Barça is looking not to resurrect Efes
BARCELONA, 12 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Barça receives Anadolu Efes Istanbul this Friday at the Palau Blaugrana (8:30 p.m.), on matchday 19 of the Euroleague Regular Phase, in the second game of the week and with the intention of, against the current champion of the competition, achieve a prestigious victory that will keep them at the top of the table and drive away a rival who is usually their ‘executioner’.
The Blaugrana team does not want to allow Efes to return to the path of victory. Not in the Palace. The Turks, current double champions of the competition, are in a bad moment with 9-9 in the table, right now out of the ‘play-off’ zone. But it is a situation that has already been experienced before and that Barça, and other greats, paid with a defeat against Efes.
So Barça is warned. It is a morbid duel, because Anadolu Efes beat Pau Gasol’s Barça in the 2021 Euroleague final. Because in 2019, at the play-off crossroads, those from Istanbul prevailed. Also because Ergin Ataman is one of the most controversial and ‘loved’ coaches in Barcelona.
After beating an ASVEL Villeurbanne team that stormed the Palau in the first round with pain, Barça wants to link that victory with another that, by the way, would give prestige. Barça, second in the table but tied on victories with the leader (Real Madrid) and Monaco, wants to continue at the top of the table and sink an Efes that always ends up coming back.
In fact, the two titles were achieved with two huge season finales. But the Turks usually start badly and leave their trump cards up their sleeve until the key moments. And playing on tracks like the one in the Catalan capital is usually the place to play those cards. In addition, they arrive with Pleiss and Singleton, two ex-Blaugranas who are always motivated.
“It’s how it has to be, he’s a European champion. Things have happened here in recent years that are interesting for the people, for us it’s just another game. It’s a point, but the emotions must be there. The rival deserves it” , commented the blaugrana coach, Sarunas Jasikevicius, in the preview of the game.
Once again, the coach will not be able to count on the Czech point guard Tomas Satoransky, still suffering from tendonitis in his right ankle and which prevented him from being in France. “One day it’s good, another bad… It’s better not to risk it,” said the Lithuanian.
DATASHEET.
–TEAMS.
BARÇA: Laprovittola, Higgins, Kalinic, Mirotic and Vesely –possible starting five–; Da Silva, Paulí, Sanli, Abrines, Kuric, Jokubaitis and Nnaji.
ANADOLU EFES ISTANBUL: Beaubois, Bryant, Micic, M’Baye and Pleiss — possible starting quintet–; Larkin, Singleton, Clyburn, Arna, Tuncer, Zizic and Dunston.
–REFEREES: Ryzhyk, Latisevs and Nedovic.
–HALL: Palau Blaugrana.