Basketball Bundesliga - Alba only outsiders in Bayern duel
For the basketball team, the Bundesliga prestige duel on Sunday in the Max-Schmeling-Halle against long-time rivals FC Bayern Munich (5 p.m./Dyn) comes at the worst possible time. "It will be a tough task. And not an ideal schedule. But we have to be a tick more confident again," said world champion Johannes Thiemann. The 81:102 defeat at Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday evening was Berlin's sixth defeat in a row.
Until two weeks ago, things were still going well, at least in the Bundesliga. "We had just found our feet a bit in this constellation and got going," said Thiemann. But then came the injuries to Matt Thomas, Sterling Brown and Louis Olinde. "Those are three of our key players and it completely changed the game," said the Alba captain.
Thiemann (29) also sees that as the reason for the current contrasting development of the two Bundesliga rivals. Bayern had problems at the start of the season, but have played more consistently of late. "They had a lot of players out injured, it's the same for us now," said Thiemann. Bayern have won their last four games and can now draw on a full squad. "They have three players for every position, a lot of quality and a lot of physical strength," said Alba coach Israel Gonzalez.
Most recently, it was usually only world champion Thiemann in the Berlin team who was the only reliable and consistent option in offense. But that alone will probably not be enough against Bayern. "I'll try my best to help the team and take responsibility. But of course we have to try and find all the ways we can to help the team," said the 29-year-old.
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- Despite the injury concerns with key players, Johannes Thiemann remains confident for Alba Berlin's Bundesliga duel with FC Bayern Munich in Bavaria on Sunday.
- The defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv last Thursday was Berlin's sixth straight loss, but Thiemann sees improvements in their play until two weeks ago.
- Bayern Munich, on the other hand, has been playing more consistently after overcoming their initial injury issues, winning their last four games with a fully fit squad.
- FT Bayern, as they are known in the Bundesliga, have a deep roster with three players for every position, providing them with a lot of quality and physical strength.
- The German basketball powerhouses, ALBA Berlin and FC Bayern Munich, will face off on Sunday in Munich, with the former looking to cause an upset against the latter.
- The loss against Maccabi Tel Aviv has put additional pressure on Alba Berlin, who currently sit at the bottom of the Bundesliga standings and are in dire need of a win.
- Johannes Thiemann, the world champion for Germany, will lead the charge for Alba Berlin, hoping to inspire his team to victory and potentially close the gap with FC Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
Source: www.stern.de
