New coach Raftopoulos is in his first season in charge

Guildford Heat coach Creon Raftopoulos believes they are the underdogs going into their two-legged BBL Trophy semi-final with Leicester Riders.

Heat had to win their final two group games, while Riders qualified with four wins out of four.

Raftopoulos told BBC Surrey: "They feel that playing us is the easiest route to the final so we take a lot out of that motivation-wise".

Mersey Tigers play Newcastle Eagles in the other semi-final.

The Heat's opposition, Leicester Riders, are confident of getting a result.

Captain Lataryl Williams told the club site: "I feel we took advantage of having a favourable BBL Trophy group, and with due respect to the sides that we played, we were probably fortunate to have avoided some of the bigger teams around.

"Now we also have a favourable draw in the semi-finals in Guildford Heat, which, to be fair, is probably the game they also want."

Raftopoulos understands such comments: "I'm a rookie coach, and I've got three rookie American players which no coach has ever done before.

"So we've got the experience in Mike (Martin) and Julius (Josephs), but its a very young team, so a lot of people don't know what to expect so that might be why they think they might have the edge on us."

The Heat have to play the second leg away from home as Leicester won their own group with a 100% record, while the Heat lost one of their four games. Raftopoulos isn't too concerned: "You have to do the job, so we'll try to defend our home court and try and build up a bit of a lead.

"We take a lot of heart out of the way we performed in our two away games, one loss to Merseyside, and getting the win in Glasgow. So if we can compete on the road, we will be strong."

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