Almost a week has passed since the unfortunate EuroLeague opening defeat for the Bayern basketball team against Armani Milan (81-79). After the season premiere against the star ensemble from Lombardy, the positive aspects still outweighed the negative, as captain Nihad Djedovic summarized: "We performed solidly in the first game. We lost with the last shot, but showed that we have good team chemistry and already play good basketball. I hope that it will continue like this".
On the second day of the game, the next highlight will be on the way. On Friday evening, the German rivalry will be played in the Berlin hall at Ostbahnhof. Berlin also lost their first game with a score of 80-73 in Tel Aviv (Top scorer: Access Simone Fontecchio with 16 points).
Tip-Off is on Friday (9.10.) at 20:00, MagentaSport will broadcast live from 19.45 o'clock.
"With the performance from the Milan game we have good chances"
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"This will be a different game, it's against a different system," says head coach Andrea Trinchieri ahead of the eagerly awaited EuroLeague derby. "I would be very happy if we could show the same physical style again, against Milan it was almost playoff-physics. But we have to do that every week."
The Italian believes that too much importance should not be attached to the showdown with the national rival: "This duel is a saga, that's chapter one now. It means no more than the result of the first duel."
Managing Director Marko Pesic would probably have nothing against a success, especially since next week awaits three more difficult road games (in Tel Aviv, Istanbul and in Weissenfels against Bayreuth). "If we can bring the performance from the Milan game to Berlin, we have a good chance to win".
In Berlin Bayern will meet up again with Maodo Lo, who after two years in Munich and the championship title in 2019 has moved to his hometown for an initial one year period and is thus close to his family. In the last duel with Alba in December, the Guard hit the game winner in Berlin: Three seconds were still on the clock when Lo scored with the stepback three to equalize and force overtime. Seven seconds earlier he had brought his team to within one point in almost identical execution. In extra time, Bayernscored their first road win of the 2019/20 EuroLeague season.
"Maodo should dress warmly," says Djedovic with a grin before the clash with his old colleague. Meanwhile, in "EuroLeague Faces" on MagentaSport, Lo commented on this game, which was special in every respect: "The whole club (FCBB; editor) was really one big family. With teammates, sports director, managing director, with all of them I had a great connection. It will be crazy when I play against Munich now".
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Maodo Lo: "I had a great connection with everyone in Munich".
New to the Berlin squad are also EuroLeague veteran Jayson Granger (formerly with Baskonia), forwards Louis Olinde (Bamberg) and Fontecchio (Reggio Emilia) as well as the young center Ben Lammers (24, Bilbao). In Martin Hermannsson, Rokas Giedraitis and Landry Nnoko also return to the squad.
"But they haven't changed much over the last few years," says Djedovic of the opponent. And Andrea Trinchieri also thinks: "They have been playing a special basketball for years, we have to be prepared for that. They surprise many teams, they don't change their game, whether they are 20 points behind or leading; that's not usual. We have to be extra concentrated and know exactly what we want and need to do."
One who will also be ambitiously competing with his predecessor Maodo Lo is the new Bayern guard Wade Baldwin. The 24-year-old youngster already showed his potential in his first gam as he scored 18 points with a shooting 62% from the floor. In addition to his drive to the basket, the US American was convincing from mid-range and with four assists also hinted at his qualities as a playmaker.