In or out. Smartsystem Fano is called to the first real match of the season by visiting the Erm Group San Giustino (Wednesday at 8.30 pm), in a match valid for the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup.
There will be no return match therefore for the team of new coach Vincenzo Mastrangelo it is already a decisive challenge for access to the final four.
The Virtussini face this challenge with the novelty linked to the arrival of the new coach and the return, albeit with difficulty, to the away victory (Napoli) that had been missing since 29 October (3-2 in Bari): “The latest success – he states Captain Raffa – shows that even outside the home we can have our say. Despite the difficulties encountered, we have shown that we can do a lot and also make good use of the bench, as demonstrated by Pietro Galdenzi in Naples. I repeat, even if there were no need, that Virtus cares a lot about the Italian Cup.”
Pietro Margutti, another protagonist of Naples, is also on the same page: “A forgettable start to the match, but excellent reaction. Now let’s move on to the Italian Cup, a trophy we care about.”
The Erm Group San Giustino, which has already defeated Fano in the championship (3-1), needs no introduction: the team coached by Bartolini (without Marzolla and Wawrzynczyk) is fresh from an encouraging 3-1 over Lagonegro and wants to all costs make the most of the homely factor. Sure of Skuodis’s use for Marzolla, if Wawrzyczyk doesn’t recover, Salvatore Cozzolino is ready and made an important contribution in the last home match.
Smartsystem will take the field in full force and with the new coach, even if it will be the field that will issue the final sentence.
