Real Madrid-Asvel: all eyes on another WiZink Center win

Real Madrid play their second EuroLeague clash at the WiZink Center in under 48 hours tonight. Following Tuesday's win over Maccabi, Chus Mateo's boys will hope to extend their unbeaten run at their own court, where they total 12 wins on the bounce and could equal their second-best ever start at home (13 from the 2021/22 season). Our team welcome French outfit Asvel Villeurbanne, who sit bottom of the table but who we beat by just a single point in the first game.

There are just ten games to go in the Regular Season. Madrid, undisputed leader with 21 wins from 24 games, sit eight ahead of the seventh-place team, meaning the primary goal - a playoff spot - is within touching distance already. What's more, they are in with a shout of breaking their record for most games won in this phase, the 23 they took in both 2016/17 and 2022/23. The French are more dangerous than their place in the table would suggest, though. They have won five so far, three on the road. Just two games back, they defeated Bayern in Munich, while they also came away from Berlin and Kaunas with a point.

Impressive offensive stats
Real Madrid come into the clash off the back of an offensive exhibition against Maccabi. The 106 points was their best return of the season, not including overtime. They average almost 90 points in the EuroLeague, 11 more than the opposition. Yabusele and Hezonja have both returned to the fold in impressive form, giving Chus Mateo more chance to rotate despite the absences of Llull and Tavares. Poirier proved the perfect replacement for the Cape-Verde ace and was the top performer against the Israelis (29 PIR). He'll be up against it again today, taking on Fall (2.21 m.). But the madridistas' strength lies in the unit, as was clear for all to see on Tuesday as various players stepped up at different times including Causeur (9 points in 8 mins) and Sergio Rodríguez (11 in 16).

Another physically demanding match
Asvel possess huge athleticism in every position and are a big threat on the offensive rebound. Their weakness lies at the back, where the concede an average of 85 points per game. Lauvergne and Luwawu-Cabarrot both missed out on the last game, while De Colo remains on the sidelines. Without them, Paris Lee and Mike Scott have been the key men in offense, with Fall patrolling the paint. They have strengthened with the arrival of former ACB star Deshaun Thomas. The first game saw us come from behind in the last quarter to win by a single point (76-77). The head-to-head reads 10-1 in our favour, with nine wins in a row. It's the first game in February, with the aim being levelling our second best EuroLeague start on home turf.