Sofia, Bulgaria, May 31, 2018 – The coaches of Australia, Serbia, Russia and hosts Bulgaria expect difficult matches between strong teams in Sofia, during the second week of the men's FIVB Volleyball Nations League from Friday to Sunday.
Plamen Konstantinov, coach of Bulgaria: "First of all I want to say: Welcome! to all my colleagues and to wish them good luck not only here but during the whole Volleyball Nations League! I’m happy because the big volleyball is back in Sofia. I hope our great fans will help us during the matches against these strong teams. We will try to please them with good games and wins. All teams have problems with injured players but this didn’t make the teams weaker. I hope my players will show growth after the first tournament in Ningbo and achieve good results!"
Nikola Grbic, coach of Serbia: "In the first week of the tournament we played against really good teams and we lost two of our matches. Here in Sofia, we will face more strong opponents and it will be tough for sure. I hope my team will play better than last week and achieve good results. It will be tough, but we are ready for this challenge."
Sergei Shliapnikov, coach of Russia: "I’m really happy to be in Bulgaria again. We formed our squad just 10 days before the start of the VNL. Unfortunately, we have a lot of players with injuries and we will give a chance to some of our young guys to show what they can do. Above all, our main goal is to play well and to win in every match. We will give our best in this tournament."
Mark Lebedev, coach of Australia: "For me it is a pleasure to be in Bulgaria for the matches of the Volleyball Nations League. It’s my first time in Sofia and everything is perfect. I expect really tough matches against some of the best teams in the world. The Volleyball Nations League is difficult and so interesting a tournament because we have the opportunity to play against 15 different teams in five weeks and five cities around the world. This is a great adventure and wonderful opportunity for us to show what we can do against the best teams on the planet."