NEWS | 01/03/2021
"We need to be tough on defence, control the rebound and get into the rhythm of the game" explained Abalde."When a team of Khimki's level, with the players they have and their scoring ability, is on a bad run, they're getting closer a win. We need to be very switched on and focused for this game. They have lost a lot of players and are suffering more on the inside, but they've got good scorers and are very dangerous. Shved is a reference due to his ability to score but they have other players who are performing well such as Mickey, Bertans, Zaytsev and Karasev. They will demand a strong defensive effort from us from the start".
WE'RE TRAVELLING WITH THE 12 THAT PLAYED LAST SATURDAY AND TAYLOR.
"We have Taylor back and will travel to Russia with 13 players. The 12 who played on Saturday plus Taylor, but Thompkins, who sprained his ankle last Saturday, and Alocén, who sprained his ankle in training today, are doubts. We'll see how they are in the last few hours".
Defence
"The team has been working very well defensively over the last few weeks. We feel that it's difficult for teams to score against us and, in general, the defensive work has been very good throughout the year. We always aim to improve but we obviously know that it's impossible to keep the opposition at zero points".
Abalde: "We have to be very focused and solid"
"Khimki has very good players, a lot of scorers and shooters. They're a very dangerous team and we'll have to be at our best and really switched on from the start in order to be able to perform well and try to secure another win. Khimki has few pure inside players at the moment. They're getting players with a lot of outside threat in their place and that makes them a dangerous team".
"We have to be smart, be solid and control the basics of the game. We need to be tough on defence and control the rebound as a base, then get into the rhythm of the game. If we can do that, we'll have a better chance of winning".
