The Niners Chemnitz are looking forward to Geneva, where the group phase of the Champions League was drawn on Wednesday. Pastore’s protégés will have to deal with teams from Italy, Spain and a qualifier.
The Niners Chemnitz have already won the FIBA Europe Cup, and this season they are going one step further. Head coach Rodrigo Pastore’s team is facing international competition in the Champions League for the first time.
On Wednesday (June 26, 2024), the groups in the premier class were drawn in Geneva. In Group G, the Niners will face the Italian club Bertram Derthona Tortona, Baxi Manresa from Spain and a qualifier that will be played out beforehand. The first Champions League match for the Chemnitz team starts on October 1/2 this year. The exact schedule will be published next week.
“Attractive group” for the Niners
“It’s an attractive group, but I think it could be easier,” said Niners managing director Steffen Herhold after the draw in an interview with SPORT IM OSTEN. The traditional team from Manresa has already been in the Final Four of the Champions League in the past. “A strong, experienced opponent,” warned Herhold.
This also applies to the second already known opponent, Bertram Derthona Tortona, which has already landed a high-caliber new signing in Tommy Kuhse. The American played for Rasta Vechta last season and showed his qualities in the playoff quarter-finals against the Niners.
Herhold: “We are entering the competition with ambitions”
According to Herhold, there is no need to hide. “The Champions League should be our living room. We are entering the competition with ambitions. The goal will be the top four, but it will be very difficult.”
The Niners qualified for the Champions League for the first time as third in the table of the last Bundesliga season. Two years ago, the Saxons had already taken part in qualifying for the Champions League, but were narrowly defeated by the Turkish team Tofas Bursa.
Rodrigo Pastore’s team will have to face three teams in the group phase. Two have already been decided, one is still to be determined. Image rights: IMAGO / Eibner
No German-German duel possible
A total of 28 teams were divided into four pots. Other teams not yet named, which will be determined in a complicated qualifying round (Champions Path), were in pot four. Chemnitz were drawn from pot three and could not be drawn against another German team in their group. That was clear from the start. The Final Four will then take place in May 2025.
The Niners’ opponents in check
After an eventful history with many promotions and relegations, Bertram Derthona Tortona finally achieved promotion to the highest Italian league, Serie A, in 2021. Last season, the club from Tortona finished eighth in the table, but then had to admit defeat to Virtus Bologna 2-3 in the playoff quarter-finals in the best-of-five series.
The Spanish representative Baxi Manresa plays in the country’s highest league, the Liga ACB. The Catalans won the Spanish Cup in 1996 and the championship in 1998. Last season the team made it to the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Unicaja Malaga.
The groups at a glance:
- Group A: Würzburg, Nanterre 92, Igokea M:Tel, H. Holon
- Group B: King Szczecin, Oostende, Unicaja, Qualifier
- Group C: Kolossos, Saint-Quentin, Karsiyaka, Tenerife
- Group D: Rasta Vechta, Promitheas, Galatasaray, Qualifikant
- Group E: Ramat-Gan, VEF Riga, AEK Betsson, Qualifier
- Group F: WKS Slask, Reggio Emilia, Falco Szomb., Rytas Vilnius
- Group G: Niners Chemnitz, Bertram Derthona Tortona, Baxi Manresa, Qualifikant
- Gruppe H: FMP Soccerbet, Manisa BBSK, Persteri, Ucam Murcia
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This topic in the program:MDR TELEVISION | MDR Aktuell | 26 June 2024 | 7:30 p.m.
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2024-06-26 14:01:56
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