Zaragoza – Unicaja

Spanish ACB League Round 2
Zaragoza, September 27, 20:00 CET

Unicaja Malaga team is in an ideal opportunity for another impressive attacking edition, away to Zaragoza on Wednesday.

This away match, in round 2 of the Spanish ACB League, is welcomed by the Malaga club with a lot of confidence. After good performances in friendly games and during the Spanish Super Cup this month, Unicaja confirmed that it can be at least at the same high level, at which they played last season and reached third place in the ACB League, with trophy won in the nationial cup.

In the victory over Tenerife 98:75, in the match played on Saturday, it was shown how important playmaker Kendrick Perry is for Unicaja's game. American with Montenegrin passport was exceptional in both directions of the game, and with 16 points he was the most efficient in the duel. Malaga club managed to keep all important players from the previous season - and not only that, but also to strengthen. If they were to play in the Euroleague this season, they would certainly be in the upper part of the table and in competition for the Top8 phase.

Zaragoza, on the other hand, has only one win in the last five matches played. At the weekend they were defeated by European champions Real Madrid 101:70. Before that, at home, Zaragoza lost to Manresa 89:110 – and these are all signals that this team has serious problems in defense. Especially when it comes to returning to the defense at the beginning of the opponent's attack, as well as under the basket. These are exactly the situations in which Unicaja harshly punishes its rivals.

Last season in Zaragoza, Unicaja won 74:70 in April. At that time, their opponent and host was in significantly better shape than now. Last December in Malaga Unicaja easily won 104:78. There is also a 93:62 victory in away games in Zaragoza in October 2020.

Zaragoza lost four of the last five friendly games before the start of the ACB League, and the real state of this squad is the defeat of the Euroleague team Baskonia 93:77, in the match played on September 12. Baskonia is a team that is in the quality range of Unicaj this season, so a similar outcome and a convincing triumph of the guests could happen.

Easier than predicting the potential difference in favor of the favorites is the prediction that Unicaja will play another impressive attacking game - and score at least 85 points away from home. At the moment, it does not seem that Zaragoza has the quality to slow down a powerful opponent. The problem for the hosts at the beginning of this fall is precisely the defense, which for some years (especially in the 2021-22 season) has been the team's strongest weapon.

Unicaj's tall players, above all Americans Osetkowski and Thomas, will have the opportunity to finish the match in a good offensive rhythm. Against the mighty Real Madrid, in the defeat on September 17 in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, they scored 14 points each. Zaragoza is a much lower-quality opponent, so both of Osetkowski and Thomas, as well as the other Americans in the Malaga team (Carter, Kalinoski and Taylor), will be in an excellent situation for an impressive performance in attack.