There are a few interesting clashes in this weekend’s second leg of the Italian men’s SuperLega Credem Banca season, but the programme is probably highlighted by a duel between two teams that made an excellent start with straight-set victories last weekend. Mint Vero Volley Monza will host Sir Susa Vim Perugia on Sunday, October 29, at 19:30 local time (18:30 UTC) as both stellar squads try to score their second wins and possibly take control of the top of the current standings.

• Watch Italy’s SuperLega Credem Banca live and on demand on VBTV.

Led by their Canadian strikers Stephen Maar and Arthur Szwarc and Japanese star Ran Takahashi, Vero Volley hammered out a convincing away shutout of last season’s silver medallists Cucine Lube Civitanova to produce the first major upset of the season. Meanwhile, 2022-2023 regular season winners and reigning club world champions Sir had an easier task at home against visiting SuperLega rookies Farmitalia Catania and, with Cuban opposite Jaime Herrera and middle blockers Flavio Gualberto of Brazil and Sebastian Sole of Argentina leading the scoring, managed an expected sweep of their opening match.

“I think we played a good game,” said Sir’s new Italian addition Tim Held, who came in as a sub and fired three aces during his first official appearance with the team.  “Now we need to continue the path we have taken and remain positive also because next Sunday we go to Monza and then there is the Supercoppa Italiana, a nice tour de force, which we must arrive at in the best conditions.”

The team from Monza are now on a five-game winning streak, after finishing the previous season with four victories in a row. In the last one of those, they managed a 3-2 away victory over the squad from Perugia in the final for the fifth place and snatched the last Italian ticket to this season’s European Cups. Their last loss before the successful run also came in a match against Sir, when the team from Perugia downed them in straight sets in Monza during the round-robin phase of the race for the fifth place. Overall, Sir have won 21 of their 26 encounters with Vero Volley, all played over the past nine SuperLega seasons.

The SuperLega weekend will open on Saturday with another big game between teams that will be chasing their second victories of the season. Rana Verona will welcome Valsa Group Modena at 18:00 local time (16:00 UTC). Last Sunday, Iranian opposite Amin Esmaeilnezhad and Slovenian outside Rok Mozic fueled the squad from Verona to a four-set win at Gioiella Prisma Taranto, while Russian opposite Maksim Sapozhkov and outsides Osmany Juantorena and Belarus’s Uladzislau Davyskiba powered the team from Modena to a tough 3-2 home win over Allianz Milan.

Saturday’s programme will offer one more game. Defending champions Itas Trentino Trento entertain Gioiella Prisma Taranto at 20:30 local time (18:30 UTC).

Sunday’s competition day will open with a game between hosts Pallavolo Padova Padua and visitors Cucine Lube Civitanova, with both sides looking to win their first sets of the season. That match starts at 15:00 local time (14:00 UTC). An hour and a half later is the starting time of a big match between last season’s semifinalists Allianz Milan and Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza. The second leg will conclude with newcomers Farmitalia Catania’s first home game in the SuperLega and Cisterna Volley, who stopped just short of upsetting Trentin in a five-set first-leg match. Sunday’s lat match starts at 21:00 (20:00).

SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024 2nd leg schedule:
Oct 28, 18:00 local (16:00 UTC): Rana Verona v Valsa Group Modena
Oct 28, 20:30 local (18:30 UTC): Itas Trentino Trento v Gioiella Prisma Taranto
Oct 29, 15:00 local (14:00 UTC): Pallavolo Padova Padua v Cucine Lube Civitanova
Oct 29, 16:30 local (15:30 UTC): Allianz Milan v Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza
Oct 29, 19:30 local (18:30 UTC): Mint Vero Volley Monza v Sir Susa Vim Perugia
Oct 29, 21:00 local (20:00 UTC): Farmitalia Catania v Cisterna Volley

SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024: full schedule and results

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