Trentino Itas’ title ambitions

Trentino Itas are giants on the European stage. They are a team synonymous with the latter stages of the CEV Champions League, and that has proven true once again this season as Trentino find themselves in the SuperFinal for the seventh time in their history, the second-most of all time.

They have an even 50:50 split in their first six appearances in the Champions League SuperFinal. Trentino exploded onto the scene, claiming their first title in 2008/09 before going back-to-back by lifting the title in 2009/10, and then completed an incredible three-peat by seeing off allcomers to win again in 2010/11, a quite incredible achievement.

Since then, however, their luck has changed, and they have suffered defeat in their next three SuperFinal appearances, in 2015/16, 2020/21 and 2021/22. In fact, only Iraklis Thessaloniki have lost as many men’s Champions League SuperFinals as Trentino Itas’ three.

This year, Trentino face off against Polish side Jastrzębski Węgiel, a team they have met in a major final once before. Back in 2011 the teams contested the final of the Club World Championship, with Trentino running out 3-1 victors in Doha, Qatar. The two sides have also met once before in the Champions League, again back in 2011 in the semi-finals of the competition. As with the Club World Championship, Trentino claimed victory en route to lifting the title.

Though the Italian side boast a historically impressive record in this competition, none of the players in the current Trentino roster have ever tasted glory in this competition. But with the likes of Kamil Rychliki and Italian wonderkid Alessandro Michieletto on their roster, this could be their year.

Rychliki and Michieletto have shone for Trentino in this season’s competition. Rychliki is the team’s leading scorer on 152 points, with Michieletto not far behind on 145 points. Both players sit inside the Top 10 for points scored in the Champions League this season, showcasing the offensive potential within the Trentino roster. 22-year-old Michieletto demonstrated why he is so highly thought of when he scored 37 points in Trentino’s semifinal, the second-most of any player in the match.

The Champions League is Trentino’s final hope for silverware this season. So far in 2023/24, the Italian powerhouse has lost in three semi-finals – to MINT Vero Volley Milano in the SuperLega and the Supercoppa Italiana, and to Sir Susa Vim Perugia in the Supercoppa Italiana. Perugia would go on to lift all three Italian domestic trophies.

Can Trentino Itas become just the second team in history to lift the CEV Champions League trophy on four occasions when they face Jastrzębski Węgiel in Antalya? Find out on Sunday May 5th.