Crvena zvezda-Real Madrid: tough trip to Belgrade

Real Madrid head into a penultimate week of the year that will see them played three games in just five days, with a EuroLeague double-header followed by a league clash. Leaders and best away team in the competition, Chus Mateo's boys visit one of the hottest grounds in Europe looking to pick up a 14th win of the campaign against Crvena zvezda and clinch their best ever EuroLeague start.

Real Madrid is the undisputed leader and after 14 games, they boast a three-game advantage over Barça and Virtus Bolonia. On the road, they have a record of six wins and just a single defeat. Meanwhile, the Serbian outfit lie in 14th place and their five wins have all come on home turf. Last time out, they thrashed Alba Berlin 85-71.

Our team are averaging almost 90 points per game in offense (89.1), with impressive numbers from both two and three points. The strength as a unit is reflected in a PIR of 109.3. Campazzo (18.8) tops six other players in double digits for this stat. Closing out the rebound and producing a strong defensive display will be crucial tonight. Crvena zvezda is the second best team on the offensive rebound and have some of the highest three-point-shots-per-game numbers. They have strengthened well in the form of Teodosic, Dos Santos, Napier, Giedraitis, Bolomboy and Tobey, while Mitrovic and Nedovic are also producing some of their best basketball.

Favourable head-to-head
The two teams have come up against each other fifteen times in the EuroLeague, with ten wins going the way of the madridistas. Our team have also won on four of their last five visits to Crvena zvezda. Last season, we enjoyed a 20-point victory (59-79) thanks to a Tavares exhibition (17 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks and a PIR of 35). Today, all eyes will be on a first win in this week's EuroLeague double-header.