Barcelona, Sep 28 (EFE).- Barça will return this Sunday to the Palau Blaugrana 119 days after their last home game to face Covirán Granada (12:30 p.m.) on the opening day of the Endesa League, which will also serve as presentation to the fans of the new project trained by Joan Peñarroya.
Much has changed for the Barça team since June 2, when they were eliminated in the third game of the semifinals of the domestic championship against Real Madrid (92-95) and, in this way, said goodbye to a disappointing season that ended in white.
Barça opted to change course in the summer, and the dismissal of coach Roger Grimau was accompanied by a renewal in the squad with the departures of point guards Rokas Jokubaitis and Ricky Rubio, forwards Nikola Kalinic and Oriol Paulí, and power forward Oscar Da Silva and center James Nnaji (loaned to Bàsquet Girona).
On the other hand, the Barça team went to the market with the aim of complementing the block from the previous year and was reinforced with point guard Juan Núñez, guard Kevin Punter, forward Justin Anderson, power forward Chimezie Metu and center Youssoupha Fall. On paper, more physicality, versatility and scoring.
And on the bench, the club opted to hire a coach with extensive experience in the Endesa League and experience in the Euroleague, Peñarroya, who shares with Grimau a predilection for dynamic basketball.
However, the new coach, who will have all the players available for this Sunday’s match, will face the challenge of solving the deficiencies in defense, rebounding and static attack that frustrated Barça’s aspirations last year.
With the squad still in the assembly phase, the Barça team will reach the league premiere after having been proclaimed champion of the Catalan League after defeating Baxi Manresa in the final (98-81) on September 15, and after losing to Real Madrid in the semifinals of the Endesa Super Cup (89-83) last Saturday.
Likewise, the meeting will serve as a presentation of the new team to the fans and the club has prepared a series of festive activities.
The urban music group 31 FAM will perform a short concert before the match near the Palau Blaugrana and, after the match, the five new signings will sign autographs in the official FC Barcelona store located in front of the pavilion. EFE
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