An Italian derby to reach over 10,000 average attendances in the EuroLeague season for the first time in club’s history (around 9,300 would be enough but we are already much further) and to win the game to extend the home winning streak which has reached four or seven of the last eight. Furthermore, there is still a small chance of reaching the tenth place. In short, it is an important game beyond any further evaluation. Virtus Bologna clinched a play-in spot last week despite its fifth consecutive defeats and has lost eight of the last 10 games, a pace that has pushed the team from the second-third place down to the play-in area. Olimpia, after two great wins between the Monte Carlo game and the home encounter against red hot Fenerbahce, lost in Kaunas, collapsing in the second half after a promising first half. Pippo Ricci will return to the line-up to ensure a better rotation among the forwards. Tip-off time will be at 20:30 in the Forum.

THE REFEREES – Matej Boltauzer (Slovenia), Robert Lottermoser (Germany), Luka Kardum (Turkey).

COACH ETTORE MESSINA – “We face a traditional rival like Virtus Bologna and we will do everything possible to beat them. To achieve this we will have to start from a balanced offense and a solid defense on their transition game, in order to keep their shooters from getting too many open looks, especially Belinelli. We will have Pippo Ricci back and this will allow us to have more balanced rotations.”

VIRTUS BOLOGNA OUTLOOK – Virtus Bologna is conceived offensively around two highly experienced players such as the incredible shooting guard Marco Belinelli and the skilled power forward Tornike Shengelia. Belinelli is averaging 14.3 points per game in 23 minutes on 39.7 percent three-point shooting. With an average of 6.7 attempts per game, he trails only Markus Howard and Scottie Wilbekin, hitting 2.7 threes per game, again third overall. Belinelli’s perimeter game is complemented inside by Shengelia (14.6 points and 5.2 rebounds on average) who is also the team’s most used player, over 28 minutes per night. The Georgian shoots 59.2 percent from two. The starting line up is normally completed by Daniel Hackett, Isaia Cordinier and Bryant Dunston. Hackett produces 8.2 points and 3.7 assists on average in addition to his usual physicality, especially at the defensive half of the floor. Dunston is the anchor of the defense and is scoring 4.9 points on 63.1 percent two-point shooting in addition to grabbing 3.8 rebounds per game. Cordinier (9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds on average) has missed the last few games due to an injury. His spot in the line up could go to Alessandro Pajola (3.9 points and 3.1 assists per game), who is a player with great defensive aggressiveness. The other guard, Iffe Lundberg, averages 9.1 points per game but has often been decisive in fourth periods despite only making it to the starting lineup once. Among the forwards, all of them of bigger size, there are Ognjen Dobric (4.9 points per game, 63.0 percent from two, 40.5 percent from three), Awudu Abass (4.0 points per game) and Rihards Lomasz, who came late to to replace Jaleen Smith. Lomasz averages 3.4 points per game but is shooting 57.1 percent from three. Among the big men, Jordan Mickey takes both positions (he scores 8.8 points per game to which he adds 4.1 rebounds), Ante Zizic, who arrived from Efes during the season, is strictly an inside player (3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds on average) while Achille Polonara is a energy power forward (2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds).

HISTORY Vs BOLOGNA – In Milan, the record is 75-25 for Olimpia; in Bologna it is 37-64. The total is 114-92 in Olimpia’s favor including games played on a neutral court. Obviously, all the games played in the Italian league between the two teams are included in this summary. Considering only the EuroLeague games, the record is 2-4. Olimpia won the 1997 round of 16, 2-1, winning Game 3 at home. Virtus has won the last three EuroLeague games between these two teams.

VIRTUS CONNECTION – Giampaolo Ricci has played in Bologna for two seasons, winning the 2021 Italian league championship as Captain. Daniel Hackett has played in Milano for two years, winning the 2014 Italian championship. Awudu Abass has played two seasons in Milano, from 2017 to 2019, winning the 2018 Italian championship and twice the Italian Supercup. Ettore Messina has been part of Virtus Bologna since the 1983/84 season when he was an assistant coach to Alberto Bucci. He became head coach before the 1989/90 season and stayed there until 1992/93. He returned in 1997 and stayed until 2002. With Virtus, he has won the Euroleague twice 81998 and 2001), the Cup of Cups’ winners in 1990, three times he led the team to the Italian championships (1993. 1998, 2001). Virtus Bologna’s coach, Luca Banchi has coached Olimpia for two years, from 2013 to 2015, winning the Italian championship in 2014.

NICOLO’ MELLI NOTES – Nicolò Melli entered the podium of the all-time defensive rebounders of in the EuroLeague, surpassing Georgios Printezis and also Felipe Reyes. Melli now boasts 1,119 defensive rebounds, 45 less than Ioannis Bourousis, who was his teammate for two years at Olimpia. Melli is also eighth in total rebounds with 1,487 (seventh in the list is Ante Tomic, who has 1,545).

SHAVON SHIELDS NOTES – Shields has scored 1,324 points for Olimpia in the EuroLeague, first in the current competition and now first ever including the previous, Fiba era. In the last 20 games played, 17 times Shields has made at least two three-pointers and 12 times at least three. Shields also has 169 three-point field goals for Olimpia and is leading the category along Sergio Rodriguez. Vlado Micov has been surpassed. Shields has also become the third Olimpia player with at least 300 two-point field goals in the EuroLeague after Kyle Hines and Nicolò Melli. Shields is also fifth in steals with 1.3 per game and has had at least one steal in 17 of the last 18 games including the last ten. Finally, he is the seventh-best scorer (16.0 per game) and ninth in average personal rating (17.4).

KYLE HINES NOTES – With the 88 blocks, a milestone reached against Fenerbahce, Kyle Hines has joined Kaleb Tarczewski at the club’s first place in this category.

NIKOLA MIROTIC NOTES – With 17.2 points per game, Nikola Mirotic is sixth in the scoring list, this season. Among the top 50 scorers, only two players are shooting over 60.0 percent from two, 40.0 percent from three and 80.0 percent from the free throw line: Nikola Mirotic (64.3; 44.0; 85.2) and Real Madrid’s Dzanan Musa (61.6; 42.6; 82.1). Shavon Shields is very close to it (58.5; 40.3; 81.6).