Valencia Basket seeks the ‘playoff zone’ against the improved Bayern
MADRID, 30 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Valencia Basket will want to continue with its good progress currently in the Regular Phase of the Euroleague 2022-2023 in the visit this Tuesday (8:30 p.m.) of the German Bayern Munich, a team that has improved with the new year and that is once again competitive.
The ‘taronja’ team added their fourth consecutive victory in the top continental competition last week at the Mercedes-Benz Arena to place ninth with a balance of 11-10, the same as the eighth and the team that marks the cut in the ‘zone playoff’, the Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv, who visits the Palau Blaugrana. Extending the streak would help them opt to start another demanding double round among the top eight and to achieve five successes in a row, something unprecedented in the club’s history in the Euroleague.
Alex Mumbrú’s men saw their great streak between the Endesa League and the Euroleague of six victories in a row halted in the tough outing to José María Martín Carpena where they could not beat Unicaja, before whom they fell clearly 102-86. Without too much time for reflection, Valencia Basket will have to redo itself physically to receive a Bayern that begins to look more like that of recent seasons after a bad start to the campaign.
The Valencian team knows that many of their options to fight until the end to play the qualifiers go through becoming strong at La Fonteta, especially against an opponent whose performance drops somewhat when they leave Munich, but who beat them at their Audi Dome end of 2022 (97-92) when he ‘bombarded’ him with 16 triples.
“We know that it is a very physical team, that they play with a lot of contact, that they destroy the game, with a great offensive rebound. We have to have a fluid attack, trying to control the rebound and be able to raise the defensive level that we had in the last match against Unicaja, which was not up to par with what it was lately. They have a lot of internal power and we will have to cover it up as a team, not only that Kyle (Alexander) and now Jaime (Pradilla) are doing well against their ‘5’. Try to get everyone to help on the rebound, be more focused and help us,” Mumbrú demanded in statements provided by the club.
The ‘taronja’ coach will continue with the problems of casualties, especially in the inside game, where he is still without Bojan Dubljevic and Jasiel Rivero, who can be joined by guard Klemen Prepelic, suffering from a severe concussion in knee. Shannon Evans could finally debut in the continental competition.
Opposite, a Bayern that seems to be leaving behind its bad start and that little by little is recovering its best version. The Bavarian team arrives in good shape at La Fonteta, where they have never won, but where they will settle after having won four of their last five games in the Regular Season to go 9-12, led by Agustine Rubit, chosen ‘MVP’ from January. In addition to the ‘extaronja’ Vladimir Lucic, Trinchieri will not be able to count on Andreas Obst and Elias Harris either.
VALENCIA BASKET: Jones, Radebaugh, Puerto, Pradilla and Webb III –possible starting five–; Harper, Claver, López-Arostegui, Alexander, Evans, Ferrando, Marí, and Prepelic.
BAYERN MUNICH: Winston, Weiler-Babb, Bonga, Rubit and Gillespie –possible starting five–; Walden, Giffey, Hunter, Jaramaz, Zipser, Seeley, and Wimberg.
–REFEREES: Latisevs, Rocha and Vyklicky.
— PAVILION: La Fonteta.
