Idman.biz
Today, December 16, the basketball club "Sabah" will face "Alba" on the road in the final round of Group B of the FIBA Champions League.
According to Idman.Biz, the meeting will be held at the "Uber Arena" in Berlin and will start at 23:00 Baku time.
The situation in the tournament table for the Azerbaijani representative is extremely clear and reminiscent of a scenario that is already familiar to local basketball. In Group B, "Alba" and "Chalon" each have four wins and one loss. "Nymburk" and "Sabah" have the same record with one win and four losses. The winner of the group advances directly to the 1/8 finals, while the teams that take the second and third places have the opportunity to continue the fight in the play-in stage.
Thus, "Sabah" is in a situation where not only a good game is needed, but also a must-win. Moreover, even this victory does not automatically guarantee a place in the next stage. The Baku club can only take third place in the group in one case: a victory over "Alba" in Berlin and, in parallel, a defeat of "Chalon" by "Nymburk". Any other result means fourth place for "Sabah" and the end of the Eurocup season.
Let us remind you that in the first game between the teams in Baku, the team led by Rimas Kurtinaitis lost to "Alba" with a score of 76:85.
The symbolic moment is that more than 12 years ago, the Azerbaijani national team faced almost the same situation. In the qualifying round of the 2013 European Championship, our team also went to a decisive away game in Germany, understanding that only a victory would give a chance to continue the fight.
On September 11, 2012, in Oldenburg, at the "EWE Arena", the Azerbaijani national team met with the German national team and lost with a score of 68:81. However, Azerbaijani basketball players fought equally with the opponent for three periods, and could not withstand the pressure only in the last part.
As a result, Germany finished the qualifying round without defeats, and Azerbaijan finished with 4 wins and 4 losses, lagging behind Sweden in terms of additional indicators and remaining outside the final stage.
Today, "Sabah" also appears in Germany in the same emotional and tournament context: in the format of "either victory or the end of the season". The only difference is the scale of the goal - it is not about a ticket to the continental tournament for national teams, but about the chance to extend the Eurocup season by advancing to the play-in stage. But after 12 years, the feeling of deja vu for Azerbaijani basketball in Berlin is almost complete.
Teymur Tushiyev
