Xavi Albert ahead of Milan: “The standings don’t reflect Olimpia’s true level”

Xavi Albert previewed Valencia Basket’s EuroLeague Round 10 game against Olimpia Milan, scheduled for tonight at 20:30 at Unipol Forum. The Spanish coach showed plenty of respect for Milan despite its 1-8 record.

“We are facing a team whose current position in the standings and results do not fully reflect its true level,” Albert said. “Many of their games have been decided late, with Milan having chances to win almost until the final possessions, but often the key moments went against them.”

The Valencia coach also highlighted Olimpia’s strengths: “It’s a team we respect, with experienced and proven EuroLeague players. Their physicality and the defensive quality of their perimeter players will certainly cause us problems.”

On Valencia’s situation, Albert added: “We used this week to practice and improve. We have to compensate for the absences we have in the frontcourt and find solutions, as we did in our last game in Andorra. The weight of games and travel is starting to affect many teams.”