It is bluntly the big match of the fifth day in the <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/01/famila-schio-2022-begins-with-a-great-victory-in-sesto-san-giovanni/" title="Famila Schio, 2022 begins with a great victory in Sesto San Giovanni”>Techfind Serie A1. It is the challenge between the two leaders of the tournament with the two quintets always scoring on the parquet in the top basketball tournament for women (like Venice with the lagoon players who, however, have already observed their rest period). In the scenario of the Arena La Molisana Magnolia Campobasso is ready to welcome the battleship Schio to try to give ourselves another pearl in a wonderful start to the season so far.
SWEET DISPOSITION The eve, on the #steelflowers front, is that of good sensations. «It is undoubtedly pleasant to be at the top – recognizes the coach Mimmo Sabatelli – even more so in cohabitation with a battleship like the one in Sledo. We are happy about it. However, at the same time, we are aware that the Orange team express a higher basketball level than ours, but this does not mean leaving resigned, on the contrary. We will do everything we can to make their lives difficult, trying to offer the maximum of our current possibilities on the parquet.”
INJURY LIST In addition to the long trip to Armenia, the last week was also characterized by recovery work with Kacerik, Giacchetti and Quiñonez, each dealing with physical problems.
«The hope is to be able to recover some – clarifies the rossoblù trainer – even if we don’t know who yet. In the next few hours, the medical staff will give us a definitive picture of the situation.”
OPPONENT SIDE With certainty, up front, the Magnolias will find one of the two Italian representatives in the Euroleague, as well as a team with a simply enviable list of successes: in the national field alone, twelve championships, fifteen Italian Cups and thirteen Super Cups.
In terms of roster construction, this year Schio has decided not to use (for now) American players, focusing strongly on European players: the return of the Latvian sniper Laksa, the arrival of the French starlet Salaün and the arrival of the Croatian Dojkic – fresh from the Wnba ring with New York – joined the confirmation of the Hungarian Juhasz (returning from the Finals in the United States with Minnesota), also integrated into the rotations by the hiring of the Slovakian Hruscakova. On the Italian front, the arrivals of two of the most interesting national prospects such as point guard Carlotta Zanardi and guard Ilaria Panzera, as well as the return of pivot Olbis Andrè have given further depth to a base which, around the captain Giorgia Sottana, can count on elements of the caliber of Costanza Verona, Jasmine Keys, Martina Bestagno and Martina Crippa.
«It is certainly the most compact team in our basketball scene, a team used to managing the two events in the best possible way. Against them we are aware that a match bordering on perfection will be necessary. Only in this way can we try to make their lives difficult.”
DEEP ROTATIONS In this sense, in a season in which the rotations of the magnolias have also become more profound “much will depend on the number of elements we can have available – explains Sabatelli – and on what their contribution could be”.
DOUBLE EXAM The one against Schio, among other things, will be a match that will also project onto an important crossroads in terms of the EuroCup, namely Wednesday’s trip to Pecs in Hungary.
«We cannot and must not allow ourselves to look at more races – warns the trainer – now we just need to concentrate on this match, trying to play it as best we can.”
TACTICAL MOOD Which, from a strictly tactical point of view, for magnolias has a declination that is as simple as it is univocal. «Regardless of the opponent – clarifies the trainer of the #steelflowers – our essence must be to defend and do so in a strong way. The important thing, compared to the last races, will be to have a completely different type of approach, trying to start by limiting them as much as possible and then seeing how the situation evolves along the way.”
ARENA INSIDE In this sense, the support of the Arena public will also be fundamental. «Now more than ever – harangues the crowd Sabatelli – we need our fans. We need to feel close to them so that they transmit to us that warmth and that desire to try to overcome the obstacle and try to go further.”
FEDERAL LIVE With a tap-off at 6pm on the last Sunday of October, the match between La Molisana Magnolia Campobasso and Schio – a match with a special flavor for the captain of the Magnolias Stefania Trimboli, ex matchday player – will be directed by an all-male team made up of Moretti from Perugia, Nuara from Treviso and Roca from Irpinia. The match, like all the other matches of the fifth round, will be broadcast live on the platform pay by Lega Basket Femminile flima.tv. However, the importance of the dispute will mean that there will also be a ‘free to air’ window on Italbasket’s Twitch profile, also a sign of the Italian Basketball Federation’s interest in the dispute.
