The Men's Volleyball World Club Championship is at the business end of the group stage with just two more matches to go. Ahmedabad Defenders vs Sir Sicoma Perugia is the final Pool game of the six matches.
Ahmedabad, which became the first Indian club to participate in the Club World Championship, suffered a straight-game defeat against Brazilian club Itambe Minas in the first match of Pool A.
Italian giants Sir Sicoma Perugia started their campaign with an emphatic win (25-18, 26-24, 25-22) against Minas in a quest to defend their championship crown.
Muthusamy Appavu-led Ahmedabad Defenders will have their task cut out against the reigning champions on Friday. A win with a formidable point ratio will keep them in contention for a semi-final berth.
Sir Sicoma Perugia's win against Minas saw some terrific blocks and spikes. Simeone Gianelli, the Perugia setter, will be the impetus in creating attacking opportunities to expose the gaps, something Ahmedabad struggled with in their first game. The Italian club is prudent with their blocking abilities.
The Ahmedabad Defenders vs Sir Sicoma Perugia match will determine the two semi-finalists from Pool A. Let's take a look at the details of the match.
Ahmedabad Defenders vs Sir Sicoma Perugia: Match Details
Match Details: Ahmedabad Defenders vs Sir Sicoma Perugia
Date & Time: December 8, 2023, 8:30 pm IST
Venue: Koramangala Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru
Ahmedabad Defenders vs Sir Sicoma Perugia: Head-to-Head
The Ahmedabad Defenders and Sir Sicoma Perugia will face each other for the very first time on a volleyball court. The Indian club is in this annual event by the dint of being crowned as the Prime Volleyball 2023 champions, whereas the Italian club won the eight-month-long Superlega in the 2022-23 season.
Ahmedabad Defenders vs Sir Sicoma Perugia Squads
Ahmedabad Defenders
Muthusamy Appavu (c), Ukkrapandian Mohan, Tamilvanan Srikanth, Ramanathan Ramamoorthy, Max Senica (overseas), Amit Gulia, Azmath Ullah, Santosh Sahaya Anothoni Raj, Nandagopal Subramaniyam, Ashwal Rai, Shameemudheen Ammarambath, Srajan Shetty, Parth Patel, Manoj Manjunatha.
Coach: Dakshinamoorthy Sundaresan
Sir Sicoma Perugia
Davide Candellaro, Tim Held, Simeone Giannelli, Jesus Herrera, Alessandro Toscani, Wilfredo Leon, Wassim Ben, Sebastian Sole, Massimo Colaci, Flavio Resende, Kamil Semeniuk, Oleh Plotnytskyi, Roberto Russo, Gregor Ropret
Coach: Angelo Lorenzeeti
Ahmedabad Defenders vs Sir Sicoma Perugia: Predicted starting lineup
Ahmedabad Defenders
Muthusamy Appavu, Amit Gulia, Ramaswamy Angamuthu, Lakshmipuram Manjunatha Manoj, Ashwal Rai, Senica Max
Sir Sicoma Perugia
Simeone Giannelli, Flavio Resende, Sebastian Sole, Oleh Plotnytskyi, Kamil Semeniuk, Wilfredo Leon
Ahmedabad Defenders vs Sir Sicoma Perugia Prediction
Sir Sicoma Perugia will enter the contest as the favorite. However, the tag of a defending champion can have a psychological impact. Ahmedabad pushed Itambe to close margins in the first two games but the scenario can be different against the Perugia outfit.
Prediction: Sir Sicoma Perugia is expected to win.
Ahmedabad Defenders vs Sir Sicoma Perugia: Live telecast details and channel list
TV: Sony Ten1 and Sony Ten3
Live Streaming: FanCode app