Barça seeks to get out of its bad moment against an irregular Maccabi
MADRID, 4 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
This Thursday, Barça will have its second consecutive outing in this double weekly matchday in the Regular Phase of the Euroleague 2024-2025 when it visits an Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv in its Belgrade exile against whom it hopes to put an end to its current poor results dynamic. so as not to disengage from the ‘Top 6’.
The Blaugrana team could not come out successful in their visit on Tuesday to the current champion of the competition, the Greek Panathinaikos, who emerged winner of a beautiful and intense duel by a tight 90-89, a score that marked the fourth European defeat in a row for the by Joan Peñarroya.
The Catalan team left a good feeling against an important rival, but did not obtain the desired prize and is resisting it since it has only added two victories in its last eight games. In the Euroleague they have remained with a balance of 7-6 and within a ‘Top 8’ from which they do not want to leave in the unusual silence of the Pionir Room in Belgrade, where Maccabi plays due to the impossibility of doing so on their field due to the war conflict that the area is experiencing.
Despite the bad streak, the ‘Top 6’ is only one win away, while the ‘Top 4’ is not too far away either, although to support those ambitions it cannot fail in its visit to a rival that is passing through this year. on the lower side, but at home, despite the absence of an audience, they are showing themselves to be more competitive, adding three of their four wins.
Above all, Peñarroya will need to recover the best version of two important players such as the American guard Kevin Punter, suffocated by the ‘PAO’ defense, and the Czech center Jan Vesely, who also had no impact on the offensive level, with a weak 3/10 in the launch. Furthermore, the latest loss of Darío Brizuela complicates the rotation somewhat further for the Catalan coach, already deprived of Nico Laprovittola, Chimeziu Metu and Raúl Neto, and who does not seem to have excessive confidence in players like Willy Hernangómez and Youssoupha Fall.
Opposite, a Maccabi that has just lost at home against the surprising Paris Basketball (81-93) and that was already able to win at the Aleksandar Nikolic against Real Madrid, its only victory along with the one achieved against the German ALBA Berlin at home in its last eight games of this Regular Phase where it is far from time to fight for high positions. Improving their defensive level, with more than 87 points conceded per game so far, will be mandatory to have a chance against an opponent who has won their last four games and who will reunite with an ex like Rokas Jokubaitis.
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–TEAMS.
MACCABI TEL AVIV: Jokubaitis, Randolph, Dibartolomeo, Hoard and Gabriel –possible starting quintet– Rivero, Rayman, Sorkin, Shayok, Cohen, Blatt and De Julius.
BARÇA: Satoransky, Punter, Abrines, Parker and Vesely –possible starting quintet–; Anderson, W.Hernangómez, Núñez, Parra, Fall, Sarr, Villar and Butajevas.
–ARBITROS: Radovic, Petek y Laurinavicius.
–PAVILLION: Aleksandar Nikolic Hall.
–TIME: 20.05/#Let’s go.