Italian Cup Final Four Serie A1 – Serie A2 final
We’re just a few hours from the Italian Cup Final Four in Verona’s PalaOlimpia. It will all start with Trentino versus Treviso at 3.30. Stoytchev’s team has lost its last three cup encounters against Treviso. Piazza’s boys will try to keep this tradition alive. Cuneo versus Macerata will follow. In five cup meetings, Cuneo has won three but Macerata had the better in the last two, in the Final 2009 and semi-final 2008. Macerata won the trophy on both occasion. The final will be on Sunday.
Fixtures and refs
Saturday 22 January at 3.30pm
1st semi-final Serie A1 Live on Rai Sport 1
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
Itas Diatec Trentino – Sisley Treviso
(Pasquali-Sampaolo)
Saturday 22 January at 6pm
2nd semi-final Serie A1 Live on Rai Sport 1
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Lube Banca Marche Macerata
(Santi-Saltalippi)
Sunday 23 January at 6pm
Final Live on Rai Sport 1
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Cesare – Boris)
Itas Diatec Trentino – Sisley Treviso
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 29 (21-8 Treviso)
Dore Della Lunga (Itas Diatec Trentino): “This will be a very difficult but open game, like it is always the case in an in-or-out game. Being top of the league and undefeated will not matter anymore in Verona. The only thing that matters will be the win and play well. However, it won’t be easy to do so, Treviso will be able to play without pressure. If we really are the strongest team, here has come the moment to prove it. We want to win the Italian Cup so we can’t lose in the semis. This will be close to home, we’ll have a lot of fans, who we don’t want to disappoint”.
Roberto Piazza (Sisley Treviso): “We are extremely motivated for this semi-final, it’s great to play games like these, to feel the air of the big events. It’s in or out, the atmosphere will be different than in the league or the playoffs. These games have one logic, any result is possible. We are in good form, Trento too, but I think the pressure is on them who are the big favourite given their recent record and their results in the league. What can give us confidence is that they tend to struggle in in-or-out games, like we have seen in the V-Day or in the Super Cup, both lost against Cuneo. That can add up to the pressure for them, we’ll try to take advantage of that. One thing is for sure, this will be a great game, be that for the players, the fans at the gym or in front of the TV”.
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Lube Banca Marche Macerata
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 54 (28-26 Cuneo)
Wout Wijsmans (Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “We are up for this great event, this is very important for us. This was one of our targets and we have tried to prepare it as well as we could. Now, we’re there. It will be tough against Macerata, this is a strong team, of Trento’s level and ours. No disrespect to the other teams but I think these are the three most dangerous teams of the moment, the teams to beat. We have lost at home against Macerata in the league which proves how difficult it will be to play them. But we’re ready for it”.
Cristian Savani (Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “This Final Four has a very important trophy at stake, we are therefore very happy to be here, and we’ll do everything possible to do well. We play in Verona, 20 minutes from my home town, and that represents an extra motivation for me. Cuneo? There’s not much to say, very strong team, but Macerata is strong too. I don’t think you can make any predictions in such competition, anything can happen in one single game. The attitude will be crucial, we’ll have to avoid a poor start like the one on Wednesday against Vibo”.
Italian Cup A2
Ravenna and Santa Croce in the final
The Italian Cup Final A2 will take place in Verona’s PalaOlimpia on Sunday 23 at 2.30pm between Ravenna and Santa Croce. This will be a veteran of the category, Santa Croce, looking for its second A2 cup (it made the double cup + promotion in 2005), against a young team in this league, Ravenna, although it is used to the great events.
Sunday 23 January at 2.30pm
A2 Final
Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna – NGM Mobile Santa Croce Differed on Rai Sport 1 rom 9pm
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Vagni-Astengo)
Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna – NGM Mobile Santa Croce
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 3 (2-1 Ravenna)
Ravenna in the cup:
1 participation: 2009 – 2010 knocked out at the quarter final stage by Bologna.
Santa Croce in the cup:
14 participations and 1 triumph in 2004-05 against Corigliano.
Antonio Babini (coach Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna): “A final, in any competition that might be, always has its own story and it is never easy to make any predictions. Ravenna and Santa Croce manage to get there and therefore deserve praise. The court will decide who deserve to win it”.
Alessandro Pagliai (Sport Director NGM Mobile Santa Croce): “it’s been a particular week for us, we have worked an awful lot and we want to bounce back following our poor performance of Sunday against Genova. We’ll be facing a very strong team that has played excellent volleyball until now. The results and the league position makes it clear. It will be an interesting match up and we are proud to be in it. I’m sure we’ll give our best to try to win this prestigious trophy, Santa Croce really deserves it, the city has always lived this beautiful sport with great passion”.
