A test of the team’s ambitions to reach at least the second stage of the FIBA Champions League VEF Riga basketball players will have the second match of the tournament against its debutant Ramatganas Maccabi. “It is important to react correctly to the first success in order to take the next steps forward,” coach Mārtiņš Gulbis emphasized immediately after the victory in the first round.
Riga started the tournament brilliantly, beating last season’s champion Bonnas at home Telekom Baskets. Team captain Dairis Bertāns played his most productive game in his career, supported by another team veteran, Māris Gulbis. “The team’s new players and those who watched this game from the sidelines should learn the basketball desire, passion and fighting spirit that Dairis and Māris showed. Only in this way can success be achieved in tournaments of this level,” said the team’s coach. The success made it possible to believe in the chances of the Latvian champions to fight for entry into the second stage in the strong group, but it will be of little use if they fail to strengthen their positions in the second round against the tournament’s newcomer Maccabi. Although the Weffians are considered favorites, this status will not be easy to prove on the pitch. The Israeli team does not lack highly rated players at the European level, in addition, the team showed tough resistance to AEK for a long time in the first round, but in between the games they beat the ULEB Eurocup team Tel Aviv in the Israeli championship Hapoel.
Dairis Bertāns returned at the weekend VEF Riga in the lineup after missing a couple of games. He was the second top scorer in the first round of the Champions League with 31 points, but he was not the only standout. Vyacheslav Bobrov tied for second place in this category with 10 rebounds. The joining of Ukrainian basketball players Bobrov and Isufa Sanon in the ULEB European Cup has made VEF’s chances of reaching the second stage highly appreciated.
The game in Opava will start at 18.30 on Tuesday, its live broadcast Go3 Sport 2 in the channel.
Pay attention!
- VEF Riga beat Telekom Baskets 86:72 in the first round and will try to start the tournament with two wins for the first time in its sixth season
- Maccabi is a debutant in the Champions League, losing the first game 71-80 to the 2018 winner and 2020 finalist AEK Athens
- Due to the ongoing hostilities in Israel, the Ramatgan team hosts their opponents in the Czech city of Opava