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Banchi: We have to beat Pesaro

Milano have secured the Euroleague Top 16 and are can now work on their league performances as they are only on 7th spot. Pesaro have not won in 8 wins

Pesaro are still at the bottom of the league with one win from the first round. They are the only team with this efficiency and it is clear they are facing a major struggle to stay in the league. 

There is no talk about Dell`Agnello's sacking but his teams loses games week in week out. Thy lost their last game against Roma in the final minutes, despite trailing for the best part of the game. Turner was the only efficient player from outer perimeter, while Trasolini (14 p, 9 r) and Anosike (11 p, 17 r) were great in the  paint. The newcomer Ravern Johnson (2/8 field goal) was far from the right form and it will take some time before he gets into the rhythm. 

It is hard to believe they will match Milano who are only the seventh-placed team and this game is very important for them.

- We are not at all happy with our position in the league - said coach Dell'Agnello and added:

- But the three defeats against teams like Cantu, Siena and Varese who are one a higher level than us. We lost the other games in the final moments and you can see the lack of experience and energy there. We have been working well during last few weeks and we have had some minor problems with injuries with Pecile and Anosieke. Johnson is slowly improving his form and his playing time will increase in time. We hope Milan's mind will be elsewhere but we have to be great in offense.

Milano have entered this season with big expectations and 7th spot in the league is definitely not enough for their ambitions. They've suffered 4 defeats, all in away games, but their schedule is not really easy.

They went crazy in the last round against the defensively very poor Montegranaro and scored 101 points. Their main players didn't wear themselves down too much as Banchi started benching them during the third period and their spent the entire last quarter on the bench as well. Melli was the top scorer with 20 points and Langford added 18.

They had a much more important game against Brose in the Euroleague and the stakes were high - the Top 16 spot. The game was tied, no team had an advantage of over 9 points The winner was decided in the final moments and Gentile scored the decisive free throws with 17 seconds to go. The Germans had the attack to win the game but Jerrells stole the ball and confirmed their win. A huge job was done by Lawals under the rim (17 p, 10 r) while Langford (15 p, 6 r) and Gentile (16 p) were at the top level once again.

- This is the first big result and we have achieved our first goal for this season. There is still some space for improvement but this is a major boost to go on and now we have to focus on the league. We have to get several wins in a row and secure our place in the Cup. It's all up to us, we have to have the right approach from now on - said the hero of the day, Gentile.

- We value Pesaro very highly, regardless of their position on the table. They have the desire and competitive spirit but we want to continue winning and play much better than in last away games. We need to kick thing into higher gear in the league and we have to win against Pesaro - said coach Banchi.

There have been some rumors against that they might bring Hackett from Siena and a major factor will be whether Siena ensures Euroleague Top 16. One thing's for sure - when Milano go into the game with the right approach, the weaker teams have no chance.

Things are clear as day here. Pesaro have 8 consecutive defeats, minor injury problems with Pecile and Anosike without any real replacements. They are one of the youngest teams in the league and you can see the inexperience. On the other hand, Milano are coming into this game after a huge win against Brose in which they secured their Top 16 spot and are now focusing on the league. Gentile and Banchi clearly stated they have to get a run of wins and do better in away games. They've already said that their upcoming games are imperative and Montegranaro was crushed afterwards. In this case, the margin set for the handicap is too low and with a right approach Milano should be able to cover it without too many problems.