Today’s Madrid-Barça it is a priori least important of the season, although significant, even unexpected, chapters may be added later. And why is it not so decisive? Because it’s not a final and leadership in the Euroleague offers less reward than that of the ACB, where home court advantage throughout the playoff can lead to the title. In Europe, the challenge is to finish in the top four, which guarantees the track factor in the quarterfinals. And there the two greats get along very well, with five defeats less the whites (and four the azulgranas) than the fifth, Zenit. Furthermore, the crossing of the first is not always easier than that of the third, for example.
Both also carry injuries and they could meet in the Cup final in nine days, so it stands to reason that the coaches, if they can still pull off an ace, would keep it up their sleeve. Perhaps they do not force situations or their players. Madrid recovers Heurtel and Hanga, “between cottons”, but not Taylor and Deck, doubts for the appointment in Granada. Like Rudy, who retired from training yesterday due to injury to the adductor muscles. The KO tournament is in danger for him. At Barça, Abrines still hasn’t returned (although he has travelled), nor has Oriola, and Higgins is undergoing surgery.
So far, the cold logic. Then there is the warmth of a classic with pending accounts and a leadership at stake that no one wants to give up to the enemy. Since Jasikevicius trains Barça, and look at this, send in direct duels 8-3 and has won all the games played at the WiZink (5-0). Another victory, against a team weakened by the schedule and physical problems, could leave touched his rival on the eve of the Cup. To a Madrid that has just broken negative records in its long history in the European Cup (17 points at half-time against Fenerbahçe and 30 at the end of the third quarter) and that, since their defeat against Barcelona in the league on January 23, face his ninth meeting in 20 days, of which has lost four (half of his eight defeats throughout the course: 38-8 balance).
On Tuesday he fell with a crash in Istanbul (66-51) while Barça has had five days to prepare for the Clásico. An asymmetric situation. Now, he only has one game left to recover and the azulgranas have four left, so later on things could be the other way around. After the exchange of words between the two technicians three weeks ago, nobody wants to give up the lead. “If we win today, we would be up in a final draw (93-80 in the first leg at the Palau) And that is very important“, Saras accounts out loud.
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