It's Tortona again against Virtus Bologna: for Bertram there is the "classic" before diving into the Italian Cup. De Raffaele's words
In four seasons of presence of Bertram in Serie A it has become a great classic of the top championship. Tomorrow, Sunday 9 February, at 19:30 at the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris in Casale Monferrato the 22nd challenge in history will take place against Virtus Segafredo Bologna, valid for the 19th day of the Serie A Unipol. The balance is 16-5 for the Virtussini, but some of Derthona's victories have had a significant specific weight, such as in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia 2022 in the absolute rookie year of the Leoni or the two home victories in the playoff series of last season that scared the then number 1 seed on the grid taking it to the decisive game-5. Even in the first leg at the beginning of November in Bologna, the men coached by Walter De Raffaele tried to make their voices heard, having the chance of the overtaking shot with less than ten seconds to go after a great comeback, only to then surrender 85-81 to the current third force in the tournament. With 26 points, Virtus has a 6-point advantage in the standings over Tortona, called first of all to strengthen its eighth place that is worth the playoffs with the 4-point margin over the ninth occupied in tandem by Treviso and Venezia, both of whom will face at home in the return match.
HOME ADVANTAGE: Leveraging the more than three thousand home fans expected to attend, the Bianconeri from Tortona are looking to end their four-game losing streak against a Euroleague team. These matches have seen their opponents lose in close-runs, with Arturs Strautins, a starter averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes in the league, sidelined by a knee injury that has sidelined him for the rest of the season. His teammates' response in the midweek Champions League match away to AEK Athens, which they lost in the final minute after a very close game, offers encouraging signs of the team's resilience for the match against Virtus and for Turin's upcoming adventure in the Coppa Italia Final Eight, which will kick off in Tortona with the quarterfinal match next Wednesday at 4:18 PM against Brescia. The winner will face either Olimpia Milano or Virtus Bologna in the semifinals.
BOLOGNA: The Emilian team, led by new coach Dusko Ivanovic, who replaced Luca Banchi in December, is also coming off a busy week, featuring two Euroleague home games against Partizan Belgrade and Paris Basketball, both of which they lost. The latter game against the French side on Friday night saw the debut of new arrival Justin Holiday, a veteran born in 89 with 700 NBA games under his belt, who temporarily replaced the injured Will Clyburn, who is out tomorrow, along with Croatian center Ante Zizic.
STATEMENTS “Virtus certainly needs no introduction, it is a deep team, with Euroleague size”, says coach De Raffaele . I ca n't tell you the similarities or differences between the version with Banchi and the one with Ivanovic. As a basic system, I think it's pretty much the same. Shengelia remains the beacon and an unrivaled champion, as we've seen, surrounded by many other great players. And now, on top of that, we've got Justin Holiday. It's a team that defends very hard, that gives you very little. It will be important for us to make an impact in terms of energy, physicality, and presence on the rebound, having the motivation of having great champions in front of us. Without Strautins, we lose an Italian player from the starting five. Everyone's contribution will be needed, and above all, everyone is called upon to have a sense of responsibility. We need the physical, mental, and technical presence of every player on the roster. We play every three days, with a tight and very difficult schedule, so he will be a fundamental element. This is a difficult moment in terms of results, but not in terms of performance or competitiveness. The game in Athens was a very solid test, against a great, strong, and complete team. Naturally, the group is experiencing this period with great disappointment and a desire to rebel, because There's no shortage of commitment. We want to bring home some wins, in a very difficult schedule, both in the cup, where we've had two consecutive away games, and in the league, where high-level matches are always played."
