Four hundred tickets burned in just 48 hours. The red and white sector is already sold out for Sunday’s derby. At Andrea Costa’s home, the bitter defeat suffered at the hands of Faenza did not diminish the enthusiasm and gratitude of the fans for the exceptional season of the Dipa band and at Ruggi (start at 6pm, referees Barbieri and Silvestri from Rome) there was a really hot atmosphere is to be expected.
«A match like this doesn’t need any particular motivation – begins Gian Marco Drocker -. We know what it is worth for the city, for our fans and for the whole environment as well as the possibility of reaching the play-offs again. We remember well how the other two seasonal derbies went (Virtus winning the Super Cup and the championship, ed.) and we will do our part.”
Relaunch again
The suicide perpetrated with Faenza may leave some waste. During the season, Andrea Costa found herself at least twice more in similar situations (ko in San Severo and at home against Mestre), always finding within herself the strength to react. «A bit of bitterness remains, it’s undeniable, we lost a game we had in hand. We must learn from our mistakes and certain defeats, so that they do not become useless. We have to be smarter at the end and manage certain advantages.”
How do you react? «Playing our basketball, as almost always in the season, otherwise we wouldn’t still be fighting to go to the play-offs. We know their strengths and we will try to limit them, then the derby remains unpredictable.”
Lukas forgiven
It’s logical to expect a special performance from Lukas Aukstikalnis, after that coach who left the field cost him dearly. The Lithuanian was instantly forgiven by his companions. «Lukas gave us a gigantic hand throughout the championship, it wouldn’t have made sense to hold an episode like that against him. It can happen, especially in such tense matches.”
The derby in Drocker does not evoke good memories: the first leg ended too soon due to a sprained ankle which at the time he had partly attributed to Chiappelli’s foot. «At the time I was very angry both because of the pain and because I realized that I would no longer be able to play. It was precisely anger that made me see things differently.”
Crossroads of the heart?
We will think about the play-offs, possibly, from Sunday evening, but Drocker has given a look at the possible pairing. «Yes, we would find Pielle Livorno (before group A, ed.), a special place for me, where I experienced an unforgettable season (2021-2022, ed.), which definitively launched me at certain levels. Playing with 3000 people singing and cheering rarely happens in Serie B and not only, so it would be a challenge with special emotions for me and then for the whole of Andrea Costa.”
