Real Madrid Aims for Costa del Sol Crown Against Unicaja
Real Madrid sharpen their edge tonight in Málaga, stepping into the Martín Carpena for the final of the XV Costa del Sol Tournament with the look of a team already itching for real competition.
The backdrop is clear. In less than a week, the official season opens with the EuroLeague Super Cup semifinal against Dubai Basketball on Friday the 18th. This isn’t just another preseason date on the calendar; it’s the last serious dress rehearsal. At 7:00 pm, live on Realmadrid TV, Madrid go after their seventh Costa del Sol crown, carrying the confidence of yesterday’s comeback win over La Laguna Tenerife.
Madrid gathering speed
The signs from that Tenerife game were encouraging. Madrid trailed at the break, then came out after halftime with a different edge, tightening their defense and flowing more freely on offense to turn a tricky night into a 90–97 victory.
The team increasingly bears the imprint of Pedro Martínez. The spacing, the tempo, the insistence on quick, decisive attacks — all of it looked sharper with each possession. This is still preseason, still experimental in places, but the structure is there and the players are starting to move inside it with conviction.
Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot lit up the night. Twenty-six points, a performance index rating of 27, and the sense that whenever Madrid needed a basket, he was the one ready to take the ball and make something happen. His aggression on both ends pushed Madrid through the second-half surge and underlined how quickly he has settled into this system.
The comeback itself mattered. It forced Madrid to respond to adversity, to adjust on the fly, to find a higher gear when the legs are not yet at full-season strength. Those are the sort of minutes coaches remember when the real trophies are on the line.
Unicaja, renewed and dangerous
Waiting for them now is Unicaja, who opened the tournament on Thursday with an 80–76 win over the same La Laguna Tenerife side. Different night, same opponent, same outcome: a hard-fought Málaga victory that hinted at a team in transition but already competitive.
Transition is the word. Unicaja have undergone a deep rebuild, with eight players and the previous coach departing. Into that vacuum steps Txus Vidorreta, a coach with a strong identity of his own and a reputation for organizing tough, disciplined teams that compete at both ends.
The roster has been reshaped with experience and ambition. Willy Hernangómez brings size, scoring touch, and high-level pedigree inside. Pantzar adds energy and control in the backcourt. Brazdeikis offers scoring versatility on the wings, while Noua and Hunt inject athleticism and physicality. It is a new spine, a new hierarchy, and the Costa del Sol final is one of the first real tests of how quickly those pieces can click.
For Madrid, that makes tonight more than a friendly in name only. They face a home side eager to show their new face to their own fans, in a packed Martín Carpena, under a coach determined to stamp his authority early. The atmosphere will feel closer to a playoff night than a gentle preseason run-out.
With the EuroLeague Super Cup looming and rotations still being fine-tuned, this final offers something invaluable: pressure, noise, and an opponent with enough quality and freshness to expose any hesitation. If Madrid can impose their rhythm again, ride the form of players like Luwawu-Cabarrot, and continue to absorb Martínez’s ideas, they won’t just leave Málaga with another Costa del Sol title — they’ll leave looking ready for the season that really counts.
