The second finalist at the 2022 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four will be decided in a new edition of "El Clasico", as regular season champs FC Barcelona will face archrivals Real Madrid. Here's a look at how both teams match up.
Semifinals matchups: FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
Backcourt
FC Barcelona counts on one of the most dangerous backcourt pair of the continent with complementary skills. Nick Calathes runs the offense with his classy pass-first mentality, while Nicolas Laprovittola is an offensive dagger both from long range and driving to the basket. Real Madrid used several baccourt configurations this season, even with no "pure" point guards such as Alberto Abalde and Adamn Hanga to use size and deffensive skills to build from it.
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Frontcourt
Only a few can doubt Real Madrid's power inside the paint. It's noy only that the duo of Walter Tavares and Vincent Poireir combine size, physicality and top-notch intimidation, but Yabusele also adds versatility and outside shot to a remarkably strong body frame. Barcelona will count on Sanli's size to match Real's strength at the center, plus adding mobility, speed and scoring skills with Nikola Mirotic and Brandon Davies.
Bench
Veterans like Sergio Llull or Rudy Fernandez can become a big asset for Real, since they have been through a challenge like this several times in the past, achieving two Euroleague titles each, but many other players can take over for Real coming from the bench as only Walter Tavares has started in all games he played. Rokas Jokubaitis and Dante Exum are usually used by Barcelona as game-changing tools thanks to their explosiveness and intensity, which they both will have to prove useful in their first experience in a Final Four.
Coaches
Nobody other than Sarunas Jasikevicius and Pablo Laso knows how to face a game like that, as both have been involved both as a player and as a coach. Pablo Laso has won the Euroleague title twice (2015 and 2018), and knows how it feels to do in Belgrade. Jasikevicius is looking for his first title as a coach, after being crowned champion 3 times as a player (2004, 2005 and 2009). Both are quite passionate head coaches that will bring their energy to the court through their players.