Valencia Basket visits Salamanca at the start of a tough month of December

Valencia Basket heads to Salamanca for the first mid-week round of the LF Endesa (Wednesday, December 3, 7:00 p.m., Wurzburg Silvia Domínguez Arena, Teledeporte). The taronja team wants to extend their good momentum in what is also the first clash against one of their traditional direct rivals in domestic competition, aiming to stretch a winning streak that already stands at seven consecutive victories. The major obstacle the Valencian side continues to face is the short rotation in the frontcourt with two games each week, which means a heavy minutes load for some players.

Rubén Burgos assesses the game

“We’re prepared for this game, for the immediacy of it—not to think about what comes next or where we’re coming from. We’ve had a couple of days to work on tactical and technical aspects, on offense and defense, focusing on our strengths but also on those of the opponent, which they have plenty of. We’re visiting Salamanca after several years competing at this level; we’ve had many battles of all kinds there, and experience tells us we must go in very prepared and very focused, especially because of the maximum demand and competitiveness we will face given the quality of the opposing team and the atmosphere in the stands.

From a distance—that’s the only way I can really judge it—and using common sense, I see that Salamanca is continually improving, on an upward trajectory. We don’t have many references nor do we want to pay much attention to the Supercopa game, since it’s very far behind us. And as is normal with a roster that has many new players, over time, with competition and work, we see the team much better, more reinforced, and more consistent; it couldn’t be any other way. It’s a good roster, well coached, with 11 professional players, very balanced across all positions, who are active and contributing. I think the game is going to be tough and extremely demanding.”

Rosters