Barça faces another home test in Belgrade
The Blaugranas, after beating Bologna at home, want to end the bad streak as visitors
BARCELONA, 1 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça visits Red Star Belgrade at the Stark Arena (8:00 p.m.), on matchday 25 of the Regular Phase of the Euroleague, with the desire to also be able to win away from their Palau Blaugrana and end the bad streak away from home, against some Serbs who are being irregular but who also gain power in front of their fans.
Barça comes from beating Virtus Bologna (84-57) on the last day, in a direct duel to secure second place alone. The Blaugranas easily passed the test and gained confidence, which they must put on the difficult track of the Stark Arena to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat away from home.
The improvement, the great improvement, seen against the Italian team must continue in Belgrade, where Red Star won with authority against Valencia Basket (82-64) on the last day, but Baskonia was able to assault the Serbian fiefdom (90 -91) on the recent January 18.
After redirecting the European path with a great defense against Virtus, the 'culers' know where they should go to end their unfortunate streak as a visitor. Intensity, offensive success, defensive toughness… All of this was seen against Virtus and must be seen again against Red Star.
An offensive success that was necessary and that Nicolás Laprovittola commanded, on his 34th birthday. The Argentine once again felt important (16 points) and sparked a match without history, against the odds, already in the third quarter after an offensive gale from an unleashed Barça, showing a good side that they do not want to give way to the bad, again , out of home.
“It will surely be a very tough game. The Stark Arena is a very tight arena, Red Star comes out with spectacular energy at the beginning of the game. But we are prepared to try to match that energy,” said the Blaugrana coach, Roger Grimau. in the pre-match.
The Serbians will not be able to count on Nikola Topic, injured in his knee, while Barça does not seem to be able to recover Álex Abrines either. The rest of the players from both teams, including Adam Hanga who is returning 'home', are fine, except for a last-minute setback, and ready for a nice battle at the Stark Arena, similar to the tight 86-81 scoreline favorable to Barça in the first round.
DATASHEET.
–EQUIPMENT.
RED STAR MERIDIANBET BELGRADE: Two Saints, Lazic, Giedraitis, Mitrovic and Bolomboy –possible starting quintet–; Smart, Hanga, Davidovac, Tobey, Nedovic, Teodosic and Gillespie.
BARÇA: Satoransky, Laprovittola, Kalinic, Parker and Vesely –possible starting quintet–; Da Silva, Paulí, Brizuela, Hernangómez, Nnaji, Jokubaitis and Parra.
–REFEREES: Rocha, Racys and Konstantinovs.
–PAVIL: Stark Arena.
–TIME: 20.00/Movistar+.