Madrid looking to pull level in Belgrade
Real Madrid will be looking for a repeat of Tuesday's victory at the Stark Arena as they face Partizan in Belgrade (8.30pm CET).
This evening at the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Real Madrid go head-to-head with Partizan in the fourth game of the EuroLeague playoff series. Less than 48 hours ago, Chus Mateo's charges took the first step towards mounting a comeback and today they will be looking to secure their second consecutive victory to move level in the series and bring the tie back to Madrid for the fifth and final clash.
The madridistas now face another crunch match, knowing that the only way to stay alive is to win, but a victory would turn the tie on its head. Should the Whites battle back from 0-2 down, it would be a huge confidence boost. No side has achieved such a feat, but if anyone is capable of doing so, it is Real Madrid. In the third game, they showed that they are not feeling the pressure and if they win, they will also record their best EuroLeague away win total 11 wins. They are up against a Partizan team, who will be motivated by the fact that they could be in their first Final Four after a 13-year absence.
The madridistas now face another crunch match, knowing that the only way to stay alive is to win, but a victory would turn the tie on its head. Should the Whites battle back from 0-2 down, it would be a huge confidence boost. No side has achieved such a feat, but if anyone is capable of doing so, it is Real Madrid. In the third game, they showed that they are not feeling the pressure and if they win, they will also record their best EuroLeague away win total 11 wins. They are up against a Partizan team, who will be motivated by the fact that they could be in their first Final Four after a 13-year absence.
It will all be down to the small details once again. Both teams recover important members of the roster: Deck and Lessort, who will bolster each side's inside game. If there is one thing the madridistas can be confident of, it is the depth of their squad, as they demonstrated on Tuesday. Tavares was instrumental as he put in a record-breaking performance by a Madrid player in a playoff game 41 in PIR, but he also had crucial help from Williams-Goss. The point guard enjoyed his highest scoring game in our jersey 22 points. Another highlight was Hezonja's 14 rebounds. The small forward's significance in rebounding is crucial.
Defence will be the key to victory
If Madrid are to emerge victorious, it will be vital to limit Partizan's scoring. The hosts play at high intensity and are capable of big scores if they get on a run of form. In the last game they managed to significantly reduce the Serbian attack, limiting them to 16, 15 and 17 points respectively in the final three quarters. The Whites will have to pay close attention to their outside shooting, where Smailagic has been causing a lot of damage. They will need to stay focused and manage the pressure if they are to get anything positive out of a Stark Arena, which was packed with 20,091 spectators for the third game. Tonight, Madrid face another crunch match.
Defence will be the key to victory
If Madrid are to emerge victorious, it will be vital to limit Partizan's scoring. The hosts play at high intensity and are capable of big scores if they get on a run of form. In the last game they managed to significantly reduce the Serbian attack, limiting them to 16, 15 and 17 points respectively in the final three quarters. The Whites will have to pay close attention to their outside shooting, where Smailagic has been causing a lot of damage. They will need to stay focused and manage the pressure if they are to get anything positive out of a Stark Arena, which was packed with 20,091 spectators for the third game. Tonight, Madrid face another crunch match.