Red Star basketball players are eagerly awaiting their first semi-final playoff game against Partizan in the ABA league, a sentiment echoed by team captain Ognjen Dobrić from Malo Kalemegdan.

"We are facing an exceptionally tough game on the opposing court. We know that Partizan has slightly improved their form towards the end of the season and is playing better than they did in the first half. We must prepare ourselves thoroughly. The game is extremely crucial in the ABA league semi-finals, with no room for hesitation or relaxation. We need to maintain concentration for the full 40 minutes, aiming to win and showcase what we've demonstrated multiple times this season. Everything is open, 50-50," Dobrić stated.

The first semi-final match is scheduled for Monday at 20:00 at Belgrade Arena.

This will be the fifth duel between the two teams this season. Red Star enters the game after a victory in the Masters against Cedevita Olimpija, but they still face issues with injuries that have plagued the team in the previous period, particularly on the back and center positions.

"Combativeness, energy, focus, combined with the tactics and strategies we've developed. We've had four derbies this season, we know how they play, and they know how we play. The team that is better in terms of energy and focus will win. At this moment, we don’t have any injured players, and the number of games hasn’t been a problem for us. We had losses against Zlatibor and Cedevita, but that's all normal in sports. We've won important games. We haven’t had a long break, everything is as it should be, and we enter with a lot of enthusiasm," Dobrić added.

(Telegraf.rs)