Hapoel Tel Aviv Set to Face Virtus Bologna in Sofia for European Clash
Hapoel Tel Aviv faces Virtus Bologna in Sofia in a crucial European clash. Both teams hold a 4-2 record as Hapoel looks to extend its winning momentum under coach Dimitris Itoudis.
Hapoel Tel Aviv will continue its European campaign tomorrow (Wednesday, 19:00) by hosting Virtus Bologna at the 8888 Arena in Sofia. Both teams enter the match with an identical record of four wins and two losses, trailing the tournament leaders by just a single victory.
Hapoel returned to Bulgaria yesterday, reuniting with foreign players who did not travel to Israel in recent days and rejoined the squad in the Bulgarian capital following the game against Panathinaikos. All Israeli players, including Tamir Blatt for the first time and Yiftach Ziv who is on his way out of the club, traveled with the team in accordance with club policy. However, estimates suggest the coaching staff will stick with the same roster that defeated Beşiktaş and Panathinaikos last week without integrating new players.
Preparing for Virtus Bologna
Hapoel holds Virtus in high regard and has conducted numerous video briefing sessions since the start of preparations to neutralize key opponents and handle their unique frontcourt players. The club hopes to maintain momentum ahead of a grueling stretch of upcoming fixtures.
"We need to work hard, try to get the right messages from previous games. We did something good because we won matches, but we can also find lapses we have. We need to work hard and believe in what we are trying to build," said head coach Dimitris Itoudis.
Zach LeDay added: "The main thing is to keep building on what we've been doing lately. We got good wins last week, we need to build on that."
Opponent Overview
Virtus Bologna has started the season strongly with four wins from six games, including a major victory over Olympiacos in Italy. The team is coached this season by Spaniard Álex Mumbrú, who also manages the Germany national team.
The Italian side's backcourt features guards Marcus Carr, a former player of Bnei Herzliya and Hapoel Galil Elyon, averaging 14.7 points and 5.8 assists, alongside Wendell Moore who adds 13.2 points and 5.8 rebounds. Derek Alston is having a stellar season with 12.8 points. The frontcourt is led by youngsters Aliou Diara with 11.8 points and 7.2 rebounds off the bench, and Mouhamet Diouf with 6.2 points.
A familiar face for the Reds is Kessler Edwards, who played for Hapoel late last season and currently averages 4 points and 5.5 rebounds for Virtus.
