Dalmatian derby opens Round 8 in Split
In the opening game of the AdmiralBet ABA League Round 8, Split will be hosting Zadar at home in their Split Sports Hall in Split.
Toni Perkovic (Photo: Split/Ivica Cavka)
2023/24 AdmiralBet ABA League Round 8, Friday, 17 November 2023:
SPLIT - ZADAR
Where? Split Sports Hall, Split
When? 19:00
Story of the game: In the opening game of the AdmiralBet ABA League Round 8, Split will be hosting Zadar at home in their Split Sports Hall in Split.
It’s a game of two teams that haven’t been pretty successful over the past few rounds, as Split are entering this game with 3 straight defeats suffered over the past three rounds, while Zadar have lost their last two games in the AdmiralBet ABA League.
In total, the situation is slightly different, as Zadar are currently on the edge of the Playoffs Zone with 3:4 record after 7 rounds, while Split still own only 1 win in their pockets after 7 rounds.
This time, it’s clear that Split are playing to escape the Danger Zone near the bottom of the standings, while Zadar wish to anchor themselves firmly in the Top 8.
Tradition has been on Zadar’s side before in the AdmiralBet ABA League with Zadar winning 16 of 22 mutual encounters and 9 out of 11 when playing in Split.
Who would prevail this time?
Match-up in focus: There will be an interesting match-up between two domestic forward players in the limelight, as Lovre Runjić will test his skills against the last season’s AdmiralBet ABA League Regular Season MVP Luka Božić. While Božić is currently the top scorer, passer and rebounder of Zadar with 24.6, 7.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists made per game on average, Runjić is currently averaging 4.4 points, 3 rebounds and a valuation of 6.9 per game for Split. Will he be able to limit the impact of Božić this time and help Split achieve a valuable derby win?
Head-to-head score in the regional league: In total 6:16, In Split 2:9.
