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Cuneo have not started the championship well, and the reason can be found among the setters. Right before this season they lost Grbic, a player they have been building a team around. They brought in Gonzalez and Coscione, but the former got injured, and the latter can only play in the next round. Freiriks came in as an alternative, and they have scored 0-2 with him so far, while Piazza used the other two in European competitions. Sokolov, who could decide games by himself, is gone from the offense, and it is clear Cuneo are struggling. In their last game vs Macerata, Latina have demonstrated they will once again be a tough nut to crack this year. They have plenty of experienced international players who know how to play games like these, and despite being underestimated they certainly have their chance today. The margin is a few points too low, and can easily be passed in my opinion. Details

Despite many changes, Trentino are playing very good volleyball. Led by Sokolov, they have Lanza and Ferreira, two young players eager to prove themselves, which definitely shows so far. Many wrote them off at the season opening, but they are proving to be top contenders. They have the great Birarelli in the block, their setters Santini and Suxho are getting along great with the offense, and they are looking better with every passing match. They won their last two without losing a set, and I believe we might see such an outcome today as well, as they are playing a Champions League game on Wednesday. Molfetta is a new team in the top league, and they can hardly take points in away games such as this one. I expect Trentino to win decisively, and will be taking a point handicap which should still be a few points higher. The more courageous among you may take a 3-0 win, which pays a bit more. Details

Citta Di Castello are returning to their arena in San Giustino today, where many teams have gone defeated, just as it was the case with the strong Piacenza. They fumbled vs Molfetta in the last round away game, and are going to try to make up for that today. This is especially true for opposite Van Walle, who did not give enough. Verona managed to surprise Cuneo in the last round, mostly due to the blocking line scoring 21 points, a figure they are unlikely to reach today. Verona are a young team with a bright future ahead of them, but I find it hard to believe they can put up much of a fight in an away game, especially vs a strong home team such as Citta Di Castello. Citta seem to be a better team with more options at the moment, and I believe they will score their second victory today. Details

The odds for Alba are going up, even though that doesn't make much sense. Alba are basically a Euroleague team - they're tough, especially when it comes to backcourt positions lead by Clff Hammonds. The point guard position used to always make the difference for Roma so far, especially thanks to Jordan Taylor's pick play. They won the games against teams that weren't too aggressive, but Alba are nothing like that. Roma's backcourt is best in offense, Taylor especially, but Baron and Goss as well. Alba will have to do without Radosevic, which is a disadvantage, especially when defending the pick. But, Wohlfarth proved to be a good substitute for Radosevic so that shouldn't cause any problems. On top of all of that, Alba's shooting efficiency is improving, Logan proved to be great, Redding as well in the last round. Let's not forget this Roma's fourth game in nine days, and substitutes D'Ercole, Moraschini, and Mbakwe are simply not at Alba's, or Europcup level for that matter. Details

Montegranaro still don't know what a win is, and I have a hard time believing that might change today. They have a lot of problems with the injuries since the season started, their tallest player under the basket, Campani, is out, and the back player Mitrovic and wing Collins only joined the trainings, so they can't expect a lot from them. They also have big problems with the jumps, and that's a battle they regularly lose. Reggiana have the amazing Cervi (212 cm), Brunner, and Silins under the basket, and also the wing White, who's a great athlete and has two-digits number of jumps per game. They're a strong team on the defense, with the national player, point guard Cinciniari, an excellent shooting guard Karl, and the ex-NBA player who's slowly coming back in shape, White. The home team will have a lot of problems there because due to an injured Coilins, they're only left with the substitute Dietrick and the young Perini. After losing with 34 points difference in the last round, and Reggiana knocking down Sena, I don't believe Montegranaro can get a good result here. Details

Verona are aware they are in for a very difficult game against Cuneo who are the top team in Italian volleyball. The home team have played solid two sets in the last round, but Vibo cannot be compared to Cuneo. They are still young and inexperienced and there is no hiding it. Their only real assets are the opposite Gasparini and receiver Ter Horst. Cuneo are coming in a tricky time as they have lost their first round game and there are some allegations that only a win here would be the answer. They played in the CEV Cup during the week, they beat Nantes away which proved that Freiriks is slowly getting his hitters into order. Rouzier showed quality against Perugia in the first round, and Rauwerdink came here after Euro in solid form. All in all, I don't see how Verona could surprised the 'pumped-up' Cuneo who are coming to get all 3 points. Details

Citta di Castello have gathered quite a respectable team, its core has stayed intact and the newcomers have become real reinforcements. But no one expected them to get all three points against the strong Piacenza. They played an excellent game and took advantage of their opponents' poor start of the season. Now they are facing their old friends from second division - Molfetta. They haven't exactly improved from last season, they lost some crucial players and got some good replacements, but their whole team was changed and it will take some time for them to get organized. They are very reliant on their opposite Sabbi, and it's really hard to play with only one real hitter. Citta kept its team intact and this is their biggest advantage. These teams played 3 times last season and Citta won all three games and I see no reason that wouldn't happen today. Details

It's completely clear Milano didn't start the season as expected. They're a team full of strong individuals, but lack the team play at the moment. Backcourt Jerrells-Langford-Aradori is powerful offensively, but without a good flow of the ball, they lose quality because everything comes down to man-to-man game. Injuries messed up Milano badly, they lost Kangur for at least a month, and Gigli also got injured, so they don't have a real player under the basket except for Samuels. Melli and Chotti don't have the quality, and C.J.Wallace is not in a good shape, and doesn't do much on the offense, so we could see Moss on that position. He's only 193cm tall, though. Now they're facing an extremely uncomfortable defense by Zalgiris. The experienced Javtokas and Jankunkas dominate under the basket, and Milano will have a lot of trouble there. Lipkevicius will be tasked with guarding Langford, who proved to be the home team's most dangerous player. Jasikevicius will go to Jerrells and make the already difficult ball pass even harder. Considering this is one of the key games for any ambitions, and the only way for Zalgiris to come close to the win is with rhythm control and the jump, it's hard to see Milano over the given margin. Details

Today's game should be a cat-and-mouse story. Piacenza haven't changed much, they only reinforced their ranks with Kalider and Le Roux. They suffered a shocking defeat against Citta Di Castello but they are not as weak as the odds would suggest. In addition, this game is even more important in terms of regaining confidence. The club state that they will not take this game lightly, despite the fact that the are touted as the favorites, and they are ready for ACH. Some Piacenza's players have more experience than the entire Slovenian team. Captain Zlatanov said that they will go for it from the start. The Slovenians have rejuvenated their team this year, because of financial problems. It is also being said that they haven't gotten their salaries in a while, but this is less important at the moment. As they are a young and inexperienced team, their talk ahead of this game revolves around them not wanting to burn themselves in this game, as they are here to gather experience. The stake would be higher if this was in mid-season, but I still expect Piacenza to take things seriously from the start, so this handicap is definitely worth taking. Details

Zenit are arriving to Macerata fully prepared for the competition, and that is extremely important for this bet at the moment. They've played 11 games in the Russian Cup, and the last one was vs Belgorod in the Supercup. They held a two set advantage only to lose the next three. Macerata and Zenit both have a new setter, but it is obvious that Baranowicz is taking much longer to adjust to Macerata than the legendary Grbic to Zenit. The Italians are still making many mistakes, especially on the serve, and Zenit do not forgive such errors. They largely depend on Zaytsev and Kurek, and if one of those is shut down, Macerata will be in big trouble. The Russians have four players who won the gold in the recent European Championship against the very Italians (Apalikov, Sivozhelez, Verbov, Mikhailov). There are also players who contributed to winning the World League; Kazakov, Volkov, Kobzar, Abrosimov, and if we add the American national team member Anderson to those, it becomes quite clear how powerful this team is. They are a much bigger favorite than the odds tell. Details

Roma are playing their today's game on neutral ground in Bologna, due to a suspension from last season. They didn't start the season well and they have huge problems on offense. Coach Dalmonte keeps repeating they're still not completely fit and they lack power. All of the offensive burden in two games played fell on Goss and Hosley, while Mbakwe did the work under the basket. They played Eurocup in midweek, which certainly didn't help them, considering their fitness problem. Now they're facing an athletically powerful team that beat Milano in the first game. They are led by internationals Dyson, Lewis, Snaer, James, Todic, Aminu. Their good form from the preseason was carried over to the league, and they're very dangerous. Lewis and James will create big problems for the Goss-Hosley twosome, since they are bigger and stronger, yet mobile and quick at the same time. Brindisi shouldn't have many problems under the basket, since Aminu and Todic proved to be a very good pair. Altogether, considering the aspects of form, matchup and fatigue, Brindisi certainly have a good chance today. Details

Although Pesaro surprised Avellino in the first round, they didn't impress me one bit. Avellino played a very bad match, their defense was non-existent, and they lost the rebound battle with Pesaro's not that tall line. Musso, Turner and Young are Pesaro's biggest guns, while the solid Teasoli and Oberah are under the hoop. Today they're up for a very difficult task because they will be hosting the defensively strong Caserta who left Venezia in the first round at 65 points. They are a team in which everyone is playing aggressive defense and don't allow their opponent one bit of space. It's against Pesaro's best players that we will see three Caserta's best players: Hannah, Roberts and Moore. They've shown in the first round that defense is number one for them, and only after that do they focus on the offense. When you add Brooks to them, who last year played great defense in Cantuo, then it's clear that Pesaro will have a hard time scoring more than 78 shots. Details

I can´t shake the feeling that Vibo will continue their good scores from the pre-season. Regardless of being weakened in comparison to the previous season, they still did not get beaten in 11 matches so far played. No going around that information, since the confidence amassed in the preseason is essential for good performances in the regular part of the season. Their team is experienced, spearheaded by Gavott and Ogurcak, and I expect them to win at home today. Verona were appallingly bad last season, this season their team has improved, but with so many young players on the team, you can’t expect any miracles in the regular season onset. Their experienced reinforcements, Bonifante and Gasparini will tip the balance in this game. They had 7 defeats in 8 matches up to now, and it is already clear that they will again rarely win this season. A minus on this bet is the absence of the receiver Cisolla and the libero Farina so I´d recommend a lower stake. Details

Virtus Roma are much weaker this year, as the Datome-Lawal axis left the team. The scoring deficit was partially made up by the arrival of forward Hosley, but they are still pretty thin under the rim, as Eziukwu and Mbakwe just don't have the quality. Roma was not an offensively productive team last year either, though they did get to the finals. They were under 75 points vs stronger rivals on a regular basis, often even under 70. They entered this season with a lot of problems, as Jones had issues with his passport, missing most of the preparations, and is still not allowed to play the championship. Coach Dalmonte can use him in the Eurocup, but his contribution is questionable since he is out of rhythm. Their best player, Taylor, is not fully ready due to an injury, so he played only 16 minutes in the championship so far. Roma barely managed to beat the weak Montegranaro, but more importantly, they only managed to score 78 points vs a defensively bad team. Gravelines started the championship with mixed success, but they did demonstrate that defense is their forte. They left their opponents at 64 and 69 points, and the same strength was displayed in the preparations as well. Lewis, Camara and McGhee close the paint well, and Diawara will cause a lot of problems for the opposing guards. As this is the first game, both teams want a victory, and as their games usually stay at low scores, I don't believe Roma can go over 77. Details

Siena have had a very good start of the season, pounding Varese with 81 in the Supercup and Cremona with 97 in the championship, but regardless of that, I don't think they will get anywhere near the 75.5 points margin today. The reason is the Galatasaray defense, one of the best defensive lineups in the game. Proof of that are their opponents' scores so far: Besiktas 67, Aliaga 63, Usak 67, Fenerbahce 64, Anadolu Efes 67. It is very clear that Siena will not get to run and gun the way they did vs Cremona, as Galata will slow them down as much as possible. Hackett is in for a hard evening as Ataman will probably stick Gordon on him, one of the best defense guards, and if needed Domercant is there as well. Aroyo will follow Green and English, players who lack a good overview of the game and like to take a lot of bad shots, and lose balls. Closing off Siena's forward Carter is the key to this bet, and Galata have solutions for this as well, Markoishvili and Akyol. Siena are weakest in the paint, with Nelson as their best man under the rim, and Galata have antidotes for him in Dagli and Jawai. Ress could be dangerous with his perimeter shots, but there are Aldemir, Macvan and Erceg to solve that, and I'm convinced Ataman will completely shut down that part of the game for Siena. Looking at the big picture, I just don't know how a team with six first timers in their first euro game everyone is eagerly anticipating, can score more than 75 points to one of the best defenses in Europe. Interestingly, they played each other three times in the preseason period, with Siena scoring 82 at the start of the period, and 63 and 75 in the other two games. In a game as important as this one, I see Siena at around 70 points. CSKA demonstrated in the preparation period what Siena can do vs a strong defensive team, leaving them at 47 points. Galata for the win also seems a good option for a somewhat smaller bet. Details

Varese were an offensively potent team last season, scoring 81 points per game on average. Three important players have left the team, Green, Dunston and Banks. They were averaging half of those points, 41 to be precise. Their replacements are good individually, but the qualifications for Euroleague and Supercup have shown that they haven't adapted to the team yet. At times they looked lost on the court, playing one-on-five without any ball movement. Sakota's injury is another problem, since Scekic and Hassell haven't proved to be a threat under the rim. In the aforementioned games they scored 66 and 73 points, and, in my opinion, they are now facing a team with much better defense. Reggio Emilia were the top defending team last season, allowing 72.6 points per game. Varese like fast-paced basketball, but lack of team chemistry and injuries prevent them from playing the way they want. Reggio Emilia's defense has been strengthened by Karlo, Frassineti and White. At 203 cm, White is a former NBA small forward who won't have any problems guarding Polonara and Ebi, the main threats in Varese. Karl has fit in well in the team's defending system and, if he stops Coleman, Varese are highly unlikely to go over the point limit. Reggio Emilia allowed over 79 points just once during the preseason (80 against Cremona in overtime), while the mighty CSKA were left at 64. I don't see how out-of-form Varese can possibly go over this limit. Details

Trentino were dominating every aspect of the Italian volleyball in the last seasons. This season will be different since these are no longer the same Trentino that won everything they possibly could. Coach who created the super team, Stoyhcev, left the club after six years. He decided to take Turskish club Halkbank over and took Trentino's key players along - Kaziyski, Juantoren, Djuric, and Raphael. Stokr, Bari, Uchikov, and Chrtianksy Jr. left the club as well. Only five players from last seasons are still there, Italian internationals Birarelli, Lanza, and Burgsthaler are among the ones worth mentioning. Brilliant Tsvetan Sokolov can be regarded as a good signing, but the rest of the team are just not there. Macerata have been through changes as well, but not as much as Trentino. Savani, Travica, and Pajenk left the team, but the players that were brought in to replace them are considered to be even better. Setter Baranowicz has a lot of talent, and the fact he's acquainted with Zaytsev, Parodi, and Kovar from the national team is a great advantage. Great receiver Kurek stepped in for Savani. Blocking duo Podrascanin-Stankovic are already working together well, but also with the other three national team players who all know each other very well. Macerata are at this point the team that work together much better. They are playing the role of the favorite for the championship title for a reason. Trentino are third with much worse odds. Both teams only had a few days to prepare with the whole team, and that is why Macerata's better teamwork should surface as an advantage, and decide the match. If the match wasn't taking place at Trentino's arena, the wager would be much higher. Because of that, I decided on a moderate wager. Details

Arkasspor managed to win a new country champions title last year. After the regular part of the competition they were back to back with the strengthening Halkbank but in the final series they were better. The coach is still the Canadian Glenn Hoag but the great Agamez is gone as well as Bravo, Subasi and Hansen. The Slovenians Kamnik and Urnaut arrived with Gavin Schmitt but he broke his leg so they brought in the Finn Urpo Sivula at the last moment. They are still a respectable team but this season it won't be easy for them. In Halkbank they can be satisfied with the previous season because they won the Turkey Cup and CEV Cup. This year their goal is to win all of the competitions they are in and first to come is the Supercup. The leaders definitely made sure those goals become reality because the team that Halkbank have is terrifying. Radostin Stoychev is the new coach and he brought with him basically entire Trentino - Kaziyski, Juantorena, Raphael and Djuric. They played together for years and coordination definitely won't be a problem. Their advantage are not only foreigners but also excellent Turkish players. Burutay Subasi came from Arkass and there are also the middle blocker Emre Batur and libero Nuri Sahin, all of them former or current national team players. In the Turkish media are saying that the teams will fight for the second place because it is obvious who will win the league, which is a sufficient indicator of the strength this team has. The bet is only 4 units because of low availability and the clean win of Halkbank is payed with excellent 1.40 and it is ideal for a combo ticket. Details

Russia are on the verge of their "Holy Grale" - the European Champions title. This mighty volleyball nation has won everything there is and today they want to go all the way in order to complete their trophy collection. Some of the players from this team (Mikhaylov, Grankin, Musersky, Apalikov, Ilynikh) won the bronze medal two years ago and now they have a chance to do better. After the defeat against Germany, Russia have comfortably won five games in a row, losing only three sets on the way. They dropped one set yesterday, but only because they got complacent. They dominated the match against Serbia by taking the advantage of their players' height. They will try to do the same thing against the Italians. Apalikov and giant Muserskiy have been blocking quite dominantly putting those 218 cm to a good use, Pavlov is probably the best opposite of the tournament and Spiridonov and Sivozheles can decide a match at any given moment. They're going to use serve to put Zaytsev under pressure because he tends to make a lot of errors in these situations. Russians have many games of this type under their belts, while Italians have been playing with 8 players who hadn't played at the European Championship before and it could be crucial. In addition, the Italians have been having injury problems. Savani played yesterday, but he was obviously injured so he was substituted. Parodi came in and played a good game, but it's unsure whether he has any energy left after that match. An additional bonus for this tip is the fact that the Russians have had more time to recuperate. For them, this is a historical moment, a great chance which they're definitely not going to miss. Details

I can't help but to think that Italy are being overrated and their opponents and their abilities are being overlooked. The Italians have played their best match yet against the Netherlands, and were impressive in the block, a feat that they are probably not going to pull off again today. A big issue is Savani's injury because he is the most experienced played in the team having played on the Euro five times. Vettori had a good match as his substitute, but when he plays Zaytsev moves to the receiver position. The game against the Netherlands was not easy, but it provided a boost of confidence. Finland, on the other hand, rested and analyzed their next opponent. Their coach Sammelvuo is known as a great analyst and his scouting of opponents is superb. They have been playing together for a long time, they like to play fast volleyball and it will be interesting to see how the Italian block will react. Sivula has had a great tournament, while the setter Esko, receiver Slitala and middle blocker Oivanen have over 200 caps for their national team each. That could prove to be a decisive factor since the Italians have 8 debutants, and Savani's injury is also a blow. Berruto was Finland's main coach from 2005 to 2010 and knows them well. They are teams of even strength and we are probably going to see a close match. Tensions will be high because after this match there is no re-do. Last year at the Olympics Italy won 3-2, but considering everything, betting on the handicap for Finland seems the best option. Details