Old Wild West, a return looking for the company

After the forced stop for Covid, Boniciolli’s men are expected by the leaders. You swear: “It’s a direct confrontation: let’s win it”

UDINE. Finally we are back to talking about basketball. The Apu Old Wild West turns the page and the pads leave room for the footballs. The bianconeri are back on the field after the week of quarantine and the most difficult match awaits them, the head to head with the leaders Cantù.

PRIMO ROUND

The two strongest teams of all the A2 series have found themselves in the Green group and for the first time this season they are facing each other. It is still early days, in basketball the accounts are always made in June, which is why we define this competition as the first round of a duel that will hold court for a long time. Cantù and Udine face each other in a delicate period for both. On the one hand the canturini remodeled due to the absences of Severini and Stefanelli and bewildered by the Piacenza slip, on the other an APU shaken by the Covid wave and forced to review its structure due to the prolonged forfeit of Captain Antonutti. It is easy to predict that whoever is able to translate the anger of the moment better into energy and intensity will win.

TACTICAL THEMES

Compared to the last issue, dated November 14 in Capo d’Orlando, Boniciolli finds Nazzareno Italiano. An important pawn, because in Sicily the lack of a wing with strong defensive attitudes became evident: today, against the various Da Ros, Nikolic and Bucarelli, the Juventus number 31 will be very useful.

Progress is also expected from Esposito and Ebeling: the former seems to be on the rise, the latter still not convincing.

Antonutti’s absence offers both of them a delicious opportunity. With just three wings to rotate on the parquet, the APU coach will have to try alternative quintets: it will be interesting to review the two centers (Walters and Pellegrino) at the same time, in addition to the formula with three little ones. This is a game that is won in defense: the APU is the least perforated team in the group, in front of them they will have the second best attack, which relies mainly on the US Allen-Johnson duo.

WORD TO THE JURIES

On the eve of the big match, the spokesperson for the Udinese locker room is Marco Giuri: «We are happy to be able to play again, after ten unusual days. We know that Cantù has built a very competitive team, to try and win the championship. They are physically strong and talented. For our part, we know that to win you have to beat the strongest teams in the league. Desio’s is a direct confrontation, given that after eight days it is possible to identify the main favorites and I feel like saying that we and Cantù can be included among them ».

THE TRIBUTE AND THE TV

Before the match, Cantù and Udine will remember the figure of a great Italian basketball player nine months after his death :: we are talking about Gianni Corsolini, former coach and manager of Brianza and former general manager Snaidero Udine. The presence of Corsolini’s family and friends is expected, as well as numerous former players and managers. The match can be viewed live on Ms Channel, channel 814 of the Sky package, alternatively there is live streaming on the website of the National Basketball League for subscribers to the LnpPass service.

© breaking latest news