Peristeri Athens will try their best to turn down Iberostar Tenerife
This is one of the most important clashes of the round in Basketball Champions League. Not only because it’s opposing two beautiful squads, former BCL champions, Iberostar Tenerife and the Greek rising club, Peristeri Athens. The game has special importance for the host team because, this round, Brose Bamberg will get a win at home over Gaziantep, coming at only one victory from the qualifying spots for BCL’s playoff. There is a close battle for 2 spots between Nizhny Novgorod (6 victories, 4 losses), Peristeri (6 victories, 3 losses, but one more game to be played) and Brose Bamberg (4 victories, 5 losses, one easy game to be won today against Gaziantep).
The group has more games to come – it’s only the round 10 of a total of 14, but every encounter is vital for these 3 teams involved in the battle for the last 2 qualifying spots. Theoretically, Mornar Bar could also qualify from the group, but there are small chances. With Brose Bamberg coming strong from the bottom, I expect Peristeri to give everything on the court today against the strong team of Tenerife. Especially because the Greek club has lost in Germany, at Brose Bamberg in the first leg. Peristeri will face again in the near future the German squad, at home in a very tough game, who can decide the qualifiers. But still, every game matters now, more than in the first rounds when nobody would have expected that ERA Nymburk and Nizhny Novgorod will play so good, being in front of Brose Bamberg and Peristeri Athens.
For Iberostar Tenerife, today’s game is not so important since they are on the 1st spot of group C and if they will lose in Athens, they will still share this position together with ERA Nymburk (8 victories, 2 losses), being almost qualified for the Champions League’s playoffs.
Photo: Basketball Champions League
Gratian Cormos
