Derthona wants to return to the BKT EuroCup, with Burgos on the way. Gorham: "We know what we're capable of, let's prove it."
Baglietto Derthona Tortona returns to their home court to try to revive their BKT EuroCup campaign. For the fourth matchday of Group A of the European competition's regular season, at 7:00 PM tomorrow, Wednesday, October 21st, the black and white team hosts Spanish side Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos at the Nova Arena, a club that has won two consecutive Champions League titles in 2020 and 2021.
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sport Max and streamed on Now.
How do the two teams arrive?
As has often happened recently, Derthona finds itself facing an opponent very similar to their own from the start of the season. Baglietto is eager to keep their European campaign under control after two away losses in Riga and Thessaloniki, interspersed with a winning home opener against Le Mans. Burgos also enters the match with two of their three continental defeats under their belt, the last two coming in a row at undefeated Aris (93-80) and in Spain, a sprint defeat against the other group leaders, Hapoel Jerusalem (84-85). Their only success came in the first round against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (85-81), a position that currently sees them straddling the top four teams that will qualify for the playoffs, tied with Derthona. And like the Black and White Lions, the team coached by 61-year-old Spaniard Porfirio Fisac is coming off a rocky start in their league, going 1-3, with a 72-79 home loss against Obradoiro last Saturday that extended their winless streak to four games before the trip to Italy. Returning after last season is the dangerous former Trento player DJ Steward, a 25-year-old point guard who was Trentino's top scorer in Italian competitions last year with 15.5 points per game (15.1 in the EuroCup), a confidence he maintained in Burgos (averaging 16.0 points on 46.2% from three in the cup, 17.0 points on 38.9% from beyond the arc in the Liga ACB). Elsewhere, the Iberian team, based in the provincial capital city of Castilla y León, very close to the Basque Country border, can count on the exceptional scoring power of 6-foot-1 Frenchman Sekou Doumbouya (14.7+7.0 rebounds in the EuroCup, 76.0% two-point shooting in the ACB). The highly regarded former player Derthona Retin Obasohan, the Belgian guard who has yet to make his season debut with his new team due to injury, will likely be absent.
Previous encounters with the Spanish
During their two Champions League appearances, Tortona faced Murcia, Manresa, and Tenerife. The Iberian side won 4-2, a difference created entirely by the 0-2 defeat in the historic quarterfinal series against Tenerife in 2024-25.
The statements
Coach Mario Fioretti : "We need to regain our confidence by playing a solid game at home. We're playing against a team with talented outside players and great versatility in their big men. We'll have to be good at limiting their options in transition, playing defense that allows us to find solutions in the open court. Furthermore, in the midcourt, we'll have to be ready to face a defense that can also be very tactical."
Power forward Justin Gorham : "To get back on track, we need to start by looking within, taking responsibility, and remaining confident in the work we do every day. Obviously, the results haven't been what we wanted, but we can't let that affect our confidence or the way we approach each game. We need to be more consistent and compete for the full 40 minutes. We know what we're capable of, and now it's about proving it on the court. To win the game against Burgos ," he continued, " we'll need to match their physicality, be disciplined on defense, and play together on offense. We need to control what we can control, take care of the ball, and bring the right energy from the start."
Shuttles: As with every Derthona home game, free shuttles will be available to make it easier to reach the Cittadella dello Sport from the Tortona city center. The scheduled shuttles will depart from the Movicentro adjacent to the train station, as usual, two hours before the match, at 5:00 PM. They will depart every twenty minutes, with the last departure scheduled for 7:00 PM. They will stop in Piazza Allende (Corso Cavour side) before reaching the Tortona stadium. For the return journey at the end of the match, the shuttles will depart from the Cittadella at 9:00 PM, with the last departure scheduled for 10:00 PM, again every 20 minutes.
(Photo credit: BKT EuroCup)
