Main reception this Saturday, January 22 at the Palais des sports in Orléans. The OLB welcomes for the 17th day of Betclic Elite one of the favorites of the championship: monaco. The Roca Team and its gaggle of stars, still involved in the Euroleague, will continue their sixth game in less than two weeks. Orléans Loiret Basket, which remains on a defeat in Pau, therefore may have a shot to play. This game is between a trip to Russia against Zenit and the Real Madrid reception for Monegasques.

“See if there is a way to make a little surprise”, according to Bruno Cingala-Mata

But on the Orleans side, there is no question of counting on a poor performance from the players of Sasa Obradovic. “What we want is for them to come and respect us. In the last five league games, they have three defeats and two wins. And we will force them to respect us“, says Germain Castano. Besides, the OLB coach claims it, there is no “no pressurefor his team.

Same feeling for the pivotal winger Bruno Cingala-Mata : “_We’re going to play it hard, it’s useless to say to each other ‘it’s a great team with great players‘. They breathe like us, they eat like us. The coaches will prepare well for the match, we will follow the instructions. We will adapt in the match and try to stay in the game as long as possible and at the end, even if there is a way to make a little surprise._”

Marcus Paige’s unavailability still not known

But beyond the match and its result, Germain Castano has a mission this Saturday. Make a much better home copy than in the last match and the rout against Paris. “Here in this Sports Palace, the last time we came to show our noses, it was not extraordinary. We will try to show another face and regardless of the opponent. In the basket, there is a thing called the result, but there is everything that happens during the match, in the attitudes and the mistakes we make or not.“, explains the Orleans coach.

The OLB will again have to full-back improviser, with the official departure of DJ Strawberry and the absence for injury of Marcus Paige, the duration of which is not yet known. The 28-year-old American must go from new exams monday. When the staff is fixed, one or two players can come to increase the number. As an attendant, Jérémy Nzeulie arrived this Friday as a training partner.

The reception of Graveline-Dunkerque shifted

In addition, a change in the programming of the next matches of the OLB. The reception of Gravelines-Dunkerque will finally take place February 2 at 8 p.m., to take advantage of the end of the gauges in closed rooms like the Sports Palace. The match, scheduled for January 9, had been postponed for cases of Covid-19 in the northern workforce.