With the European Championship, the German volleyball men are approaching the highlight of the season. Mode, favourites, German chances – everything important about the tournament.
When and where does the European Volleyball Championship take place?
The tournament starts on August 28th and ends on September 16th. The European Championship will be held in four countries. The hosts are Italy, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Israel. The German team plays the preliminary round in Italy. The knockout stage will be played in Italy and Bulgaria, with the finals taking place in Italy.
What’s the mode?
There are 24 teams at the European Championship. First, a preliminary round is played with four groups of six teams each. The usual international scoring applies: If the score is 3:0 or 3:1, the winner gets three points, the loser gets nothing. A 3:2 scores two points for the winner and one for the loser. The top four teams in each group advance to the round of 16. Then it continues in knockout mode.
Against whom does the German team have to play?
In the preliminary round, the DVV selection will meet Estonia on Wednesday (30.08.2023, 6 p.m.). On Friday (September 1st, 2023, 6 p.m.) the team of national coach Michal Winiarski will play Switzerland before continuing with the game against Belgium on Sunday (September 3rd, 2023, 9 p.m.). The first challenge awaits with Serbia on Tuesday (05.09.2023, 9 p.m.). In the last group game on Wednesday (September 6th, 2023, 9 p.m.) hosts Italy are waiting.
What are the chances of the German team?
The Nations League was disappointing for the German national team. She could only win three of twelve games, which meant a disappointing eleventh place. Preparations for the European Championships have been going on since August. The German men won the two preparatory games against Finland and the Netherlands. The prospects before the EM are still subdued. The German Volleyball Association (DVV) itself speaks of a “difficult starting position”.
What does the German squad look like?
In contrast to the Nations League, national coach Michal Winiarski relies on a slightly different squad for the European Championship. Above all, the return of veteran Georg Grozer means a gain in experience and clout for the team. With Moritz Karlitzek (external attack) and Julian Zenger (Libero), two strong accepting and defending players are also returning.
| Surname | position | Association |
|---|---|---|
Christian Fromm | outside attack | Rapid Bucharest |
John Tille | passing | Berlin recycling volleys |
Denys Kaliberda | Libero | Top volley cisterna |
Moritz Reichert | outside attack | Montpellier Volley |
George Grozer | diagonal attack | Arka’s spor |
Julian Zenger | Libero | Pallavolo Padua |
Lukas Kampa (Captain) | passing | Trefl Gdansk |
Anton Brehme | center block | Valsa Group Modena |
Ruben Schott | outside attack | Berlin recycling volleys |
Moritz Karlitzek | outside attack | Indykpol AZS Olsztyn |
Florian Krage | center block | Spacer’s Toulouse Volley |
Erik Rohrs | outside attack | SVG Lueneburg |
Tobias Krick | center block | Valsa Group Modena |
Luke Maase | center block | Paris Volley |
Who are the tournament favourites?
The top favorite for the European Championship title is co-host Italy as the current World and European Champion. France as the Olympic champion, Slovenia as a finalist in 2021 and Poland as the world number one should also have a good chance of winning.
Where can the games be seen?
The streaming platform “Sportdeutschland.TV” shows all games of the German men and other selected games.