Real Madrid-Olympiacos: big night of basketball in store at the WiZink Center

This evening, the WiZink Center will be the scene of one of the greatest basketball match-ups in Europe: Real Madrid-Olympiacos. The reigning champions, the most decorated team and current leaders of the competition, will face last season's finalists and holders of three trophies. This will be a new chapter in a historic rivalry between the two sides, fresh from the recent final of the EuroLeague in Kaunas, where the Whites clinched the Undécima with Llull's unforgettable basket.

Real Madrid are the clear leaders in the standings. With four more wins than the second and third placed teams, the madridistas hold a considerable cushion going into round 23. However, the first goal is to qualify for the playoffs and win the home-court advantage as soon as possible. Olympiacos, who sit sixth and lead a group of four teams with 12 wins and 10 defeats, will be their opponents. The Greeks have lost in their last two outings but they are always a fiercely competitive team.

In addition, it is the best attack against the best defence. Real Madrid average 89 points and Olympiacos concede 74.6. Five of the Madrid players average double figures in scoring, spearheaded by Musa (13.3). One of them, Tavares, will not be available and neither will Llull.  Poirier, who will have to perform as well as he did against Surne Bilbao Basket (20 in PIR) against a very competitive opposition with a dominant inside game, but with Milutinov and Fall will be absent. Canaan and Peters are their most in-form players but their roster includes former Madrid player Williams-Goss, Walkup, Mckissic, Sikma and Petrusev, among others.

WiZink Center fortress
The Whites will be looking for their 20th victory in the EuroLeague. 10 of the 19 have come at the WiZink Center, which has been a fortress for all visiting sides to date: Zalgiris, Milan, Barça, Virtus Bologna, Monaco, Alba Berlin, Bayern, Partizan, Anadolu Efes and Valencia Basket. This will be the Whites' 39th game against the Athenians in the history of this competition, with a 21-17 record and two consecutive victories. The victory that gave Madrid the undécima in Kaunas by 78-79 and the one in the first half of the season on the Greek court. Madrid recorded a  71-77 victory, spearheaded by Musa and Hezonja (23 and 18 points respectively). This is the first game of a highly demanding week with another league fixture on Sunday in Gran Canaria.