Armani Milan has only the winning option vs. Valencia Basket
Tonight in Euroleague Armani Milan will host Valencia Basket in a duel of two very different clubs. Milan started this season with high hopes, having some moments of glory and then falling into 5 consecutive losses. On the other side, we have the Spanish team who earn a Euroleague spot coming from the Eurocup and considered by many as a complete outsider of the main European competition.
Valencia had a very bad start, but in the last rounds, with hard work the team proved they can aim for a playoff spot in the Euroleague. Now, they need only one victory to tie and pass Milan, an opponent that has a budget twice bigger than the Taronja club. Unfortunately, there is not the best moment for Valencia to win in Milan because:
- the home team is desperate to win for many reasons. The Italians are trying to break the circle of the losses in a row and to confirm they are a title contender this season. Armani Milan started very well the game in Madrid two days ago exactly for these reasons. They are extremely hungry for victories and that’s the best motivation. A loss at home against the underdog team of Valencia is unacceptable.
- the visitors added recently new injuries on the list. Fernando San Emeterio, Joan Sastre and Guillem Vives, 3 of the artisans of Valencia’s only title in the Spanish league in 2017, will be out against Milan. Smart players, vital for the ball movement, hard to replace. Brock Motum didn’t play as well the last game won against Baskonia.
A very important factor in this game will be fatigue accumulated in the previous days by each team. Milan travelled more than Valencia who played both last games, in Liga Endesa and Euroleague, at home. This will be their only advantage tonight.
Photo: Euroleague.net
Gratian Cormos
