After ending their historic winning record at home last December, Fenerbahce look to do the double over CSKA Moscow in last season’s EuroLeague title game on Thursday.
The last two encounters between the two sides have gone to overtime with both teams winning one game each. The latest came when CSKA were riding high at the top of the EuroLeague standings and were 17 games unbeaten at home until Fenerbahce spoiled their proud record with a 20-4 overtime run, good enough for a 95-79 win last December.
CSKA were missing Nando De Colo on that night, but Fenerbahce were without Bogdan Bogdanovic as well, both of whom will be in action, Thursday.
“Fenerbahce is a great team that has two additions in comparison to our last meeting,” said CSKA coach Dimitris Itoudis. “They signed [Anthony] Bennett and got Bogdanovic back after injury. They play in front of amazing crowd that pushes them all game long, adds energy and motivation. It is going to be a really tough game.”
Both teams are likely to come into this game without key players. CSKA have been without Milos Teodosic for their last three games and is questionable for Thursday’s game, while Ekpe Odoh is out for Fenerbahce.
∞∞∞ ZALGIRIS LOOK TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SHAKY BARCELONA ∞∞∞
Zalgiris will go into Thursday’s clash with Barcelona in Kaunas on the back of two straight wins and the thought of playing the Catalan side at the best time, as they have dropped four of their last five games.
But on the flip side, a wounded animal can be the most dangerous. Despite their recent form, Barcelona, quite possibly the EuroLeague’s unluckiest team in regards to their injury list provide us with flashes of brilliance, like the last time these teams met when Barca dug out a 92-86 win.
But going into Thursday’s game, both sides own 8-12 records, as they sit outside the Playoff spots. The two teams are used to being in the mix for the post-season, so both are in unfamiliar territory heading into the clash at the Zalgirio Arena.
∞∞∞ HAVE EA7 MILANO TRULY TURNED THE CORNER? ∞∞∞
Despite losing their last game against Real Madrid, EA7 Milano came off two straight wins after losing their previous ten. Even though they coughed up a 94-89 loss to the Liga Endesa side, they showed tremendous fight and spirit, and ahead of their clash with Darussafaka Dogus, the question remains: have the Italian giants turned the corner?
The two teams met all the way back in week two of the EuroLeague season with Milano sneaking an 81-80 win to go 2-0. Back then, they were competing with CSKA at the top, but now they languish at the bottom ahead of their rematch.
Darussfaka on the other hand are in desperate need of consistency, as perhaps the most unpredictable team in the EuroLeague this season as their 10-10 record suggests. They have dropped their last two games and are in a battle for the eighth and final Playoff spot, which they currently are clinging on to.
∞∞∞ TWO TEAMS THAT NEED TO REVIVE THEIR SEASON ∞∞∞
Brose Bamberg host Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv on Thursday with both sides locked at 7-13 records, sitting outside the Playoff spots. Simple fact is that this is a big game for both sides.
This will be their fourth EuroLeague meeting ever, with Bamberg holding a 2-1 advantage, including a convincing 85-70 road win in Tel Aviv back in Round 11 with Nicolo Melli exploding for 27 points and 14 rebounds in that game.
Maccabi comes into the trip to northern Germany from getting its second win in the last eleven games and will look to turn that into a streak, while Bamberg is currently on a four-game losing trend that the team will want to snap as soon as possible.
∞∞∞ OLYMPIACOS TRAVEL TO RUSSIA FOR SHOWDOWN WITH UNICS ∞∞∞
Third placed Olympiacos travel to Russia on Thursday as they play Unics Kazan, who despite being 13th, are always tough opposition, especially at home where they have won five of their nine games at Basket Hall so far.
But they face an Olympiacos side who in their previous meeting, eased to an 88-59 victory in Piraeus and comes off a sixth straight home win against Brose Bamberg last week.
The Greeks however, will be without its leader Vassilis Spanoulis as well as Patric Young for the clash. It gives Unics more hope as they look to climb out the bottom half of the table.
“We are ready for Olympiacos,” Kazan scorer Keith Langford said. “I need to be ready. This week game is not about Olympiacos, we have to focused on us. We have a difficult situation in our hands, so it is important to win no matter who plays against us.”
