The cup semi finals are on the schedule this Saturday and Sunday. We take a look at the games with the quotes by our national team head coaches Mariusz Dziurdzia and Ken Diederich.
The first game on Saturday is the one between Amicale Steinsel and cup title holder Gréngewald Hueschtert. The team of coach Francois Manti is unbeaten so far this season. „Gréngewald is the clear favorite, not only to win this game but overall to win the title. The team is unbeaten in Luxembourg and has been playing consistent basketball on a high level throughout the entire season. Amicale has not fulfilled its potential this season, the team should be able to play better in my opinion. Beating Gréngewald at the Coque is nearly a mission impossible for Steinsel in my eyes » says national team head coach Dziurdzia.
On Sunday, T71 Dudelange and Sparta Bertrange will meet in the second semi final. Both teams have a similar record in the championship this season. „This game is more balanced on paper, but Dudelange has the better chances of advancing to the final. They were able to beat Sparta twice in the championship and have the better team overall. If Sparta wants to win this game, they need their trio Yoerger/Jaksic/Burse to be at their best and they also need some production from their young and talented players. If Sparta can play at its maximum, they could have the potential to make this a close game and maybe realize a surprise. »
In the men’s competition, Etzella and Résidence meet on Saturday evening. „Etzella has played better than Résidence recently even though their overtime victory at Kordall was obviously not convincing. The new third professional player of Résidence (Travis Daniels) is a good player, if they can play together as a team, they have a chance to beat Etzella. Ettelbruck is the slight favorite, especially because their two guards Jimmie Taylor and Philippe Gutenkauf have been playing very well this season. « Sticky » is once again the favorite to win the JICL MVP award and both players play well together » says national team head coach Diederich.
In the second men’s game, Heffingen from the Nationale 2 has a 10-point advantage against Sparta. „The situation has been difficult for Bertrange with the coaching change and their ongoing injury problems. I expect Heffingen to have a real chance of advancing to the final. The team around former Sparta-players Philippe Arendt and Tom Schomer is certainly highly motivated. Sparta is clearly facing more pressure in this game as the team from the higher division. Everybody knows that 10 points is a lot at the Coque and this could become a very interesting game. Yannick Verbeelen could become a key factor, if he is completely healthy, Sparta is a much stronger team. »
