The new, 28th round of the AdmiralBet ABA League will open in Podgorica, where SC Derbi will host Cedevita Olimpija tomorrow (19).
"Students" did not play the match of the previous round, the duel with Red Star was postponed to May 17st, and the last time they were on the field in the regional competition was on April 10th, when they lost to Buducnost. This means that Petar Mijović's team has fallen out of the competitive rhythm a bit, but they have had plenty of time to prepare for the match with the "dragons", who come to Podgorica as the team that secured the play-off. Zvezdan Mitrović's team is fighting with Igokea for fifth place (both teams have a score of XNUMX-XNUMX).
On the other hand, SC Derby has played well in the last few games, especially in attack, but the playoffs remain far away.
"We are playing against a team that has been at the top of the ABA League for years. I think that especially through the Eurocup this season, they have shown their quality, toughness and character that has characterized them throughout the season. This is a team that is a combination of top athletes on the one hand and serious experience, with an outstanding coach. We are entering the match with a good rhythm where we have looked very good offensively in the last few games," said SC Derbija coach Petar Mijović in the match announcement.
Mijović points out that the team has certain problems with injuries.
"I'm worried about the number of injuries we've had in the last seven or eight days, which have taken certain players out of the training rhythm. We've also fallen out of the competitive rhythm, because we didn't play the regular round against Red Star, but the game was postponed, so we've been without a game for a long time, which could be a problem at the moment. Cedevita Olimpija is the favorite due to the quality and experience they have, but we're entering the match with our ambitions and we want to present ourselves in the best possible light and continue with good games," said Mijović.
In the first match between these teams, played in Ljubljana, Zvezdan Mitrović's team won 100:86.
"We have an extremely difficult match ahead of us against Cedevita Olimpija, which is known for its fast and dynamic game, as well as the individual quality of their players. We know how they play well, we need to pay special attention to the transition and their ability to quickly punish mistakes. The key for us will be to control the rhythm of the game, which we managed to do in the first half in Ljubljana. In the last six matches, they have five wins against strong opponents, only losing away to Spartak in overtime, which speaks volumes about how good a rhythm they are in. It's up to us to do our best and 'sell our skins dearly', to be in the game until the end of the match and try to record another victory," said SC Derbija basketball player Emir Hadžibegović.
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