Virtus, the exam against the past arrives. Banchi's tribute: "One of the toughest challenges"

Encouraged by the victory against Milan and also by the recovery of Polonara, the Virtus is preparing to return to the field this afternoon on the Bosphorus to face theEphes IstanbulThe black and whites will find themselves facing their very recent past, given that the Turks are led by Luca Banchi who for a year and a little more, until the beginning of December, was on the bench of the V Nere. A comparison of memories for the Tuscan coach and for Marco Belinelli and his teammates who no longer have ambitions of ranking, but will have to and will want to honor in the best possible way a competition like theEuroleague. The permanence of the black and whites is being played on the tables of bureaucracy, but it is also being played on the way in which the black and whites will honor the 7 challenges that remain to conclude the competition. Not at their best and with the idea of ​​giving space to those who have been less used so far, also to preserve energy in view of the challenge with Trento which is worth the top spot in the standings, Virtus will try to hold their own against an opponent who is instead in full battle for a place in the Euroleague playoff-playoffs. "I hope that the match with Efes can help us improve and give minutes to those players who normally don't play much - he confirms Dusko Ivanovic – However, as in every match, our goal is always to try to win". Virtus will try to trip up the Turks, even if obviously the motivations of the two teams are diametrically opposed. On the other bench, as mentioned, sits Luca Banchi who sings the praises of the black and whites, a team that despite a thousand vicissitudes he led until the beginning of December and then resigned and landed a few weeks later on the bench of the Turks. "It is without a doubt one of the most difficult challenges that awaits us for the quality of Virtus – confirms Banchi – after the return from injuries of both Toko Shengelia and Ante Zizic, the V Nere will come to the match with us in the best shape, as also demonstrated by the important home victory against Olimpia Milano. Us? We are seriously preparing for a match that hides many pitfalls: we will have to face this important challenge with aggression and consistency". The words of the former Juventus coach on the one hand confirm the importance of the match for an Efes in full swing for the Euroleague playoffs or playing, on the other they reiterate the great respect that the Grosseto coach has towards the Bianconeri. Having arrived on the bench in September 2023, last season Banchi led the V Nere to the championship final and the Euroleague playing. The path in this first part of the season has been more complicated, also due to injuries and a not very long roster, with the adventure of the Grosseto coach that was interrupted on December 5 after the home defeat with Alba Berlin and which led to the coach's resignation.