Fenerbahce-Real Madrid: second clash in Istanbul in 48 hours
Chus Mateo's charges are looking for their 14th victory on matchday 26 of the EuroLeague (6.30 pm CET).
Real Madrid head to the Asian zone of Istanbul to face Fenerbahce this evening on matchday 26 of the EuroLeague. This will be the second game in the Turkish city this week after the clash with Anadolu Efes on Tuesday. The Whites will be looking to get a win on a particularly challenging court so they can pursue their goal of getting into the playoffs.
Chus Mateo’s side, who have 13 wins under their belt, currently sit in the play-in zone, two points behind sixth place. But this is a season when many teams are battling it out in the standings because of the enormous parity in the competition. The Madridistas boast a record of 7 wins and 3 defeats in their last 10 games. This evening, the stakes will once again be high. They face a Fenerbahce side who are in second place and have not tasted defeat at home so far this year. Their last defeat was against Monaco in December. Jasikevicius' men go into the game on the back of a narrow 91-90 defeat away to Panathinaikos.
Madrid need to regain their attacking momentum and return to consistency. Musa withdrew in the first half against Anadolu Efes with a sprained ankle and is a doubt for the game. Bruno Fernando has quickly found his place in the team. The Angolan centre was the most valued player the other day (11 points and 5 rebounds), and the improvement of Hugo Gonzalez has been explosive (with another 11 points he beat his record of scoring in the EuroLeague). Aside from the big names, the Whites will have to focus on preventing turnovers and controlling the rebounding. The Turks are a physically imposing team, with plenty of scoring firepower and a very versatile inside game with Hayes-Davis at the forefront. McCollum has been filling in for Baldwin IV's absence and is getting better every game.
Another chapter of a historic rivalry
Thirty-six head-to-heads have taken place between the two teams in the EuroLeague, but it was after the semi-final of the 2015 Final Four in Madrid that the clashes intensified with playoff contests, semi-finals and Final Four appearances such as the 2018 final which Madrid won in Belgrade. Madrid boast a 23-13 aggregate lead, although Fenerbahce have triumphed on the last three occasions.