Caserio and Spaccasassi, the derby of desks «Scotti is hungry. They were up there for merit “

The president of Pavia and the deputy of Elachem take stock of their respective teams and expectations on Sunday

pavia

Minus four to the PalaRavizza derby: the ball today passes to the directors of Pavia and Vigevano.

Longing for revenge

The defeat of the first leg still weighs on Riso Scotti. «We arrive at the derby with different faces compared to those of a month ago – underlines the president Lele Caserio – the last three victories have brought morale and confidence. Coach Ducarello’s work is paying off and the kids are rediscovering the skills they know they have. Vigevano, according to the classification, is the favorite in the derby, but we will do everything to win two points which would also mean that, by beating the leaders, we could play with everyone in the playoffs ”. Team manager Alberto Rai adds: «From a mental point of view we arrive prepared. It will be a particular match, but now the boys are ready to face Vigevano. We are confident that we will be able to play in front of a beautiful audience ». In Vigevano 350 tickets were delivered, according to the provisions set by the League. zI am convinced that we will play in front of a beautiful public setting – continues Rai – we trust that our fans will present themselves in large numbers and support us, because certainly many will come from Vigevano to follow the game, which promises to be beautiful and fought. In the first leg it was a complicated race for us and I really hope that this time the result will be different. We know that Elachem is deservedly first for several days and has a long bench, but we are confident that our boys will give everything for two important points, for our fans, for the standings and because after the rest round for the Italian Cup we will go in San Miniato, a very difficult field ». Pavia and Vigevano also agreed on a joint initiative against the war in Ukraine (see box on the side): “The fact that both our Lebediev and Radchenko, a player from Vigevano are Ukrainians, is a further motivation to demonstrate against the war – closes Caserio – when Misha arrives at the PalaRavizza she brings news of school friends called to the front, of parents living under the bombings, of the fatigue of having food and water. It’s terrible”.

The ducal tranquility

Elachem comes to the derby with Pavia first in the standings, in Serie B it is difficult to remember a precedent. The ducals, strong of the primacy, arrive at the appointment with the utmost tranquility. «We are first in the standings – says Vice President Marino Spaccasassi – in my opinion in a deserved way, for what we have done. At the beginning of the season this was not the expectation, then the boys and the staff, technician and doctor, made it possible. In twenty games we have demonstrated something. We also showed that certain races can be made wrong and that it is not always possible to win ». The derby, however, is a completely different matter, in which emotional components also enter, and the rivalry with Pavia, historical opponent of the Vigevano basketball. «In the derby – Spaccasassi observes – the result counts for the fans, but also for us like all matches. Pavia at the moment is in a good condition, coming from three victories the change of coach has had the desired effects. He is in the play off zone and wants to improve his position. We will have to be careful ». As always, the appeal to the fans to support the team starts, also because the Covid effect has contributed to lowering the number of appearances, compared to the usually very high average of Palabasletta. «We have discussed a lot about the public question – continues the ducal number two. People even at the Basletta in recent times are struggling to come. Many fans with whom I have confronted are afraid, also because in recent times we have been hearing bad news all the time. We ask the fans to help us, but also to stay close to the team and to these guys who really deserve it. It is clear that unfortunately the conditions are of a certain type and do not entice us to attend, but the effort of those who come to support us and enjoy a couple of hours of lightheartedness and fun is also important for us ». –

Maurizio Scorbati

Andrea Ballone