Spar Girona faces its last game before the FIBA break this Friday (8:00 PM), visiting Movistar Estudiantes at the Antonio Magariños arena in Madrid. This matchup, part of the 19th round of LF Endesa, will be a demanding test for the Girona squad, coming off a solid home win against Gernika. Meanwhile, Estudiantes suffered a loss against Celta in their last game, though they have been strong at home, winning seven times and only losing to Valencia and Avenida.
Uni head coach Roberto Íñiguez has warned about the difficulty of the match: “It will be a very tough game,” he stated, emphasizing the Madrid team’s ability to play at a high pace and leverage their players’ talent: “They play very open, with a high tempo and a lot of one-on-one actions because they have a lot of talent. And now, with Bura, they also have a strong interior presence. We’ll need many minutes at a very high level to compete.”
Ainhoa López will travel but won’t play
One of the new additions to the squad is Ainhoa López, who has rejoined training after her injury. However, Íñiguez has clarified that she will not play yet: “She has only had five training sessions and still lacks rhythm. She herself has realized that she needs more time and a better understanding of the game, though we are very happy with her, and she helps us a lot in training. She is in the process of gaining confidence, and I want to be cautious. She will travel and stay with the team, but I want to follow the right steps with her. She must be patient, and she is more eager than anyone. As I’ve said before, Ainhoa represents Uni’s values.”
Concerns in the paint
Another concern is the condition of Vionise Pierre-Louis, who is still dealing with some discomfort: “She has trained, and we are working on it. She still lacks some rhythm, but I think she was already struggling with that before the injury. Let’s see if she can give us a few more minutes than in the last game, although it’s true that Marta and Carol did very well in her position. We are adapting, but we need players like Lou to step up, just like our regular contributors do.”
The goal: finish strong before the break
With the international commitments approaching, Íñiguez hopes his players will return in good condition: “Fingers crossed for those leaving, and for some players, a little fresh air will probably do them good.”
Uni aims to head into the break with good momentum and maintain its position at the top of the standings. To do so, they will need to control the tempo and overcome an Estudiantes team that is particularly strong at home.
