Midweek SuperLega excitement as Kaziyski faces ex-teammates

This week offers double delight for Italian SuperLega Credem Banca fans as two legs of matches are coming up, one on Wednesday and one during the weekend. After one of the fifth-leg games was played in advance last week, the remaining five are set to take place this Wednesday, November 15, with the iconic Matey Kaziyski and his current team Allianz Milan hosting his former teammates from reigning champions Itas Trentino Trento in the highlight of the day.

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

Just last Sunday, Allianz registered their first win of the season, also at home, against the other finalists from last season, Cucine Lube Civitanova, in straight sets and are now expecting Trentino with a boost of confidence and increased appetite ahead of Wednesday’s big encounter set to start at 20:30 local time (19:30 UTC). 39-year-old Bulgarian star Kaziyski and his teammates pushed themselves up from the bottom of the current table to climb to 10^th place on a 1-3 win-loss record and four points.

Meanwhile, Trentino defeated Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza on Saturday, thus remaining the only unbeaten team since the start of the season. They are on 4-0 and 10 points in second place, two points below Mint Vero Volley Monza (4-1), and, should they take the three points in Milan on Wednesday, they are sure to take over the top of the standings.

It will be the first time former Trentino captain Kaziyski goes head to head with his former teammates like current captain Marko Podrascanin or top-calibre Italian internationals Riccardo Sbertoli, Alessandro Michieletto and Daniele Lavia since his transfer to Allianz this spring, where he is in the company of another constellation of teammates like Argentina’s Agustin Loser and Japan’s Yuki Ishikawa and rising stars like Belgium’s Ferre Reggers.

The club from Milan has so far won only two of the 22 encounters with the club from Trento. The last time was in February 2021, when Kaziyski had not returned to Trentino yet, but current Trentino players like Sbertoli or Slovenian middle blocker Jan Kozamernik were defending the Allianz colours. With the Bulgarian standout on the roster, Trentino won the last six meetings with the Milan opponents, but three of the four most recent matches were decided in tie-breaker fifth sets. Maybe it is Kaziyski that can make the difference in favour of Allianz this time.

Wednesday’s competition day will start at 18:00 local time (17:00 UTC) with the only winless team in the league by now, Gioiella Prisma Taranto, hosting reigning club world champions and Supercoppa Italiana laureates Sir Susa Vim Perugia, currently third on 3-1 and 10 points.

The day’s other games all start at 20:30 (19:30). Fourth-placed Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza (3-1) welcome seventh-placed Cisterna Volley (1-3), eight-placed Valsa Group Modena (2-2) entertain ninth-placed Pallavolo Padova Padua (2-2), while sixth-placed Cucine Lube Civitanova (2-2) take on visiting rookies Farmitalia Catania (1-3), standing 11^th in the table.

SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024 5th leg schedule:
Nov 15, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Gioiella Prisma Taranto v Sir Susa Vim Perugia
Nov 15, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Cucine Lube Civitanova v Farmitalia Catania
Nov 15, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza v Cisterna Volley
Nov 15, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Allianz Milan v Itas Trentino Trento
Nov 15, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Valsa Group Modena v Pallavolo Padova Padua
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SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024: full schedule and results

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