Final Eight dress rehearsal for Bertram: in Brescia it's a challenge to the league leaders. Coach De Raffaele's words
Two firsts against each other. On the one hand, the home team galvanized by the title of winter champions, on the other, the guests embellished by the goal, also never achieved before, of entering the Top 16 of the Champions League. The away match of Bertram Derthona at the PalaLeonessa A2A in Brescia against the solitary leader Germani, scheduled for 18:15 tomorrow, Sunday 19 January, opens the return round in Serie A Unipol for the two teams, awaited by the sixteenth round of the top championship.
STARTER The match in Lombardy is a preview of what will be seen in just over three weeks at the Inalpi Arena in Turin in the quarter-final that will open the Coppa Italia Final Eight on February 12, where Brescia and Tortona will be seeded number 1 and number 8 respectively, the same ranking positions as the first part of the tournament just ended, snatched with home victories in the last round against Trento in the challenge for the top spot at the end of the first leg and against Scafati, which Bertram followed up in Greece with the decisive 2-0 point over Peristeri in the Champions Play-In. Germani coached by Peppe Poeta looks down on everyone with its 24 points resulting from 12 wins in 15 games, Tortona responds with 9 wins and 6 losses, including the defeat in the first leg suffered in the final sprint by 78-85 two months ago at the PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris, which extended to 6 the streak of games between the two contenders that has always seen Brescia prevail between the championship and the Super Cup.
WHERE TO SEE IT ON TV The match will be broadcast live on DMAX and DAZN.
STATEMENTS “The first leg was a very balanced match, marked for us by many errors, not only missed baskets but also errors of great inexperience against a very experienced opponent”, coach comments on the eve Walter De Raffaele. "The lesson we must learn from that match is that we will find a very experienced team in front of us, which deservedly occupies first place in the standings and plays in front of its fans. All this can also create a lot of stimuli for us, despite a tiredness due to this period and which is objective, instead facing a Brescia that has the possibility to "rest" during the week. Beyond Della Valle and Bilan, Brescia is a real team in its entirety, Ivanovic, for example, is playing a very high level championship. The second half of the season - goes on - will offer us a tournament with great balance again, there will be 10-11-12 teams that will fight for the first eight places, so some as always will be left out, beyond the salvation issue. I do not expect surprises but teams that will grow further. Every match will be very tough and we will try as usual to do our best, knowing however that we have a double commitment that gives us satisfaction but also leads to a great expenditure of energy”.
