Real Madrid needs to recover its European rhythm in Piraeus
The whites' 'marathon' lands in Greece for the repeat of last year's final, a 'classic' to follow the leaders
MADRID, 4 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid visits Olympiacos this Tuesday on matchday 12 of the Regular Phase of the Euroleague 2023-2024, a duel that the whites face with the mission of straightening their continental course after the first defeat of the season, to also maintain their leadership. against an intractable Greek team at home that also wants to consolidate itself in the playoff positions.
Piraeus (20.15) will be the scene of the Madrid team's first opportunity to return to winning ways in Europe. Chus Mateo's men started the season 19-0 in all competitions, but in the last two weeks they have witnessed their unbeaten record crumble. In the Endesa League, against Unicaja (93-99), and the Euroleague, with a painful defeat (100-99) in the last second of overtime, despite a 14-point advantage in the last quarter.
Real Madrid left behind its first and only continental blot this weekend with its eleventh league victory over Río Breogán. The whites showed off with a performance against the Galicians (91-58, biggest victory of the season), with up to seven players in double figures. Dzanan Musa (17 points and 21 PIR) shone above the rest, in a duel in which Mateo was also able to dose his efforts in the middle of a 'marathon' of away games in the Euroleague.
Neither Sergio Rodríguez, nor Gabriel Deck, nor Rudy Fernández had minutes against Breogán, with Facu Campazzo barely 7 minutes on the field, with the aim of keeping the squad fresh in intense weeks, only with the loss of Yabusele. After the uneven performance against Maccabi and Fernabahce, Mateo's men begin their key Greek stay – on Thursday they visit Panathinaikos – with the duel this Tuesday in a Piraeus in which he has only one victory in the last five visits.
Although last year's Euroleague final will be very present in the memory of the current European champion, which the Madridistas won, the eleventh in their history, in the final stretch with a winning basket by Sergio Llull. Thus, the Greeks, with a balance now of 6-5 and sixth in the table, want revenge and settle in the playoff positions.
Olympiacos, coached by Georgios Bartzokas and former Madrid player Nigel Williams-Goss and the dangerous Isaiah Canaán – the second player who scores the most triples (3.1) – and Moustapha Fall, will always have a strong and rocky Piraeus as an ally. This season, they have four wins in all competitions, and only regret three defeats, two of them in the Euroleague, against Barça and Baskonia.
“It's a classic. We're playing against a top-level team. We're going to have to do things perfectly if we want to win. Olympiacos plays as a group and doesn't depend on their individuality. The crowd there pushes a lot. You have to do everything well to win on courts like this. They are going to demand our best performance to get it through,” Mateo said in the run-up to the duel.
DATASHEET.
–EQUIPMENT.
OLYMPIACOS: Walkup, Canaan, Papanikolaou, Peters y Fall –possible quinteto inicial– Williams-Goss, Brazdeikis, Larentzakis, Lountzis, Papas, Rozakeas y Tanoulis.
REAL MADRID: Campazzo, Musa, Deck, Hezonja and Tavares — possible starting quintet — Alocene, Abalde, Poirier, S. Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez, Llull, Ndiaye and Hugo Gonzalez.
–REFEREES: Belosevic, Hordov and Rossi.
–PAVILLION: Peace and Friendship Stadium (The Piraeus).
–TIME: 20.15/Movistar Deportes.