CHALON-SUR-SAÔNE (FIBA Europe Cup Final Four) - We take a look at the first Semi-Final clash at the FIBA Europe Cup Final Four which pits Openjobmetis Varese against tournament hosts Elan Chalon, Friday at 18:30 CET.

There is no way of knowing which of the two Friday Semi-Finals in Chalon-sur-Saône will turn out to be the most thrilling or the most engaging, but it is almost certain the first game will be the one with the highest score on the night.

We know this firstly because Chalon are the best offensive team in the FIBA Europe Cup (and in the French Pro A), averaging 90.4 points per game.

"This is how we have been playing all season, this is how we like to play, so this is how we're going to play in the Semi-Final too," said Chalon head coach Jean Denys Choulet.

"It would be nice of course if we also played a bit better on defence," he added tongue-in-cheek.

Chalon attempt 1.6 shots from the floor per minute of play because they prefer to go to many, short possessions. You won't catch them often committing a shot-clock violation.

Varese, who score 81.6 points on average, are prepared to follow suit on Friday, but with a little twist.

"If we get a good look in the first eight seconds, we are also happy to take the shot," explained Varese head coach Paolo Moretti.

"We have a similar DNA, we also like to play this kind of basketball.

"The problem is that at their home, against a team that does that better than we do, we have to find the right balance.

"We cannot create situations that concede them the opportunity to score an easy bucket on the other end.

"So the key of the game for us will be how careful we are when it comes to our defensive transitions.

"This is one of the concepts we have been training on all week.

"Our main aim is to stay close until the end, against a team that can at any moment go on a run which kills off the game."

For the approximately 50,000 residents of Chalon, even those who do not feel the need for speed, this game is the only show in town on Friday night.

The city is a basketball hub immensely proud of its team. You cannot go five metres in the centre without coming across a kid wearing the red-and-white jersey, or a shop's window showcasing club merchandise along with their own.

Le Colisée arena is naturally sold-out for Friday's Semi-Final and, as you would imagine, every Chalonnais who could get his or her hands on a ticket is holding on to it as a prized possession.

"The club made a great effort to host the Final Four, people have been waiting for this and we cannot disappoint them," said Chalon captain Ilian Evtimov.

"We are playing for this entire city but we are also playing for France."

Varese is also a basketball-crazy town though, a cradle of Italian basketball and their fans are well-versed in the notion that a game starts at the ticket counter long before the tip-off on the court.

Italian fans have managed to dilute somewhat Chalon's home-court advantage, as approximately 400 of Varese's faithful will be in the stands for the Semi-Final.

Moretti underlines this as a key figure ahead of Friday's battle.

"It is extremely important because it gives our players the message that the city is on their side," the Varese coach said.

"It provides the guys with an extra push to give everything they have.

"If the semi-final goes our way, the rumour in Varese is that we would have well over a thousand fans travelling here for the Final.

"The players are aware of all that, they feel the support and, trust me, it can make an enormous difference."

Key Stats: In absolute numbers, Varese are the second-best three-point shooting team in the competition as they convert 42.4% of their attempts from behind the arc. Chalon can however also lay claim at this label as their three-point field percentage is just slightly lower, 41.6%, but at a much higher volume of shots. Chalon attempt 27.2 three-pointers per game, while Varese take an average of 21.2 shots from beyond the arc. On the other hand, the Italian team have the lowest two-point field goal percentage at the Final Four, albeit it is by no means alarmingly low, 52.6%. Chalon's two-point field goal percentage is 56.3%, tied with that of Fraport Skyliners for best among the four teams at the Final Four.

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 FIBA