Lausanne, Switzerland, June 23, 2015 – Serbia have played Italy 26 times in the FIVB World League, including two this year, and the rivalry is both intense and close, with Serbia edging Italy in the number of wins 14 at 12.
The two teams face each other again this weekend on Friday in Novi Sad and on Sunday in Belgrade.
“We know each other very well and the matches against Italy for us are very important,” said Serbia opposite Aleksandar Atanasijevic. “We want to book our tickets to the Final Tournament with two wins. I think that the second spot in the group will help us reach the semifinals easier.
“Italy play better as the time passes by and their first match against Brazil in Rome proves that. I believe that the matches in Novi Sad and Belgrade will be similar to the matches with Brazil and that our outstanding fans will carry us to victory.”
Over the past two seasons, Atanasijevic was the best player in the Italian Championship and Italian coach Mauro Berutto will no doubt be paying particular attention to the second-best Serbian scorer in this year’s World League.
“Italians are amazing when it comes to tactics and I'm sure they will prepare very well for us,” Atanasijevic said. “However, I believe that we will be able to outsmart them because motivation is on our side. Also, we are playing good volleyball and we have a great atmosphere in the team, which is extremely important.”