OAKA opens the Madrid battle for second place
MADRID, 30 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid will face this Thursday (8:00 p.m.) at the OAKA in Athens and against the Greek Panathinaikos their final sprint in the 2021-2022 Euroleague Regular Phase to take second position and reach the playoffs with the best feelings possible.
With two games remaining in this Regular Phase, the Madrid team currently occupies this place in the standings, tied with the Italian Armani Milan and the Greek Olympiacos, although they only have one game left to play, at home against the Barca.
He has won the ‘basket-average’ for both of them, so certifying this goal involves winning the two remaining games, this one in Athens and the one next week at the WiZink Center against the German Bayern Munich, while only one victory would guarantee him at least being third. Losing both, on the other hand, could send him to fourth place if his pursuers comply.
The tremendous equality from fifth place and the postponed matches do not allow them to ‘play’ too much with the more ‘affordable’ rival to reach the ‘Final Four’ in Belgrade. Pablo Laso warned in the preview that they don’t think about that and that the goal is to win the two remaining matches to be second.
And the first step will be at OAKA where the ten-time European champion hopes to put an end to the losing streak away from home. Real Madrid has lost in its last five outings, with particular pain in the last two last week against Efes and Maccabi, who left due to their offensive drought in the final minutes.
The Madrid team has shown much more weakness as a visitor than in its stronghold at the WiZink Center and, counting the defeat in Kazan (Russia) against UNICS, they have lost a total of nine outings from the capital. Given the importance of this aspect for the qualifiers, the best thing would be for him to cut this bad dynamic in his last trip of this Regular Phase.
The situation of Panathinaikos, which has been in decline for several seasons now and is penultimate with a balance of 7-18, should be taken advantage of by Real Madrid, who have won on the Greek pitch in their last four visits, although last year needed two extensions.
The team led by Dimitris Priftis, who comes with the extra burden of Tuesday’s defeat against Maccabi, has nothing at stake and will be more dangerous in front of his fans, against whom he has added six of his seven victories, including others important rivals like Efes, Fenerbahce, Baskonia or the already eliminated Zenit, while Barça suffered a lot (82-85).
The ‘PAO’ is weighed down by the absences that reduce the rotation and with doubts due to Okaro White’s flu, while Laso will not be able to count on Hanga, Randolph and Abalde, although last weekend in the victory in the Endesa League against Urbas Fuenlabrada he has already recovered Causeur and Taylor to bring renewed energy to a team that needs more help for Deck and Yabusele, and that currently does not have the most dominant attacking version of a Tavares who will have an interesting duel in the ‘painting’ with Papagiannis and his also 2.20 meters.
DATASHEET.
–EQUIPMENT.
PANATHINAIKOS: Nedovic, Sant Ross, Evans, Papapetrou y Papagiannis – possible quinteto initial– Macon, Kavvadas, Kaselakis, Mantzoukas y Chougkaz.
REAL MADRID: Williams-Goss, Causeur, Deck, Yabusele and Tavares (6) –possible starting five–; Heurtel, Rudy Fernández, Poirier, Taylor, Llull, Thompkins, and Núñez.
–REFEREES: Boltauzer, Latisevs and Mogulkoc.
–PAVILLION: OAKA Arena.