The Lebanese Al-Hikma Club will begin its campaign in the finals of the West Asian Basketball Super League “Wasl”, with a fiery confrontation between it and the Iranian “Shahrdari Gorgan”, at 9:45 pm today, Sunday, Beirut time, on the grounds of the Nihad Nofal Complex in Zouk Mikael.
The Lebanese team, which settled for a bronze medal last year, is seeking to go far in the tournament and achieve further ambitions, despite the difficulty of the first test. Historically, the balance tilts in favor of the Iranian team, which decided the three previous confrontations between the two sides in the tournament, the last of which was narrowly won by a score of 97-92 in Ghazir.
However, tonight’s data seems different, as Al-Hikma enters the match with a completely different lineup from the one that lost the match against Ghazir. Its ranks were strengthened by the addition of the national team’s playmaker, Ali Mezher, returning from his professional experience in Japan, and the player Youssef Khayyat, in addition to the introduction of new foreign professionals. These reinforcements give coach Joe Ghattas wider tactical options, amid questions about the extent to which the new group has reached the stage of harmony required to match an experienced opponent in the atmosphere of “Wasl” matches.
On the other hand, the Iranian Gorgan Club did not remain idle; He regained the services of his coach, Mehran Hatami, and strengthened his ranks with three prominent names: Jordan Stevens, D’Angelo Harrison, and Stefan Jankovic. Despite the Iranian team’s strong start in the tournament, it suffered a noticeable decline at the end of the last stage, suffering four consecutive defeats, leaving it searching to regain its prestige and prove that its failure is in the past, while Al-Hikma seeks to achieve its first historic victory over its rival.
Technically, Al-Hikma will have to maintain his calm in building attacks under pressure, and reduce missed balls that may give the opponent free points, in addition to tightening defensive control and closing spaces in front of Gorgan’s shooters. However, tonight’s match may be decided in a minute detail related to the speed of the new arrivals on the field.
This opening confrontation acquires double strategic dimensions, given the presence of Al-Hikma in a difficult group that includes alongside him “Al-Ula” Saudi Arabia and “Al-Arabi” Qatar, where only two teams qualify for the semi-finals. A victory over Gorgan represents a huge morale boost and an early advantage, while a loss – if it occurs – will impose additional pressure and narrow the margin of error for the Lebanese team in the upcoming matches.
Based on the current data, Al-Hikma has the necessary capabilities to compete seriously for the title, and tonight’s match will remain the first real test to test the extent of the ability of its renewed squad to translate these ambitions into reality.
