Dolomiti Energia Trentino, after the defeat in Brindisi, hosts Banco di Sardegna Sassari, who comes from the overtime success against Brescia, in the second advance of the 24th matchday.
Where to see it: Saturday 23 March 2024 at 8.30pm, DAZN and Eurosport 2
Referees: Manuel Mazzoni, Andrea Bongiorni, Giacomo Dori
PREVIOUS
There are 26 previous games played so far between the two teams, 14 of which were won by Sassari.
In the matches played in Trento there were 8 victories for the home team against 5 for the guests.
Dinamo has won the last six matches played against Dolomiti Energia.
THE GONE
The teams faced each other this season in the first leg match, played on Sunday 12 November 2023 during the 7th day, when Banco di Sardegna won 80-73 with 20 points each for Charalampopoulos and Tyree.
THE ABSENT
Dolomiti Energia Trentino – Quinn Ellis is out with a fracture of the fifth metatarsal of his right foot.
Andrejs Grazulis is a doubt with a left knee problem.
Mattia Udom is unavailable.
Banco di Sardegna Sassari – Eimantas Bendzius is out with an Achilles tendon injury.
THE EX
Banco di Sardegna Sassari – A young Stefano Gentile played for L’Aquila Trento in the Serie A Dilettanti in the 2009/10 season.
Luca Gandini completed the following year, 2010/11, again in A Dilettanti with the Bianconeri.
THE STATEMENTS
Toto Forray, captain Dolomiti Energia Trentino: “There are seven games to go until the end of the regular season and everything is still at stake, for us it will be fundamental above all to defend our field in these last matches because all matches await us against direct competitors in the long playoff race. We have to deserve it this post-season: win, give continuity to our performances, make it complicated for anyone to win at home. We will experience seven crucial challenges, one at a time, with great determination. The match against Sassari is no exception: Dinamo is a team in great shape, who returned from the FIBA break with a series of good victories in the championship which put them fully back in the running for a place in the playoffs. We will have to avoid letting the Sardinians’ attackers gain rhythm and confidence, and dampen a little the great enthusiasm that they will undoubtedly bring with them after the victories against Virtus, Venezia and Brescia. The 600 games with the Trento shirt? It’s nice to celebrate this milestone together with the audience at the Il T Daily Arena, it’s another significant moment in my career and my years here at L’Aquila Basket. I’m sure there will be a lot of people at the arena on Saturday and it will be a pleasure to share these emotions with them. I see it as a great honor. Then it will be a game, hard and intense, and we will give everything to gain two key points in our journey: at this moment the only thing that matters is winning.”
Nenad Markovic, coach Banco di Sardegna Sassari: “Very difficult match away, same ranking, we have to do many things well to be able to win the match, they are the first in offensive rebounding, they are dangerous in transition, they have a lot of shooters, we have to understand what we are after these three great matches, we didn’t have nothing to lose, now we need to understand what mentality we have, we play to win and not to see what happens. I think it’s a very important match, we need to finish our preparation for the match and understand the value of this match. We must understand first of all that we are playing against a strong team, we are not favourites, there are no easy matches, everyone is playing to the death for a goal, those who don’t understand sport say we won in Venice and therefore we win in Trento, there’s no such thing wrong, we have to play a great game to win, understand our response against a team of our ranking level. We try to do our best to be ready against a team that has been in the top for a long time in the Eurocup and has experienced players. The thing that surprised me the most about the team is the ability of my players to work together and understand what we had to do in the most difficult moment of the season, attitude during the week, hard work, mentally and physically, everyone had the right face, the right way of working, we have a mission and we want to finish it in the best way, the mentality we had was decisive”.