Derthona is about to begin its sixth Serie A season: tomorrow they will play their home debut against Verona.
After the official prologue to the LBA Super Cup semifinal, on Sunday, September 27, Bertram Derthona Tortona will return to the renovated Nova Arena for their debut in the 2026-27 LBA Serie A SisalClub. On the opening day, Mario Fioretti's team will usher in the return to the top Italian league of newly promoted Tezenis Verona, who returned to the top flight after three seasons in Serie A2. The match is scheduled for 5:00 p.m., streamed live on LBATV. For Bertram, this will be the first of 44 guaranteed matches between the league and the BKT EuroCup, where they will play in Latvia on Wednesday afternoon for their Group A regular season debut against Riga Zelli.
How do the two teams arrive?
Derthona and Scaligera had fairly similar preseasons due to various issues with their respective rosters, with injuries a commonality between the Bianconeri and coach Alessandro Ramagli's Venetians. These setbacks will also impact Bertram's debut: Paul Eboua and Edoardo Di Meo will be on the roster but will be unavailable, just like they were against Venezia in the Super Cup.
The home team, however, will welcome new signing Amar Alibegović, who has only been able to train with his new teammates since last Thursday, for the first time in a Derthona jersey. It remains to be seen what impact the power forward will have upon his return to Italy after his stint in the Spanish ACB team in Granada.
The analysis by Iacopo Squarcina
" During the preseason, we found ourselves working with a different squad than we initially planned. Injuries have affected our understanding of each other, and this has led to a bumpy road ," said the Tortona assistant coach . "We're slowly finding all the pieces to try to piece together the puzzle, but it must be said that the quality of training has always been high, and the players have worked as hard as they could. Alibegović ? We'll find out what contribution he can make; he's been with us for such a short time that he's an unknown quantity. His physical impact is certainly significant; he brings a different level of strength than the team had in preseason, and his versatility also adds value. "
Tezenis is a unique rookie: "Verona isn't your typical newly promoted team; their technical prowess doesn't live up to their reputation. They're an interesting team given the choices they've made, a mix of young players and experienced players like Massinburg, Tobey, and Andrews, alongside some highly talented prospects like Melendez and Samuels. In my opinion, the Italian squad is important. Loro, Zampini, and Poser are all players of national interest; they've proven with their talent that they deserve to be promoted to the higher division. All these factors, including their well-coached nature, make them a tough opponent to face."
For their league debut, Squarcina has a message for the fans: "It's wonderful, both on and off the court, to see a warm arena, to feel the involvement, to feel part of something bigger that Derthona Basket is building in the area. My goal is to invite you to be present tomorrow at the Nova Arena: working together as a team leads to better everything, to more fun, and to create a virtuous system."
Shuttles and parking passes
For the new season, Derthona Basket will once again offer spectators the opportunity to reach the Nova Arena more conveniently with free shuttles from the center of Tortona to the Cittadella dello Sport. The service will depart, as usual, from the train station two hours before the game, at 3:00 PM, with shuttles departing every 10 minutes until 5:00 PM, stopping at the Piazza Allende parking lot on the Corso Cavour side. For return trips after the game, shuttles will depart from 7:00 PM until the last ride at 8:00 PM.
For those arriving by car, the Club announces that 2026-27 season tickets for the Cittadella dello Sport parking lot are now available for purchase at derthonabasket.vivaticket.it . The season ticket, costing €75,00, includes parking for all LBA and EuroCup games played at the Nova Arena. Parking is also available for a single game at a cost of €5,00. Exceptionally, for the match against Verona, payment must be made exclusively in cash.
