Valencia (8-7) will look to bounce back into winning ways with a visit from confident Virtus (11-4), which has won four in a row to take sole control of second place.
Alex Mumbru, Valencia: 'We have to believe'
Seasons
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 16 of 34
Regular Season
Valencia BasketVBC
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Virtus Segafredo BolognaVIR
Overview
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Virtus’s home victory over Olympiacos in Round 15 demonstrated its versatility, leaning mostly on a stern defense rather than the offensive prowess which had marked previous successes. On this occasion, veteran Daniel Hackett will look to provide another strong all-round performance (8 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists) against the threat of Valencia playmaker Chris Jones, who has scored in double digits in five consecutive games. The Spanish team is also defensively strong, allowing a league-low 74 points per game, so this could be a low-scoring, closely fought battle.
Alex Mumbru, Valencia head coach
"Virtus is a team that has been playing great after the Real Madrid defeat. They play with tough defense and they come from beating Olympiacos and playing great basketball. They play well on both ends, so we know it will be a tough game for us. Let's see if we can recover physically in these 48 hours and think about playing a solid game against a tough team that plays really well. We mus find those shots. We must pass the ball to find the open shots or the fouls. And we have to believe."
Luca Banchi, Virtus head coach
"We face the game against Valencia aware that there are similarities with our previous opponents, mainly related to physicality and consistency, which to date statistically makes Valencia the least beaten defense in the entire EuroLeague. Coach Mumbru is giving continuity to the previous season by proposing a very structured basketball that rarely concedes space to opponents, especially when on their court certain characteristics are enhanced. This game represents an important test, to prove themselves capable of producing a high-profile performance, the only way in search of a success that would be formidable within yet another challenging double-week."
Devontae Cacok, Virtus player
"A tough game awaits us. I think yesterday's match was difficult and we won it with merit, this allowed us to learn from our mistakes, be better prepared, do what we know and play together."