Bertram wants to trip up Olimpia Milano again to keep the playoff flame alive. De Raffaele's words
Another crucial match for the playoff chase of Bertram Derthona Tortona. They will have to play it against a complicated opponent like EA7 Emporio Armani Miano, guests of the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris in Casale Monferrato at 17:30 pm tomorrow, Sunday 27, for the 28th day of the Serie A Unipol. For Bertram in this difficult April, with an open streak of 4 defeats in the championship that have made them drop to ninth place in the standings, there is the need to stay glued to the playoff zone when there are only three rounds left until the end of the regular season. They must keep the win at home to give joy to their fans against a team of obvious prestige and ahead 8 points in the standings (36 against 28), keeping alive the fight with Venice - playing tomorrow at 20 pm at home against bottom club Pistoia - for the precious eighth position, held by the lagoon team with a 2-point margin and the advantage also in the direct clash. He will try to do so by relying in particular on his group of highly confident Italians, who even in the last defeat in Treviso showed that they still believe in reaching the post-season. Over 2500 tickets were sold on Saturday morning, with several seats still available in the stands in front of and behind the benches, in the side stalls and in the Curva Nord.
PREVIOUS HISTORY Olimpia Milano, for Derthona, is no longer an invincible army after what happened in the first leg at the Forum. Always defeated in the seven previous matches at the Serie A level, including the Coppa Italia, the Bianconeri broke the “glass ceiling” with the 98-94 of last December 1st, a date that will therefore remain in the history of the club of the Lions, who managed to prevail in Assago in an equal and opposite situation to that which occurred in the last round at the PalaVerde, suffering the comeback of Milan from +20 midway through the third quarter until finding themselves at just one point away with three minutes to go. The sprint that followed saw Severini and his teammates victorious, in a game in which the stars were, among many, Kuhse and Gorham, a pairing with 45 points and 51 of evaluation almost equally distributed.
MILANO Walter De Raffaele's men will need another performance at that level to fend off the firepower of a Euroleague team like Olimpia, motivated by the desire to move from the unusual fifth position in the standings to enter the top four and thus ensure the advantage of the home court advantage at least in the first round of the playoffs, in the sprint between five teams in the highest part of the standings. For the occasion, Ettore Messina's team, fresh from a clear home victory of 118-83 over Cremona on the last day, should be able to take two of its most illustrious injured players, Leandro Bolmaro and Shavon Shields, out of the infirmary and back on the court.
WHERE TO SEE IT ON TV The race will be broadcast live on DAZN.
MATCH SPONSORS Costa Crociere will be the match sponsor of the game with Milan. Many initiatives have been set up by one of the most important partners of the black and white club. On the more than three thousand seats of the PalaEnergica there will be colored illuminating bracelets and flyers of the Summer Camp, the now traditional cruise basketball camp organized in collaboration with Derthona Basket and which this summer will take place from July 5 to 12 around the Mediterranean on the Costa Pacifica ship. At the entrance to the facility there will be a special "transparent" maxi screen that will project images of the Bertram players, while in hospitality there will be a photo opportunity with which to treat yourself to a souvenir Costa-branded photo and the possibility of experiencing a cruise trip with virtual reality. The cruise company will offer the winners of the DB Game at half time a piece of clothing from Derthona merchandising. Special feature: to mark the end of the second quarter and the game, the siren of the Costa ships will sound like a siren.
STATEMENTS "Milan brings great stimuli in itself without any need for introductions, especially if it also represents for us the possibility of staying close to the playoff zone. Our last match in Treviso left a bitter taste in the mouth with the usual situations now known and physical problems", says the coach Walter De Raffaele, who will sit on the Derthona bench tomorrow for the 50th time in the championship.It was, in fact, a very difficult week from a physical point of view, we had problems with Zerini and Weems but we hope to recover them. While on Wednesday Candi stopped again due to the ankle problem for which he will be re-evaluated, as well as the day after Kamagate stopped, but we think he could be in the game. We will have to recruit physical and technical energy from everyone, regardless of the problems we face against an opponent of this level. Above all, we will have to have physical impact and ball movement."
