The Palace is undefeated this season, all the teams that have visited it have lost by at least 12 points against UCAM and Sito Alonso’s team is in the same numbers as in its best historical start of the 2021-22 season. six wins in nine games. Winning today not only means setting the mark for a new best start, but also raising optimism without possible restraint in the face of Murcia’s presence in the next Copa del Rey in Malaga. Two seasons ago, we arrived in Granada after a start almost identical to this one.
Opposite, a European giant that is only one victory above UCAM (fifth) in the Endesa League from its second place, the very renewed Barça that is now managed by Roger Grimau. A team against which Sito Alonso, now a coach with the most games in the Endesa League on the Murcia bench, debuted his record of victories as coach of UCAM in March 2019 (71-70). Machada repeated, until then, only once more, in the season with empty stands due to the coronavirus, when Barça was no longer led by Pesic and was led by Jasikevicius (77-73).
With the Cup drums beating to the tune of an exciting season at UCAM, “there is little need to motivate the player to compete even more than he usually competes,” Sito Alonso acknowledged in the last press conference prior to the match, implying that Incentives like the cup race are not necessary. One in which, until the calendar and the classification say otherwise, Murcia and Catalans are direct rivals, with only one victory separating them and being the fourth and fifth team in the Endesa League with the most points.
A different team
The Barça that arrives at the Palacio de los Deportes today is the same, and at the same time not, the one that came two months ago for the Super Cup dispute. That timid team was shipwrecked in the semifinal against Real Madrid, proving inferior to its eternal rival and evidencing the lack of preparation that so many important new players had.
In Murcia, not only did Willy Hernangómez and Jabari Parker play their first game as Barça players, Grimau also made his professional debut as head coach. Now, that same team is more united and maintains balance in the Endesa League and Euroleague: in both competitions they are second classified behind Madrid, having won seven of their nine games.
The charge of European competition is where UCAM can attack. This week, since the Murcians played their last game on Tuesday against Tofas at the Palace, Barça still had to face Baskonia in the Euroleague on Wednesday in Vitoria and receive Valencia on Friday. Today will be their third game in five days (fourth in a week) with two trips involved, and a UCAM more comfortable playing at full speed will want to test the freshness of Grimau’s legs.
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