It is to believe in witches. People are constantly getting injured at Bilbao Basket, who can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times they have had a full squad. Actually, never because Goudelock, his star player, and Rigo hurt their knee in the preseason. Those who go to the infirmary are Anderson and Radicevic. The latter has been haunted by fatality since the summer, chaining one absence after another. In Gran Canaria he came out helped by two companions, since he could not step on the ground with one of his feet. He suffered severe contusion and bone edema at the anterolateral level of the medial femoral condyle of the left knee. At least he rules out a serious injury and could be in the Champions League on Tuesday. For his part, Andersson suffers from acute low back pain. This prognosis is awaiting the results of the NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) that has been performed today. Withey He also remains in dry dock and the Greek Tsalmpouris has been signed for the remainder of the season and a termination clause after six weeks. In addition, Ubal is recovering from a left calf strain and Hakanson is recovering from the injury to his left adductor after playing with discomfort in Las Palmas.
While, The team tries to isolate itself in the face of the misfortune and focuses on the visit to Miribilla tomorrow at Lenovo Tenerife (8:00 p.m.), with the intention of winning to be able to continue dreaming of the Champions League quarterfinals, since he is third and the extensive defeat in Murcia (-18) has cooled his chances. Against Tenerife at home they also fell, but this was part of the calculations. The insulars are 3-0, while Sito’s pupils are 2-1 and the people from Bilbao are 1-2. The Darussafaka has lost the three commitments of the first round. Morale is somewhat touched after yesterday’s setback against Gran Canaria.
There is a fact that does provide a certain moral to the bag. Bilbao Basket has won the five games it has played at home in European competitions against rivals from the ACB. The first three were in the 2011-12 Euroleague when they beat Caja Laboral Baskonia at the Bilbao Arena first in the group stage (77-72) and, already in the Top 16, Unicaja (85-70) and Real Madrid (93-69). The following season, in the Eurocup, it was Valencia Basket that fell 91-76 in Miribilla and in that same competition, but in the 2016-17 campaign, Fuenlabrada, so far the last ACB team that has visited Bilbao in competition continental, lost to the ‘men in black’ by 97-83. Now comes the turn for Tenerife and, at the end of the phase, Murcia, on March 21.
Ponsarnau admits that the clash against the aurinegros is “key” to maintain the options of moving forward in the Champions League and stresses that to overcome the reigning champion they are going to “need Miribilla more than ever.” “We are in need, but one good thing is that we are playing at home and that our fans are going to help us to find our limits”, points out the coach from Tàrrega. He considers Vidorreta’s team “the best in the competition along with Unicaja” and believes that the event is very attractive for fans because “it is a prestigious match against the current champion” and considers that it should also be “a party” to play competition European “against the best rival”.
“We are in a difficult moment. We have too many players who are not one hundred percent physically fit and to compete at this level it is too much.. And we don’t have Withey, who is our player with the most impact at a statistical level, but I am convinced that with the support of Miribilla we will give our best, ”he said. Finally, just 24 hours after the resounding defeat conceded on the Gran Canaria court (94-71), Ponsarnau explained that the dressing room has assumed that “the competitive level was very bad” and that they have “reproached it, without excuses ”. “Of what we put in, Gran Canaria put in more. And, in addition to his quality, he found a way to make his energy stand out more than ours. We cannot afford that. We know it and that is the most important reflection, ”he explained about that last league game.