The schedule for the second stage of the Catalunya Women’s Cup couldn’t be more choppy. Derby to unlock the most crucial section of the course. Here defeats are more expensive than in the previous stage, when each team won the match on the track. As far as forcing you to play promotion or even direct relegation to Category One if you take third or fourth place, respectively. Neither TGN Bàsquet nor CB Valls want to find themselves in these situations and from Sunday (8:00 pm) at Pabellón del Sagrat Cor they will fight to avoid it.
Although it is a new stage and previous victories do not matter in the new stage, for Victor Nella, coach of TGN Bàsquet, “the path of the teams is important in terms of sensations”. An opinion not shared by his counterpart in the Rujiblanco seat, Bennett Ibanez: “The signals are useless. We all play it from scratch even though they have a dynamic with more wins.” In this sense, Valences coach refers to a game that “has more nerves than in the first stage because of the desire to start this new stage with a victory and enter into a positive dynamic.”
Whether it matters or not, the derby is still a derby. It’s a game she “always wanted to win,” Nella said. The purple coach believes that the team that “imposes their style will be the winner”. In this sense, the Tarragona coach remembers the clash at the Estadio Joanna Ballart, defeating his team, as a “warning” of what should not happen. “We didn’t know how to impose our tempo and they were able to set a slow tempo. They have also been successful at certain times. They are mistakes we must learn from.”
Ibáñez makes no secret that this match in the capital of Alt Camp is the mirror in which they look at themselves for options to surprise TGN Bàsquet. “We have to go into the game until a few points are played. Be tough in defense and try to control the rebounding ball. But the most important thing is to reach the last quarter with chances of winning, as we did at Joanna Ballart.” Bennett Ibanez points out that the victory will be in the small details: “Whoever has the most success, less nerves, more talent in specific moments and more luck will win the match.”
In what there is no debate between both technicians is in the preferred role. Both agree that a poster will be shown at TGN Bàsquet. And so the girls of Victor Nella assume it. “Because of the previous classification and because we play at home, we assume that we are the favourites.”
As for losses for both teams, Bennett Ibanez notes that Julia Canelas is ill and likely won’t make it. The absence further complicates the coach’s plans. “We only have a short squad of eight players that we complement with the senior B and the youngsters, but they are also suffering from injuries. We have no luck.” pointing to.
For her part, Nella almost ruled out Irene Fernandez and Carla Diaz, on the way to recovering from their injuries.