Matchup set! FlaBasquete faces Lakeland Magic in the Intercontinental Cup semifinals
The Club World Cup will begin on February 11th in Cairo (EGI)
By Helena Petry - inFlaBasquete has finally found its opponent in the World Cup opener. On February 11th, the "Mais Querido" will face the Lakeland Magic (USA), a franchise of the Orlando Magic and winner of the G-League, a match determined by a draw held this Saturday morning by FIBA. Both teams are seeking a chance at the competition's final, which will take place in Cairo, Egypt, on the 13th of the same month. Hosts Zamalek SC and defending champions San Pablo Burgos of Spain will battle for the other spot in the final.
World champion in 2014 with Flamengo, the red-black captain, Olivinha, spoke about his excitement for his debut.
"I'm a little anxious about getting closer and closer to the Intercontinental. It's always great to face teams with good quality, especially when the World Cup trophy is at stake. It's going to be a huge challenge for our team, and we'll definitely be ready for it. We're going in with a lot of enthusiasm and determination to achieve our main goal this season," said the number 16.
The God of Race also spoke about the team's strengths and mentioned the characteristics he believes are necessary on the path to the title.
"I think our main strength is team unity. Everyone knows their role, no one wants to be bigger than anyone else, and everyone is doing their job very well so far. We've demonstrated that we're a very united and focused team, with enormous potential. I strongly believe that these factors can be crucial in the Intercontinental, a competition that will allow us to play at a very high level of basketball, and I believe we're on the right track," he commented.
The red-black team leaves for Egypt on February 7th. Before that, Flabasquete still has the Super 8 Cup to compete in, which starts this Saturday (15), at Maracanãzinho, and NBB matches. The second bubble of the Champions League of the Americas, on January 29th and 30th in Chile, is the team's last commitment before the World Cup.
The basketball teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo rely on resources from their sponsors – BRB, MOSS, TIM, AmBev, Rede D'or, IRB Brasil RE, CSN, Brasil Plural, EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR) and State Incentive Law/State Secretariat of Sports, Leisure and Youth (Seelje) of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to support from the Brazilian Club Committee (CBC).