Dukes, the feat against Fides is needed

Cartel challenge, Arezzo derby, in the fourth return leg of the Tuscan championship Men's Basketball Series C. At 18.30 pm today, the battleship arrives on the parquet of the Sansepolcro sports hall Fides Montevarchi, a great protagonist of a season that has seen it sail with full points in the standings so far, with 16 victories in as many games played. A clear path, as clear in the score (86-56) was the affirmation in the first leg challenge in Valdarno. The local team of Romolini Real Estate Dukes Basketball will therefore try to do everything possible to break the long opposing streak, even though the task seems rather arduous, given the calibre of coach Riccardo Paludi's yellow-greens, who can count on the experience of Francesco Quaglia, a centre with experience in the top division (Virtus and Fortitudo Bologna, but also Cantù) and on the prolificacy of the wing Lorenzo Neri and the guard Alberto Caponi.

The good news for the Bianconeri is the recovery of point guard Guglielmo Spillantini, who left early in the last game in Prato due to a broken nose. The player trained and, even with the mask on, should be on the court; he will be needed, as will Hassan, Santiago, Bassetti and the latest arrival, the Ukrainian Radchenko, who immediately inserted himself into the team's defensive mechanisms, while waiting to better assimilate the schemes in attack. "We find ourselves in front of a team with great physicality and that is very active under the basket - says coach Silvio Bartolini of the Dukes - so we have a lot of work ahead of us, especially in defense. However, I am convinced that the boys will give it their all, stimulated by a Montevarchi that is literally dominating the scene and it is normal that, when you have the league leaders in front of you, motivations rise to the maximum".

The away defeat on the Union Prato field (72-80 the final score) interrupted the positive streak of three victories, which had allowed Romolini to climb from last to tenth position. However, the performance of the team was comforting, not forgetting that, with the one to play, there are still ten games missing for the epilogue of the regular season.