The AAC regular season is heading into its crucial season. In each group, it is gradually becoming clear who will be part of the playoffs and for whom the competition will end in December. What does it look like ahead of Week 5 of the Regular Season?
In Group A, it’s all about the battle for second place, which three teams are fighting for. And two of them will face each other – Furnir and Dabrowa Górnicza. Croatian team absolutely needs to succeed if it wants to think about the quarter-finals. “The win leaves us in contention for the quarter-finals of the Alpe Adria Cup, and from that perspective we’re definitely going for it to stay in the game until the last round. I expect a lot more concentration and fewer turnovers in this game. Dabrowa Górnicza is a quality team, as we saw in the first game, but with our good play and the support of the crowd I believe we will notch up another victory in the Alpe Adria Cup,” declarer the Furnir coach Jeronimo Šarin.
Pardubice have already advanced into play-offs, but Oberwart is still playing for the second place. They need to win at home to end their opponent’s undefeated streak this season. “After the clear defeat in Pardubice we want to present ourselves better and challenge them until the last minute. That’s the only way we can get the victory we’re hoping for and keep our chances of advancing alive,” revealed the Gunner’s coach Horst Leitner.
Nothing is clear yet in Group B, so Wednesday may bring some key games in this respect. In the Balkan duel Šibenka has a clear goal, to defeat Ilirija. “I hope that in preparation for the game against Ilirija we will have full roster so that we can adequately prepare for a very high quality, young and talented opponent who certainly has a very good coach and a team that is capable of impressing everyone. They played a great game against Vienna, they beat Olomoucko and it’s certain that they will be looking for their chance. I would like the spectators to come out in large numbers to support us, to give us that boost, to try to give us that last atom of strength to win this game, to make it a little easier for us with the noice from the stands,” invited the fans by the Šibenka coach Damir Milačić.
Olomoucko will make their home debut in the Alpe Adria Cup, they will fight for their second win against the group leader – Vienna. “The opponent won the Austrian title last season and also has the highest ambitions in the current season. He has assembled an interesting team, which includes players from Croatia, Serbia, Canada and the United States. We are up against a strong opponent and the spectators have a lot to look forward to. The group is very balanced, everyone has a chance to advance to the next stage. In the rematches, we will always play at home and we will try to take advantage of that. We will fight for the promotion,” Michal Pekárek, president and sports manager of Olomoucko, hinted at the ambitions.
In Group C, both advancers can be decided. Komárno has a chance to stretch their winning streak to four games. Swingman Roman Skvašik believes it will happen: “We will do everything we can to stay on the winning streak in the Alpe Adria Cup. Kapfenberg will come to our court with a different line-up, reinforced by two players, so we can’t afford to have a game like we did in the last league game against Spišská Nová Ves. We have to play concentrated for the whole 40 minutes. We are also looking forward to our fans, I believe they will come to support us in large numbers.” Kapfenberg is already out of the play-offs contention, so they can play without pressure in the final two games. “Some guys are doing well in training, but it’s not working in the game yet. It has to do with the fact that we had to constantly change the lineup and rotate because of injuries. When we are finally complete, the rotation will improve and the players will feel more confident,” thinks Kapfenberg assistant coach Adnan Bajramović.
They can be joined by Kolín, who face Škrljevo at home. “In the match with Škrljevo we want to succeed and secure our progress to the next stage of the competition. I believe that we have prepared well for our opponent, we have learned from the previous match and we will bring the match to a victorious end,” said clearly Filip Rytina.
AAC Regular season Week 5 schedule (23th of November):
Group A
18.00 h: KK Furnir – MKS Dabrowa Górnicza
19.00 h: UNGER STEEL Oberwart Gunners – BK KVIS Pardubice
Group B
18.00 h: GKK Šibenka – Nutrisport Ilirija
19.00 h: BK REDSTONE Olomoucko – BC GGMT Vienna
Group C
17.00 h: BC Komárno – Kapfenberg Bulls
17.45 h: BC Geosan Kolín – KK DepoLink Škrljevo