From BZ/dpa
Alba reaches for his twelfth cup win at the weekend. With Bayern Munich, however, there is a high hurdle in the semifinals. In addition, three players are questionable
The anticipation at Alba Berlin for the cup final four at the weekend in Oldenburg is huge. “Especially in the winter months, the cup is something to look forward to. It’s about the first title this season and we’re definitely keen to defend it,” said the national player Johannes Thiemann.
Last season, the Berliners had won the cup in the final against Crailsheim in their own hall.
Now, in the semi-finals on Saturday, the probably toughest possible opponent is waiting with the long-term rival FC Bayern Munich (7.30 p.m.). “Especially this season, they are again clearly, significantly lower cast, which means they can compensate for failures much better,” said Guard Jonas Mattisseck.
Tamir Blatt could be back against Bayern, things are not looking so good for Luke Sikma Photo: City Press
Like Bayern, however, Berlin’s personnel concerns are also plaguing. There are still question marks over the participation of captain Luke Sikma (thigh problem), international Maodo Lo (knee problem) and guard Tamir Blatt.
“Tamir is looking the best. We’ll have to wait and see about the other two. Of course it’s problematic if they can’t train two days before the cup,” said coach Israel Gonzalez.
“Unusual Slip”
While Alba won his dress rehearsal in Crailsheim on Tuesday, Bayern made a surprisingly clear mistake against Hamburg. “It was more of an unusual slip-up,” said manager Marco Baldi. That’s why the Berliners don’t want to attach any great importance to it. “You can tell that they often approach the matter without concentrating. But I don’t think that will be the case in the Top Four. We will meet the strongest Bayern that can be at this time,” said Thiemann.
Especially since Alba has recently weakened a few times – especially in the Euroleague. “We don’t have stability and conviction,” said Baldi. That is why the trophy is of particular importance to him. “It can of course be a huge accelerator. If you can do your best mentally then that’s obviously a giant step,” said the Alba manager.
The team gets a lot of support from the fans. Around 1,000 supporters travel to Oldenburg – significantly more than the other two guest teams from Munich and Ludwigsburg.
“We are super proud of our fans who are always there when it matters. That will give us a huge push and that’s why we’ll want to get 120 percent out of ourselves,” said Mattisseck.