Reyer, crucial match with Poles: Spahija hopes for Taliercio

On Wednesday, Jan. 14, Umana Reyer takes on Poland’s Slask Wroclaw in a crucial match for the fate of Eurocup Group B. At the Palasport Taliercio two-ball at 8 p.m., gates open at 7 p.m. It’s a crucial match for the Orogranata, who are calling on their fans. Currently in fifth place in the standings (7-6), coach Spahija’s team has an opportunity to consolidate their playoff position and look with ambition to the top positions.

In front of them will find a Slask Wroclaw that, despite occupying the ninth position (4-9), will come to Venice with the hunger of those who need to climb up the ladder to keep alive their hopes of qualification. These are the words of coach Neven Spahija: “After a bitterly lost game, the team is back on the court working to prepare for the match against Slask. They are a good team that runs, scores a lot of points and is very dangerous. However, we want to continue on our path, forget the last two-three minutes we played against Virtus and continue to compete at our best, together with our fans.”

RJ Cole echoes him, “We have to react and be stronger mentally, continuing to play as we have been doing lately: in my opinion we are playing very well. Both in offense and defense we are expressing ourselves as a team. We want to continue our path by learning from our mistakes and following the game plan with concentration, from the beginning to the end.”

The first game in Poland is still a sweet memory for Umana Reyer, which imposed itself with a pyrotechnic 104-92, showing all its offensive potential, but repeating it will not be obvious. The Orogranatas have a more prolific offense (88.9 points on average against the Poles’ 84.3) and better ball circulation, as evidenced by 21.5 assists per game against their opponents’ 17.4.