two teams will also compete in the Regular Season for the three points.
The complete roster of Grottazzolina:
Tsimafei Zhukouski (P), Oleg Antonov (S), Marco Cubito (C), Riccardo Vecchi (S), Danny Demyanenko (C), Andrea Mattei (C), Francesco Comparoni (C), Dusan Petkovic (O), Michele Fedrizzi (L), Manuele Marchiani (P), Andrea Romiti (P), Diego Foresi (L), Gabrijel Cvanciger (O), Georgi Tatarov (S), Andrea Marchisio (L).
Probable absences among the opponents
Petkovic, who is in Serbia on leave, and the unavailable Vecchi will not take part in the test. The two born in 2007, Foresi and Romiti, are unlikely to be with the group.
The exes of the challenge
Giampaolo Medei (head coach Cucine Lube Civitanova): “The face-to-face match with Grottazzolina will be joint training, but it will end with a classic regulation match because we are in a phase of intense work and I prefer to test the boys with the simulation of a match to change the daily routine which is very tough both mentally and physically. I think this choice will prove important for the group. The roster is complete, with the exception of Adis Lagumdzija, expected in the first days of September. I’ll have everyone around, maybe I’ll evaluate the conditions of Barthelemy Chinenyeze, the last athlete to join this week. From a technical point of view the volume of work is important, I cannot expect quality. We won’t be 100%, but we will test the attitude, the cohesion of the collective and the team spirit, very interesting indications for the continuation of the work”.
