Real Madrid

Real Madrid will officially kick off the 2012/13 campaign when they do battle with CAI Zaragoza in the semi-finals of the Endesa Super Cup. The match will be played on Saturday 22 September at the Principe Felipe arena in Zaragoza. The other semi-final is between Barcelona Regal and Valencia Basket. The semi-finals will be played at 7:00 and 9:30 pm, and the winners of each will go head to head for the first trophy of the season on Sunday 23 September at 7:00 pm.

No sooner were the line-ups drawn that the first reactions emerged from the auditorium of the Town Hall of Zaragoza, where the draw was made for the 2012-13 Super Cup. Alberto Herreros, Real Madrid’s Basketball Manager, present in the Aragonese capital, talked about the difficulties of facing the hosts: "There was a 50 % chance of facing CAI Zaragoza or Valencia and CAI will actually be motivated by playing at home in front of their fans, and they will be a dangerous opponent. We will have to be at our best to reach the final".

However, Herreros is confident that, if they play their brand of basketball, they can be in the final on Sunday 23 September: "It is true that Madrid’s style is really entertaining. We have had this same style for the past couple of years. Pablo wants to impose a very strong rhythm with short periods of possession … If there’s a chance to shoot when the attack has just begun, we shoot. That actually gives us a lot of freedom and makes for great entertainment".