Barça seeks to consolidate the European leadership in Berlin
BARCELONA, 21 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça visits ALBA Berlin at the Max Schmeling Pavilion on Tuesday (8:00 p.m.) to play matchday 31 of the Euroleague Regular Phase, a duel in which the Catalans will seek to consolidate their lead, while the Germans will try to return to victory after losing to Baskonia and leaving behind a streak of eleven games without losing, between the national and continental competition.
ALBA Berlin arrives at this fourteenth match with a balance of
11 wins and 17 losses after losing to the Vitorians (85-68). The Germans rush their options to reach the ‘playoffs’, so beating Barça is essential to continue in the fight.
The Catalan team comes to the duel with a full victories in the last week, achieving solid wins against Baskonia (77-96), Estrella Roja (82-72) and Gran Canaria (98-80). In this way, those of Saras Jasikevicius, who will celebrate his 150th game at the helm of the team, left behind the surprising defeat in the Euroleague against Zalgiris and recovered the usual dynamic with the aim of consolidating the first position in the regular European championship.
One of the keys to the match will be the control of the rebounds by the locals, where they hope to minimize the differences and take advantage of playing in front of their fans. For this, Luke Sikma and Ben Lammers will be the main ones in charge of stopping the rivals in the ‘paint’.
Barça will also have to control the movement of the ball, so Nick Calathes, Dante Exum and the fit Nicolas Laprovittola will be essential to dominate the game. However, both teams lead the percentage of losses, in the case of ALBA Berlin with 13.8 and the azulgranas with 13.6. A figure that increases for the Catalans away from home (14.3) and skyrockets (16) in defeats this season.
The group of the Spanish Israel González, whose best player at a statistical level is Maodo Lo, who averages 13.7 points, 46.5% in triples and 15.3 assists per game, will have the losses of the former azulgrana Eriksseon and Olinde.
In the last clash between the two teams, Barça prevailed at the Palau (96-64) with a lopsided victory and this Tuesday they will arrive with fresh players after having rotated in the last league match against Gran Canaria.
DATASHEET.
–EQUIPMENT:
ALBA BERLIN: Blatt, Lo, Zoosman, Sikma and Lammers –possible starting five– Smith, Da Silva, Schneider and Koumadje.
BARÇA: Calathes, Laprovittola, Exum, Mirotic and Davies –possible
starting quintet–; Kuric, Hayes-Davis, Martínez, Smits, Jokubaitis, Abrines, Nnaji.
–ÁRBITROS: Radovic, Koromilas, Vyklicky.
–PAVILLION: Max Schmeling Pavilion.