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The Milan club said this week that the 31-year-old American defender has undergone knee surgery and will not be able to compete for at least a month.
On Wednesday night, Olimpia Armani, in addition to M. Delaney, was already playing a match against Fenerbahche Istanbul at home and lost 92: 100 to the Turkish representatives after a very successful fight.
Until then, M. Delaney was the third player in terms of performance (average of 10.9 points) and the second in terms of transfers (average of 3.9), so his loss is important: other Olimpia Armani players have to work hard.
This is exactly what Kevin Punter, the most productive member of the Milan team, spoke on average before the trip to Kaunas, scoring 14.3 points on average.
Kevin Punter
© Vida Press
“In Kaunas we will face a very solid Euroleague. The “Žalgiris” seems to be in good shape, so we will have to be focused from the first minutes. The thing is, we won’t have Ms. Delaney, so each of us will have to work even harder, “said the American, who played 22 points in the first round match between Milan (Olimpia Armani won 98:92) and 22 points – points from all basketball players on the field.
Ettore Messina, Italian basketball teacher who trains against the coming duel and the Milan team, did not speak much, mentioning that the most important thing for basketball players is to remember the lesson received in Wednesday’s game with him ” Fenerbahche “.
“In Kaunas we will play against an athletic team well managed by the coach. We will have to face the aggression, the energy, the pressure in the whole square; dealing with these things will be the main challenge. And obviously, if we want to win games in the future, we have to play a much higher level of basketball in our defense than in the last game, ”said the 61-year-old Italian.
Delaney is not the only loser at the Olimpia Armani. Forward Zach LeDay, who represented “Žalgiris” last season, will probably also not be able to play in Kaunas.
In turn, “Žalgiris” continues to work without Patricio Garinas from Argentina, Artūras Milaknis has also withdrawn from the lineup.
Theoretically, before this meeting, “Žalgiris” will rest a little better. Kaunas residents played this week’s game with ASVEL the day before, on Tuesday. Also, they did it at home, and the Milan team has to fly to Kaunas. On the eve of the match, Žalgiris coach Martin Schiller also mentioned this, but at the same time the Austrians urged not to exaggerate this fact.
“I hope it is an advantage, maybe a physical advantage. Clearly, we are talking about a minimal advantage. ASVEL spent three days before the match in Kaunas, but we won against them. Theoretically and practically, due to the current situation, we should have some advantage over the Milan team, “said the” Žalgiris “strategist.
Kaunas “Žalgiris” against Milan “Olimpia Armani”
Olimpia Armani is the second most won team in the Euroleague this season. The Italians get an average of 82 points per game and only surpass Valencia Basket (82.5 points) in this component. “Žalgiris”, in turn, is eleventh in terms of performance (average of 77.9 points).
Friday’s game in Kaunas will traditionally start at 8pm
The remaining calendar of the “Žalgiris” in the Euroleague
Over the next two weeks, Žalgiris will have two duels with teams from Istanbul: on March 12 with Anadolu Efes and on March 18 with Fenerbahce.
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