The two teams are among the favorites to reach the Final Four, but who will come out on top in Belgrade on Thursday night?
Maccabi, Barcelona looking to lay down a marker
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Games between Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and FC Barcelona tend to guarantee entertainment. At 20:05 CET on Thursday in Belgrade, Serbia, the 5-3 Maccabi hosts the 7-2 Barca in what should be another exciting contest between the two teams, with plenty of star power on show.
The two teams are currently situated in the top four of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings, with Maccabi in fourth with a game in hand and Barca in second. Surely the two head coaches, Oded Kattash and Roger Grimau, respectively, would be happy if their teams finished in those positions come the end of the season, but there’s still a long time to go before we start thinking about the playoffs, let alone the Final Four.
Maccabi’s home away from home
Nevertheless, Maccabi is continuing to keep ploughing forward, despite its unusual situation. Just last Thursday, in Round 9, Maccabi’s backcourt duo of Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin combined for 30 points, 6 rebounds, 7 rebounds and 6 steals as the Israeli side beat Olympiacos Piraeus 78-73. That game also saw notable performances from forwards Bonzie Colson and James Webb, with the former recording a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double while the latter added 10 points and 7 rebounds.
It was by no means a vintage Maccabi performance, but Coach Kattash’s squad got the job done. After a period in which Maccabi has been uprooted and moved to Belgrade, it has so far gone 2-1 at its new home, Aleksandar Nikolic Hall, as it slowly gets familiar with its new surroundings. There may be no fans in attendance for its home games, but getting a win against Barca would only strengthen the feeling inside Maccabi’s camp that this could be a special season.
Barcelona has cooled off
Barca, meanwhile, responded from a tough loss at Baskonia in Round 8 by beating fellow Spanish side Valencia Basket 74-70 at Palau Blaugrana, where Coach Grimau’s charges have a perfect record. Jan Vesely and Alex Abrines were the only players to score a double-digit number of points on the night, which was the same story at Baskonia just a couple of days earlier as Nicolas Laprovittola and Oscar Da Silva scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. Coach Grimau will certainly be hoping that star players Willy Hernangomez, Tomas Satoransky and Jabari Parker can pick up their play in Round 10.
Things, therefore, are not quite going to plan on offense for Barca. However, one area that the Spanish team has been able to lean on is its defense, with the Blaugrana giving up an average of 74.0 points, the third-best mark in the entire EuroLeague. Up against a Maccabi side that ranks third on offense with 83.8 points per game, it should make for quite the battle.
The recent history between Maccabi and Barcelona
In fact, last season, Barca won both of its games against Maccabi, 79-86 in Tel Aviv and 83-78 in Barcelona, but had previously lost five straight to the side from Israel. What’s more, since Barca’s 83-92 win at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in Round 3 this season, every one of its games has been won by the home team. Will that run of home wins continue in Round 10?
Well, only time will tell, but Maccabi has the chance to make a statement with a win against Coach Grimau’s charges. Conversely, if Barca can come away from Belgrade with a win in Round 10, it will improve to 8-2 and keep up the pressure on league leader Real Madrid, which is a perfect 8-0 and has a game in hand. Make sure to follow the game’s live blog on Euroleague.net from 19:20 CET on Thursday evening before the action gets underway at 20:05 CET.