Cisterna - Padova

Italy - Superlega, Placement Playoff, Round 1

On March 16th, 2022, Cisterna will host Padova for the play-off for fifth place. Both teams secured their place in the Superlega, along with Taranto, and will compete in a post-season mini-tournament to secure a spot in the Challenge Cup for the 2023/2024 season.

Based on the teams' statements, it seems that Padova will use this opportunity to give playing time to those who had less of it during the regular season. I expect to see the third and fourth spiker (Gardini and Desmet) on the court, with Zoppellari in the setter position instead of the regular starter Saitta. As for the opposite position, the young Guzzo will replace Petkovic, who will depart for Qatar.

On the other side of the net, based on the statements of opposite player Dirlic, there is disappointment for not reaching the Scudetto playoffs, guaranteeing maximum effort from every player. This indicates their interest in winning the match despite some injuries, likely referring to setter Baranowicz, who will be replaced by the excellent Zanni, who performed well in the match against Perugia.

Based on this information, I see Cisterna as the favorite and more motivated to win than Padova, who will use this post-season as a test for their younger players. I do not think that Padova will be able to win more than one set in this day of the championship.