Yankuba Sima was in charge of speaking at the preview of the match that will face this Wednesday (7:30 p.m.) at the Martín Carpena Unicaja and Baxi Manresa. Just 10 days before playing the semifinals of the Basketball Champions League Final Four, Ibon Navarro’s men continue to burn stages in the Endesa League, in a direct fight with Lenovo Tenerife for fourth place in the ACB.
Despite the little rest that there has been after the victory against Joventut, the moment of the Malaga team is exceptional: “We arrived in very good dynamics, with many consecutive victories. I think the team is in a very good moment and looking forward to facing this gamewhich will be very difficult because we are playing against a team that has a lot at stake and they will come with all the desire”, explained the center hours before playing matchday 32, brought forward by the FIBA competition.
Despite the fact that Pedro Martínez’s men flirt with the relegation places, one only has to remember the first round match -with extra time included- to put their feet on the ground. “A 100% very physical match, which it will be played with a lot of possessions because both they and we like to play at a very high pace. We want to continue in the dynamic we are in and BAXI Manresa wants to be able to stay in this competition. It will be very intense and that is what we can expect.”
On the Carpena track, the now compositor player will meet his past again. “It will be an emotional game for me because it is the club where I have spent the last four seasons. And I have friends, former teammates, former coaches and everyone who is part of that club, for whom I am very fond. It will be emotional, but we are going to try to win it however it is,” he recalled.
The Catalan arrived in the middle of January to replace the long-term absence of Yankuba Sima. After a few difficult months, as he himself has recognized, he is now 100%: “Every time I feel more comfortable thanks to my teammates, the coaches, the technical staff, fans, people from the club and people from the city. They make me feel very comfortable and that makes me feel better every time and I can contribute more” .
This yes, to the margin of the team, there are other conditions that could complicate the meeting a little more. Unicaja and Manresa will face each other at 7:30 p.m. on a weekday. But Sima does not doubt the support that the ‘green tide’ will provide one more day: “Regardless of what time it is, Carpena will always respond, like every game this season. I am sure that they will come to support us, as they have done so far, and to help us lift a game that is going to be very difficult, and thus continue in this dynamic”.