Real Madrid with the first chance against Fenerbahce
Real Madrid will host Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul on Wednesday evening in the WiZink Center, in a game that counts for Round 31 of the current EuroLeague season.
It will be a battle between two title contenders that had some ups and downs during the season, but generally have been performing well and are currently fighting for the home-court advantage in the playoffs.
Real currently sits in 2nd place in the standings (tied with leaders Olympiacos) with four games left to play and only an improbably disastrous finish in the regular season would make them drop out of the top 4 and lose home-court advantage. However, the team from the Spanish capital lives dangerously: before beating Virtus in Bologna last Friday, Los Blancos played 5 consecutive games that were decided by 4 points or less (and lost two of them).
Fenerbahce is in a hotter spot than Madrid. The team coached by Dimitris Itoudis is 5th with an 18-12 record and the Turkish team lost 3 of its last 5 games. Also, the “Yellow Canaries” lost on Sunday in the Turkish league against Tofas. Inconsistency in results describes well Fener’s season, as they had some great winning streaks, including a 9-1 start of the EuroLeague season, but also a 5-game losing streak and some periods when they alternated great games with surprising defeats. A win in Madrid would clinch the playoff berth for Fener and the fans hope that these fluctuations will disappear now as we approach the end of the season and the team will reach its peak in the playoffs and Final Four.
Real Madrid is the favourite in this game, especially considering that Fenerbahce deals with some injury issues as Scottie Wilbekin and Dyshawn Pierre are out for at least another week. Also, it’s expected to see a high-scoring game, as both teams are in the top 5 in points per game this season in the EuroLeague.
Imre Halasz
Photo credit: Euroleague
