Barça-Real Madrid: the season's sixth Clásico clash
The League leaders visit the Palau having won four of their last five encounters with the azulgranas (6:30pm CEST).
Real Madrid and Barça go head-to-head for the sixth time in the current campaign this evening. Chus Mateo's boys have dominated the recent matchups, with four wins in their last five Clásicos, and arrive at the Palau Blaugrana top of the table and hoping to clinch their 24th win against the third-placed outfit.
With seven Regular Season games left to play, Real Madrid have their league position in their own hands. Their closest challengers are Unicaja, who start the round with one win fewer than the Whites, while Barça, in third, are five behind. The azulgranas are only three wins ahead of ninth place, meaning they are still short of securing a guaranteed playoff spot.
On paper, Madrid appear superior in almost every facet of the game so far this campaign: points scored, points conceded, rebounds, assists, blocks, two-point FG, and PIR. Barcelona edge us from three, one of their greatest strengths, thanks to shooters like Laprovittola, Brizuela, Abrines and Parker (41.2%). Bringing down their percentages and our turnovers will be key elements if we're to win the game. Another is likely to be the battle in the paint. Tavares and Willy Hernángomez are the competition's two leading rebounders, while their deputies Vesely and Poirier are both in spectacular form. The madridista center was named MVP last round with a PIR of 32.
Madrid in control this season
The head-to-head clearly favours our boys this evening, having won four of five Clásicos this term. The two teams opened the campaign in the Super Cup semi-finals, with Chus Mateo's side winning by 10 points to make the final (80-90), where they would go on to be crowned champions. The next clash was on matchday three in the League at the WiZink Center. Again, Madrid were victorious, 86-79. Later in October, they crossed paths in the EuroLeague, another victory for Chus Mateo's outfit, this time 65-64. The repeat in the European competition came on 3 January at the Palau, where the hosts enjoyed a 83-78 win. The last encounter was the Copa del Rey final in Málaga, where Madrid got their hands on the trophy thanks to a 96-85 triumph. Tonight, we're going all out for our fifth Clásico success of the season.