Valencia Basket seeks more joy in Berlin
MADRID, 25 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Valencia Basket will try to continue their great moment of play and results with a necessary victory this Thursday in their visit (8:00 p.m.) to the German ALBA Berlin, one of the teams in the lower zone of the Euroleague Regular Phase classification 2022-2023, but always dangerous in the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Despite the physical problems they have suffered in recent weeks, the ‘taronja’ team is going through a great run and is, at least in terms of results, in the best of its season after chaining five consecutive wins in the highest competition Europe and the Endesa League.
This dynamic has allowed him to guarantee his presence in the Copa del Rey next month in Badalona (Barcelona) and stay very close to a Euroleague ‘playoff’ zone to which he wants to continue hooked doing something that has cost him historically as string four consecutive wins in the competition.
This means maintaining its good statistics against ALBA, which is one of its most classic rivals in Europe, with which it will face off for the fifteenth time, the second it has faced the most times, only surpassed by the 17 occasions in which it has crossed in its history with the Russian Khimki. On balance, eleven ‘taronjas’ wins, five of them in the Euroleague, against the rival who won the 2019 Eurocup.
Alex Mumbrú continues to be unable to escape physical problems, now focused on the pivot position where Jasiel Rivero’s loss is joined by that of Montenegrin Bojan Dubljevic. On the positive side, he can once again count on forward Víctor Claver, who has recovered from his rib problem, and will also make newcomer Shannon Evans debut in the competition, who already had his first minutes last weekend in the victory against the Casademont Zaragoza.
Face an ALBA that is second from last place in this Regular Phase, with a balance of six wins and fourteen losses, including the one conceded in the first round at La Fonteta where they fell clearly 87-73, with a great match by Chris Jones ( 20 points and 8 assists).
In any case, despite the irregularity of the Spaniard Israel González’s men, they are quite competitive when they play in their pavilion, where not too long ago they stopped the then-launched Cazoo Baskonia and where they were also close to surprising Barça. It comes from falling in their last two games (Maccabi and Real Madrid) that stopped a threat of recovery with three consecutive wins.
“We are facing a team that may be a ‘little’ deeper in the standings, but that plays great basketball, especially at home. I really like the basketball they generate and they are one of the fastest teams in the Euroleague, so we will have to be aware of stopping their counterattack. We have to try to be well in all lines to have a competitive game,” said Mumbrú in statements provided by his club.
DAWN BERLIN: Lo, Smith, Delow, Sikma and Lammers — possible starting quintet — Koumadje, Wetzell, Thiemann, Blatt, Mattiseck, Schneider and Zoosman.
VALENCIA BASKET: Ferrando, Prepelic, Puerto, Pradilla and Webb III –possible starting five–; Jones, Harper, Claver, Radebaugh, López-Arostegui, Alexander, and Marí.
–REFEREES: Javor, Peerandi and Lezcano.
–PAVILLION: Mercedes-Benz Arena.