Cucine Lube Civitanova is playing at home for its first chance to return to the Scudetto final in a year. On Saturday, April 18 (at 6:00 p.m., live on Rai Sport, DAZN, VBTV, and Radio Arancia), the red and whites will host Rana Verona in Game 4 of the semifinals. This is a golden opportunity for Giampaolo Medei’s men, who managed to take a 2-1 series lead against Verona thanks to a comeback in the third round in Verona, recovering from a two-set deficit. This feat, thanks in part to a sold-out Eurosuole, already earns them a place among Sir Susa Scai Perugia, the first team to reach the SuperLega final with a clean sweep against Monza and Piacenza.
Celebrity matches are the natural habitat for the Cucine Lube team, but the significance of what captain Fabio Balaso and his teammates are achieving is remarkable. Civitanova finished the Regular Season in sixth place and, after taking the illustrious scalp of Itas Trentino, the third-place team in the first phase, is putting Verona under pressure. Verona, the Coppa Italia champions, finished a remarkable regular season in second place, eight points ahead of the team from the Marche.
Saturday will be an even more special event for setter Mattia Boninfante, making his 100th appearance in the SuperLega, and for middle blocker Marko Podrascanin, who, with just two points, can snatch sixth place overall from Luigi Mastrangelo (4,699 goals scored) in the all-time ranking of the most prolific middle blockers in the top division.
Serving efficiency and solid reception could make the difference, but when attackers like Nikolov, Loeppky, and Bottolo face off against Darlan, Keita, and Mozic, every single exchange can spark excitement. The red wall of Predators fans will be there to fuel the Italian runners-up from start to finish. A victory would see Lube reach the Finals for the eighth time in the last nine playoffs. If they don’t, the team would be forced to seek a decisive away victory in the playoffs for the second straight season.
