Necol, Del Río, Maldonado and Ibai Pérez, in the choice of material for the summit clash held this morning at the Bizkaia fronton. /
Maldonado and Ibai Pérez start as favorites for the final on Saturday against Necol and Del Río in the Bizkaia fronton
The Christmas present will be brought forward for one of the two combinations that will play the final of the Kutxabank League of professional shovels on Saturday. Necol and Del Río face Maldonado and Iba Pérez (4:30 p.m.) in the Bizkaia fronton. The second ones start as favorites given the championship they have signed with only one defeat in the qualifying league. The former will seek to break the forecasts after signing one of their best matches in the only semifinal that the tournament featured and leaving Fusto and Gordon out.
The colorados have weapons for it. The right wing of the French striker is one of the most important. It is what their rivals will seek to avoid. “I will try to set the pace and dominate,” he stressed. Necol, who has played in all the finals of this event since he made his debut eight years ago, knows what his rivals’ strategy will be, which is why he also works with his left foot to “avoid mistakes and thus be able to generate doubts in the rivals.” They come in with confidence after their latest win and their rapport has also improved as the competition progressed. “In such a long championship you have to get to the end well, and we have done it.”
His partner hopes to generate opportunities for him to take his right hand for a walk and everything will be easier. “Maldonado has two very good hands with which he sets the pace and complements himself very well with his defender, but I play very comfortable on the inside,” Del Río pointed out. The one from Lezama did not expect to reach another summit clash so soon after reaching the Open, for which he is “very happy.” “Being young, I was very nervous in the first final, but the other day I played the semifinal very calmly and my partner noticed it.” The inexperience of the Argentine Maldonado in this type of finals can also be a factor to take into account. “He can come out a little nervous, although Ibai Pérez will help him, but we will have to look for him to bounce the ball in front of his feet and move him to raise doubts.”
No problems in the choice of material
The one from Venado Tuerto (Argentina) is “calm” for the moment, although with the logical anxiety that the clash will arrive “and try to enjoy.” «I am the youngest of all but I like this type of encounter. We have to dodge the missile that Necol has on the right, putting the ball through the wall and playing our game. I have a partner who is perhaps the best paddler in the field who makes me play better », he stressed.
The defender from Sestao wants to put the finishing touch on a year in which he has also won the Individual. He considers that they arrive “better than possible” at the peak moment, but “they will come with a lot of morale after playing their best game, so it will surely be a very tough match,” said Ibai Pérez. This circumstance can favor their rivals “because they arrive with more tension and we take the last match more relaxed because we were already classified. But we have made a very good league and we have to finish it off. The Biscayne is “at ease” with his partner. «He is very calm playing, he finishes well and helps the defender a lot. It’s very easy to pair up with him. Let’s see if the nerves leave him alone and he can play what he knows », he concluded.
There have been no problems regarding the material with which they will play the final, although each team has opted for different balls. The red ones are somewhat heavier, while the blue ones have opted for two faster ones and one somewhat coarser.
