After the loss against F.C. Barcelona, PAO will be more motivated to fight in Madrid
The first game of Round 26 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague will feature two of the most successful teams in the history of the competition, Real Madrid and Panathinaikos.
At the end of last month, Panathinaikos seemed to be a sure lock to finish in the Top 6 teams of the regular season, however with 3 defeats in the last 4 games things have become complicated for Rick Pitino’s team. They are not yet in danger of missing the postseason, but with a defeat tonight in the WiZink Center, the Greens could be just 2 wins above the 8th spot and there are at least 5 teams fighting for that last spot for the playoffs.
The guests of tonight’s game are in excellent shape. Despite missing four key players in Istanbul, Real played exceptional basketball and managed to dominate Fenerbahce on their home court in a way that surprised everyone. They are confident, mature and even when they miss some players, the ones who replace them can fill the void. The credit for this goes to Pablo Laso, who brought the winning culture back to Madrid since he took the helm of the team in 2011. Laso is also a coach that likes to promote young players alongside his veteran leaders. The latest examples are Usman Garuba and Mario Nakic, who had encouraging performances in the last round in Istanbul.
It’s usually very hard to win in Madrid and judging by the latest results it’s safe to say that the Spanish champions are the clear favourites in tonight’s matchup. However, I expect Panathinaikos to fight for every ball and to give their best to win. The Greek champions have a very tough schedule in the upcoming weeks, playing away at Olympiacos and Fenerbahce and at home against CSKA. If they do not improve, the danger of missing the playoffs could become a reality.
Photo: Euroleague
Imre Halasz
