Real Madrid and Valencia Basket promise points to open the Cup

Real Madrid and Valencia Basket open the Cup predicting points

MADRID, 15 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Real Madrid and Valencia Basket will be in charge this Thursday of opening the 87th edition of the Copa del Rey that takes place at the Palau Olímpic in Badalona (Barcelona), with a duel that promises to be disputed and attractive due to the offensive power they show both.

The Madrid team and the 'taronja' will open the 'Spanish basketball festival' at the Palau Olímpic, with a first quarterfinal where Álex Mumbrú's men will try to surprise a rival who has taken the measure of the competition in which he is the most successful with 28 trophies.

In fact, since he fell at the first exchange in 2013 against Barça, the ten-time European champion has been in the following nine cup finals, with five titles, one of them against the Valencian team, in 2017 and by 97- 95. Valencia Basket has never beaten Real Madrid in the Cup after four matches and hopes that the fifth time they will break the losing streak to continue dreaming of doing something great in an edition that commemorates the 25th anniversary of their cup triumph in Valladolid.

Chus Mateo's men arrive in good line at the assault on a throne that Barça has taken from them in the last two years, but also with the extra pressure of not failing in a debut where they have almost always been solvent except six years ago when MoraBanc Andorra was about to give the bell, in a duel remembered for the field behind Sergio Llull that the referees did not see and that led to Randolph's three-pointer that forced extra time.

This will be the third confrontation between madridistas and 'taronjas' of the season, all in a different competition. The other two were for the leader of the Endesa League, who won with authority in the domestic tournament (79-62) and with more work in the Euroleague (73-80). In these two victories, Real Madrid was able to hold off the attack by Álex Mumbrú's men and made good use of their good starts to the game, something that the Valencian team will have to improve on.

He also likes to play at a high pace and with many points from outside. Valencia Basket is averaging more than 80 points in the two competitions and from there they hope to protect their rival as much as possible, who also excels in attack and against whom they must also strive in the rebounding 'battle' that was also adverse in both setbacks and which is another of Madrid's great strengths.

In this sense, the physical problems of James Webb III can diminish the 'taronja', also with the doubt of Xabi López-Arostegui, in the 'paint' against the always dominating figure of Walter Tavares, who will require a lot of work from Bojan Dubljevic , Jasiel Rivero and Kyle Alexander. He will also have to neutralize an increasingly toned Dzanan Musa who did a lot of damage in the two Madrid victories mentioned above.

For his part, Chus Mateo, who has his entire squad available except Carlos Alocén and Anthony Randolph, so he will have to decide what to discard, will seek to counteract the three 'little ones' of Valencia Basket, Chris Jones, Shannon Evans and Jared Harper, capable of 'dynamite' a game if they find the streak.

REAL MADRID: Williams-Goss, Musa, Deck, Yabusele and Tavares -- possible starting quintet -- Causeur, Llull, Poirier, Hezonja, Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez, Cornelie, Hanga, Abalde and Ndiaye.

VALENCIA BASKET: Harper, Radebaugh, Puerto, Claver and Dubljevic --possible starting five--; Jones, Pradilla, Rivero, Evans, Alexander, Prepelic, López-Arostegi, and Webb III.

-- PAVILION: Badalona Olympic.

--TIME: 6:30 p.m./Movistar Sports-