A1 M - Saturday at 4.30 pm the first home game of De Akker against Quinto
On Saturday, October 19 at 4:30 pm, De Akker Bologna, for the second day of the top water polo championship, will face the team from Genoa, Quinto, at the Carmen Longo pool, with free admission, trying to bounce back after the clear defeat to Pro Recco. Also, the team of former players Puccio and center forward Aicardi arrives in Bologna after a heavy loss to another strong team in the championship, Brescia, so, for both, a victory could mean a resurgence against a very similar level team.
During the week, the De Akker team saw Milakovic and Abramson still struggling with a strong flu, to the point that the American player underwent tests ruling out more serious complications. Their presence is still in doubt, but they certainly will not be in the best condition. Despite this, there is confidence in the team formed by the Sports Director Arnaldo Deserti and composed of a mix of experienced players like the top scorer Luongo, captain Cocchi, or a long-serving player like Valentino Gallo, along with young talents hoping for a bright future like goalkeeper Rocco Valle, Andrea Condemi, Francesco Lucci, Andrea Urbinati, Enrico Tringali, and Matteo Bragantini.
“It hasn’t been a lucky week - said coach Federico Mistrangelo on the eve of the game - we had two players with a prolonged illness and we hope they can make it to play, even if they won't be at their best”. After the tough match against Pro Recco, a more attainable game comes: “The game with Pro Recco was not far from what we could expect. We had a terrible third quarter, but for two and a half quarters we played as we knew how and we were still in the game. Quinto is certainly more within our reach and we want to play it at our best, doing everything to bring home the three points.” What kind of game will it be? “They have a considerable strength in center forward Matteo Aicardi and the outcome of the game will depend largely on whether we can limit him. Besides him, they have a good, well-organized team with different personalities. Compared to last year, Aicardi's strength has significantly improved them. We have more pace compared to last year. Over time, we will have to be able to increase and manage it according to the needs. For now, we try to keep it as high as possible”.
For those who cannot be at the pool, the match will be live on De Akker's Youtube channel.
Andrea Fogacci
Press Office De Akker Bologna
