* Friday 27th October 2009: Newcastle Eagles vs. Everton Tigers, tip-off 7:30pm
Everton Tigers head coach Tony Garbelotto knows his side will have to overcome their disappointing BBL Cup exit as they prepare to take on Newcastle Eagles on Friday evening.
The two sides who dominated the BBL last season are set to face off once again at the Newcastle Arena with the Tigers hoping to improve on their last visit to the home of the current league champions.
The Eagles came out on top when the teams met in back October, winning 98-81, but coach Tony Garbelotto is expecting another tough game against a team desperate to retain their crown.
He said: "They are still a championship calibre team, and don't let anyone else tell you different. Of course, take Fab out and the emotional leader and best defender is gone, but when he gets back they will be fine.
"On Friday, I actually see Joe Chapman and Darius Defoe as the keys. Chapman gave them a great scoring punch the last time we played and Darius killed us. Let’s hope that we can stop them in sort of way."
A victory for Eagles would give them the better head-to-head record, and the importance of the game is not lost on the Tigers boss.
He added: "It's very key, if we have any hope wanting to be in the top 4/5 in the league. I know there is a lot of basketball to be played but we need to be ready to win on Friday."
The Tigers have spent the last week licking their wounds after they saw the defence of their BBL Cup end with a 99-90 overtime loss at Sheffield Sharks, last Friday.
Reflecting on the defeat Garbelotto had high praise for his current crop of English players:
"The commitment and play from Olu Babalola and Andy Thompson was incredible. I wonder how many people around the league actually realise that my front court is English born and bred.
“Who said you cannot win in this league with English players? James Jones also deserves praise for his second half performance.
While Garbelotto, who is also the Great Britain assistant coach, was understandably upset to see his team fall at the first hurdle in defence of the Cup, he was pleased with their overall performance:
"I actually thought we played pretty well. I was very happy with our desire and drive and we had the game won on more than two or three occasions in the fourth quarter. To do this without Flo Larkai I felt was big.
“Again, we show signs of a team that can play at the highest level - we just have to close these types of games out."
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