Valencia Basket has taken the first step into a new era with the arrival of Xavi Albert on the bench of the first team. This Saturday, at 9:00 p.m. in Badalona, the Taronja team will face FC Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Supercup, a tournament that already won a year ago in Málaga. That victory marked the beginning of a historic campaign, in which the club achieved its first qualification for the Final Four of the Euroleague and was crowned champion of the Endesa League. The flashy and connected game with the public of the Roig Arena generated praise in much of European basketball. However, that success has had a cost: a massive departure of key pieces. Pedro Martínez, Brancou Badio, Jean Montero, Jaime Pradilla and Braxton Key have left the club after the payment of their termination clauses. In addition, Xabi López-Arostegui, Matt Costello and Darius Thompson have already left. All this movement has forced Valencia Basket to practically rebuild its team from the ground up. The first step has been to bet on Xavi Albert, who had already worked as Pedro Martínez’s assistant and led the group in the final stretch of the 2023-24 season. The club has now entrusted him with the bench to continue the playing style of the past two years. To strengthen the squad, the team has protected Kameron Taylor and has incorporated TJ Shorts and Armori Brooks, two heavyweights in the Euroleague. It has also signed young players with potential like Gonzalo Corbalán and Mario Saint-Supéry. In the interior game, it has bet on Dylan Osetkowsky and on the debut in European competitions of Mo Gueye. In addition, it has closed the return of the youth Lucas Marí. In the preseason, the club added Elias Valtonen and Jasiel Rivero with temporary contracts, but their role has been reduced after the signing of Nikola Mirotic. If Valencia Basket beats Barça, it will play for the title on Sunday against the winner between Joventut and Baskonia. The season begins with high expectations, but also with the pressure of maintaining the level achieved in the last campaign.