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Alba Berlin's hope for the end of the final curse

2020-02-14T11:36:03.795Z


Alba Berlin knows about lost finals. In the basketball cup final, the black series against Oldenburg should end on Sunday. The guests don't see themselves as outsiders.


Alba Berlin knows about lost finals. In the basketball cup final, the black series against Oldenburg should end on Sunday. The guests don't see themselves as outsiders.

Berlin (dpa) - Alba Berlin has had enough of the final curse. "Of course we finally want to reward ourselves," said manager Marco Baldi in his own hall before the final of the German basketball cup on Sunday (8.30 p.m. / Magentasport).

After five failed attempts under coach Aito Garcia Reneses, the former German series champion has his first title in four years firmly in view. Against EWE Baskets Oldenburg, the conditions seem quite good not to lose the sixth important final in a row.

"The fact that we play at home increases the tension and anticipation. You almost prepare for it even more," said Berlin captain Niels Giffey. The recent major personal worries of the capital club should not play a role on the way to the first cup win since 2016, as should the annoyance about the long-standing issue of the hall. The guests from Oldenburg are bothered by the late launch time. This is the only way the duel can take place on the Spree.

When the final was drawn to Berlin, there was no hall available to Alba, since the arena at Ostbahnhof was occupied by the home game of Eisbären Berlin in the German Ice Hockey League against Adler Mannheim. An organizational act of strength makes it possible for the first time that both encounters can take place in just one day. 250 people will be busy covering the ice rink and getting everything ready for Alba and Oldenburg.

As a result, the kick-off time slips so late into the evening that the Oldenburg problems lamented for their accompanying fans. "The finale does not get the proper framework," said managing director Hermann Schüller and renewed his criticism on Friday. "There are things that can still be improved, but we have now come to terms with it." 1300 Baskets fans - more than ever before - will still travel with us and hope for the second cup coup after 2015.

At the beginning of the month Alba had lost 88:93 in Oldenburg. The game is still in the head, said Berlin international Giffey: "This shows that you have to take it 100 percent seriously." The lost finals - two in the championship, two in the cup and one in the Eurocup - should now be more of a motivation. "I don't know of any team that has played as many finals in the past few years as we have," said Alba managing director Baldi, who can win the national cup with his team for the tenth time: "If you get into a final, that's it always a certificate of quality. "

For the first time under the Spanish coach Aito, Alba now has home rights in a title-determining match. Due to the constant strain in the Bundesliga and Euroleague, the list of injured and injured players is long. Aito emphasized that he still didn't know who he could use. Meanwhile, Oldenburg also relies on massive fan support. "The city, the region are behind us. It is very important for us that we are not alone there," said Oldenburg's center Rasid Mahalbasic.

Final information

Squad Alba Berlin

Squad EWE Baskets Oldenburg

Source: merkur

All sports articles on 2020-02-14

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