Cantù-Treviso with an eye on the tailspin
At PalaSesio, where Acqua S.Bernardo Cantù and Nutribullet Treviso will face each other at 5 p.m., the game will be played on courts. Both coaches, Walter De Raffaele and Marcelo Nicola, have been clear: they want to win to clinch salvation at 40′ of the game in Brianza. Actually, the permanence in A of Cantù and Treviso could also be sanctioned by the outcome of the challenge between Dinamo Sassari and Virtus Bologna, a real head-to-tail: in case of a success of the guests, Brianzoli and Veneti would celebrate together the achievement of a goal that at a certain point of the season was all but taken for granted for the former and almost unattainable for the latter.
The standings clearly tell what is at stake: Cantù comes to the appointment with 18 points, Treviso with 16, Sassari with 14. Therefore, the Brianzoli start with a two-length advantage over the Venetians and four over the Sardinians, but they cannot afford any distractions, also because in the event of a three-way tie at 18 points, they would be the ones who would be relegated, penalized by the avulse ranking and in particular by the heavy -16 suffered at PalaSerradimigni against Banco di Sardegna.
De Raffaele presented the game with lucidity, underlining the qualities of an opponent that should not be underestimated: “Treviso is a team that, since it practically changed roster, has found talent, distributed between the interior and exterior, and a squareness, also daughter of the results it has obtained with great merit, especially the last victory in Brescia.” The Canturino coach then outlined the tactical key to the challenge: “I foresee a very physical contest and the ability to contain this talent of theirs will be a key element. We will have to play with an open face, trying not to run them down to avoid highlighting their qualities even more.” On the availability front, De Raffaele opened to the presence of Bortolani: “He is in a recovery phase and, if everything goes as it seems and we expect, he will be in the game.”
On the other hand, Treviso comes to this challenge on the back of an extraordinary end to the season. Marcelo Nicola, who accepted the Veneto bench when the situation was “complicated, very complicated,” has been able to turn the group into a compact and dangerous team. “I accepted the challenge to make this club and this city stay in Serie A: the place it deserves,” had declared the Argentine coach, who today wants to crown the work done in recent months precisely at PalaDesio.
In the background, in Sassari, the other act of this Sunday of verdicts will take place. Dinamo hosts leading Virtus Bologna, which comes to Sardinia with 42 points in the standings and with several players recovered after a period of emergency, including Alessandro Pajola and, potentially, Luca Vildoza.
