Fenerbahce has a tough mission against Real Madrid
Fenerbahce Istanbul will host Real Madrid in the Ulker Arena on Tuesday evening, a very attractive clash between two teams with high goals every season. The game was initially scheduled for December 29 of last year but was suspended at that time because of the Covid outbreak in the Spanish team.
The hosts are having a very strange season, with ups and downs. After the unexpected departure of Igor Kokoskov to the NBA, another Serbian coach Sasha Djordjevic took over a very talented roster, but the first part of the season didn’t really go as planned. At the end of November, Fener was totally out of the playoff picture and fans were upset with Djordjevic, demanding a change. The management of the team showed trust in their coach in those difficult times, and since the beginning of December, Fenerbahce is one of the hottest teams in Europe, winning 8 games out of 9, losing only away to Asvel. The Turkish team beat teams like Zenit, Maccabi, Olympiacos and last Thursday got a fabulous win in Milan. What makes this streak even more remarkable is that the Turkish team had to play the last few games without their two superstars, Nando De Colo and Jan Vesely.
On the other side, Real Madrid is leading both the EuroLeague and Spanish ACB standings. The Spanish side has the deepest roster in Europe, which allows coach Pablo Laso to properly rest players when needed, especially some of the veteran players. Real has the luxury to leave out players from the 12 man roster who would otherwise be starters in most of the other EuroLeague teams and this creates a competitive spirit even between the squad members. Thus, it’s no surprise that the Blancos have such a good season and they can be considered the main favourites to win the trophy (FC Barcelona fans will probably not agree with this).
Surely we will see an entertaining game, as Fener is still fighting to get into the top eight and every game is vital for them in their quest for the playoffs. Madrid would also like to keep the 2 wins distance between them and Barca in the standings. Also, the Spanish team lost their last 3 games in the ACB league, the last one just two days ago at home against Valencia so they will be motivated to play a good game.
Imre Halasz
Image: Euroleague
