Several key players are set to miss this Round 23 clash, but those absences provide an opportunity for others to step up in a repeat of last year’s championship game.
Wounded Real Madrid welcomes undermanned Olympiacos to WiZink Center
Articolo
3 Minuto di lettura
Regular Season
Round 23 of 34
Regular Season
Real MadridRMB
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Olympiacos PiraeusOLY
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Fixtures between Real Madrid and Olympiacos Piraeus have taken on a whole new level of intrigue following what happened in Kaunas, Lithuania, last May. Just as it looked like the Reds were going to win their fourth Turkish Airlines EuroLeague trophy, victory was snatched from the jaws of defeat by a Real side that refused to wilt, with Sergio Llull scoring the crucial title-winning basket to secure a 78-79 victory with 3 seconds to go.
To make matters worse, a red-hot atmosphere was on show at Peace and Friendship Stadium in Round 12 of this current campaign when Olympiacos hosted Real. It was their first meeting since the championship game, but Los Blancos had an easier ride this time as they came away with a 71-77 triumph.
Los Blancos without two key contributors
Some good news for Olympiacos fans is that they will not have to be reminded of that shot – or not much, at least – as Llull is out indefinitely with a foot injury. Another player who became a nightmare for Reds supporters was Walter Tavares, but he is another who will miss Thursday night’s Round 23 clash with an ankle injury.
On top of the absences of Llull and Tavares, Real may also be without the services of Guerschon Yabusele, a player who didn’t feature in last year’s championship game due to suspension. He is dealing with a knee strain and his status for Real’s game against Olympiacos is uncertain. Fortunately for Real, it welcomed back Gabriel Deck last week; otherwise, that would have been another big name who is unavailable.
The Milutinov injury
Things are not all rosy for Olympiacos, however. On top of the injury to Moustapha Fall, who has a knee problem and is expected to be out until early February, fellow center Nikola Milutinov – coming off a monster 20-point, 20-rebound double-double last week – suffered an ankle injury against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the Greek League on Monday and is ruled out for the Reds’ trip to WiZink Center.
Not having Fall was already resulting in Milutinov playing more minutes, but now Olympiacos is without its two top options at the center position. Therefore, there is a golden opportunity for Filip Petrusev to finally announce himself in an Olympiacos jersey. Head coach Georgios Bartzokas, however, may think outside the box, particularly given Real will be without the three-time EuroLeague Best Defender, Tavares.
Once Milutinov had to withdraw from the Greek derby on Monday, Bartzokas tested Kostas Papanikolaou at the “five” position. As 3StepsBasket points out, Olympiacos actually outscored Panathinaikos by 10 points (9-19) in the 6:30 minutes that Papanikolaou played at center, so perhaps we could see him trialed in this position if the Reds go for a small-ball lineup.
There may be extra pressure on Olympiacos’s ball handlers, too, if Nigel Williams-Goss, who joined the Reds from Real last summer after winning his first EuroLeague title, cannot overcome a bicep issue. Coach Bartzokas has had to deal with injuries all season, and it is a similar story heading into Round 23.
A wounded Real Madrid
Perhaps, though, this is the perfect time for Olympiacos to take on Real. Last week, head coach Chus Mateo saw his squad suffer a beatdown on the road at AS Monaco, as Mike James – one of the favorites for the MVP award – put on a clinic in a 98-74 win. That was Real’s heaviest defeat in three years and, without Tavares anchoring the defense, Olympiacos may have the chance to pile more misery on the reigning champion.
However, to achieve that, Olympiacos would have to become the first team to beat Real at WiZink this season. As we can all remember, Anadolu Efes Istanbul came close to doing just that, but Los Blancos were the side that ended up coming out on top after a quadruple-overtime classic. Real is the only team in the EuroLeague yet to taste defeat on its home floor, going 10-0, but the Reds did win 87-89 in Madrid last season and have shown glimpses that they are starting to find their groove in recent weeks.
Watch out for Alec Peters
One player who has been particularly impressive all season long for Olympiacos is Alec Peters, who played just 4:28 minutes in last season’s semifinal victory against AS Monaco and not a single second in the championship game. Admittedly, he did have EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov in his way, but Peters has shown this season that can fill the Bulgarian’s void after his departure to the Sacramento Kings of the NBA.
Across 37 games last season, of which three were as a starter, Peters posted 4.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and a 4.5 PIR in an average of 13:13 minutes on the floor. This season, he has started all 21 of the games he has played in and averaged 15.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and a 17.1 PIR in 27:43 minutes. Olympiacos may be without its two main centers, but having Peters healthy means Coach Bartzokas can call upon one of his main weapons.
A tough battle in store
The interesting element to having so many key players absent is the fact that this game is even harder to call. Who will step up in their absence? Which team will notice the injuries more? These are all questions that we can’t answer until the ball goes up in the air.
Nevertheless, there are still a ton of talented players who are available across the two rosters – and it’s always a lot of fun whenever Real and Olympiacos go to battle. Thursday night is going to be no different, so make sure to tune in from 20:45 CET to see how it all plays out.